Rush’s original drummer John Rutsey was 55 at the time of his death in 2008.
Following his departure from the band in 1974, after the release of their first album,
Rutsey would be out of the rock n’ roll spotlight,
all the while his former band would become one of the biggest acts in the world. This is his story.
John Rutsey founded Rush in 1968, in Toronto, Canada, along with guitarist and childhood friend
Alex Lifeson, and future Red Rider bassist Jeff Jones, who was the band’s original frontman. The
three musicians would use the band name Rush last minute, right before playing their first show,
after struggling to come up with one during practice. Author Bill Basiniewicz
wrote about how they’d eventually get their name in his 1988 biography on the band, Visions.
“The band was excited, but they had a big problem. While they had been dreaming of playing,
they had neglected to come up with a name for their group. So, a few days before the gig,
they sat around in John's basement trying to come up with an appropriate moniker.
They weren't having much luck when John's older brother Bill piped up, 'Why don't you call the
band Rush?,' and Rush it was," he’d say. Rush’s first performance with Jeff Jones
was successful, but on their next one, he would pull a no-show.
Jones would leave the band and was replaced with Geddy Lee, another childhood friend who John
and Alex knew from their time as students at St. Patrick’s School. Rush’s first roadie, Ian Grandy,
who was with the band until 1983, discussed a temporary direction Rutsey had them pursue, in a
2009 interview with Guitar International Magazine: “John led the guys as far as being 'glam rockers',
with really flashy jackets and pants, and eight-inch high boots," Grandy would then
mention an anecdote about him and Rutsey catching up at a now-legendary Toronto club.
“One time, he was speaking to me at the Gasworks and I said,
‘Didn’t we used to be the same height (5’8”)?’ He laughed and said ‘Well, maybe a long time ago!’”
In fact, Rush wouldn’t always be a trio. By 1971, the band also experimented briefly as
a four piece, incorporating Mitch Bossi as second guitarist.
But that didn’t satisfy John Rutsey, who sought a different direction for the band.
On the podcast In Conversation with Chad Smith, Alex Lifeson said in 2013:
“John wanted to [do] more of a Bad Company or Small Faces sort of thing.
That’s the kind of music he was really into…the English bluesy kind of thing,”
“We went for a while, for a few months. I remember we were at a rehearsal, and we told
Mitch that it wasn't really working out. He picked up his stuff, and he left,” he’d say.
For a brief moment, it seemed as though Rush’s early efforts were about to pay off,
but they’d hit another dead end. An episode of the podcast series Full in Bloom in May of 2020
featured Epic Records A&R Tom Werman talking about his attempt to sign Rush back in the early 70s:
“I heard a demo, and I went up to Toronto to see them, the manager picked me up - Ray Danniels,
I think he managed Van Halen later on, I can't remember.”
“I went backstage and said, ‘This is incredible.’ This was very artsy. This wasn’t your standard
rock ‘n’ roll, and I thought this would be a really great signing for me because
it’s high-class, you know, and it’s different.” “So, business affairs [took] over at that point,
to make the deal, and that's what usually happens. But the band wanted
a $75,000 advance for a two-album deal.” Werman concludes, “The label still had to
pay for the recordings, so, I don't know, I didn't have anything to do with business affairs, they
just passed; they just said, 'No, can't do it.' By 1973, Rush would put out their first single.
Its first side was their take on Buddy Holly’s “Not Fade Away,” while the flipside, “You Can’t
Fight It,” was written by Lee and Rutsey. They’d follow it up in 1974 with their debut album,
and both releases were on the band’s own label, Moon Records. Lee and Lifeson had given Rutsey
the role as Rush’s main songwriter, but after coming up short, Lee took over and wrote lyrics
for the songs just before they were recorded. Once the album was released, it gained traction
in the United States, when its final track, “Working Man,” became a hit in Cleveland,
Ohio thanks to a local DJ. That exposure would land Rush a deal with major label Mercury Records.
But Rutsey’s time with the band would ultimately come to a close. On top of his contentment
staying local, and unwillingness to adapt to Lee’s and Lifeson’s new prog rock approach,
he wasn’t keeping his type 1 diabetes under control, and decided to leave.
After Rush, John Rutsey continued living a normal life in his hometown.
Alex Lifeson told Rockline Radio in 1989:
"John's still around. I see John quite often. He gave up playing shortly after
he left the band and went into bodybuilding. He competed on an amateur level for a while,
doing that for a few years, and has sort of been in and out of that, but he still works out,
and I work out with him a few times a week at a local gym - at a Gold's, here in Toronto."
Then, in 2005, when interviewed on an episode of VH1 Classic’s Hangin’ With, Lifeson said,
“I haven’t seen John in about 15 years, but last time I saw him, he was living his life,” adding,
“I think he’s happy with the decision he made. He wasn’t kicked out; he made that decision on his
own.” Three years following the interview, Rutsey was found dead after suffering a heart attack
in his sleep, which was widely believed to be connected to his lifelong struggle with diabetes.
Lifeson and Lee would post a heartfelt tribute to Rutsey on Rush’s website, saying,
"Our memories of the early years of Rush when John was in the band
are very fond to us. Those years spent in our teens dreaming of one day doing what we continue
to do decades later are special. Although our paths diverged many years ago, we smile today,
thinking back on those exciting times and remembering John's wonderful sense
of humour and impeccable timing. He will be deeply missed by all he touched."
That does it for today’s episode of Rock N’ Roll True Stories, guys; thanks for watching.
Be sure to hit the like button and subscribe, and I’ll see you in the next video. Take care.