Rush Drummer Neil Peart Voted Greatest Of All Time

Rush drummer Neil Peart earned the win after a month long tournament held by Chicago-based music website ConsequencesofSound.net.

According to a news release posted May 30 at ConsequencesofSound.net, the multi-award winning Hamilton, Ont. native won by a overwhelming margin, scoring 87% of the vote in the final round of the vote over Led Zeppelin’s Jon Bonham. The 61-year-old musician and principal Rush lyricist survived four rounds of online voting throughout the month of May to snag the final victory.

In earlier rounds, Peart defeated Jimi Hendrix Experience’s Mitch Mitchell, The Who’s Keith Moon and Dream Theatre’s Mike Portnoy. Other drummers who bit the dust in the tournament included luminaries such as jazz great Buddy Rich, Tool’s Danny Carey, The Police’s Stewart Copeland and Nirvana’s Dave Grohl. All votes were cast by readers of the music website..

The Toronto-based power trio are currently on hiatus for the year following their hugely successful Clockwork Angels Tour, which ran from Sept. 7, 2012 – Aug. 4, 2013. Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson recently revealed the band has plans in the works for a world tour to kick off in the spring of 2015.

Rush celebrated the 40th anniversary of their classic 1974 self-titled debut album with a new vinyl boxset, titled “RushReDISCovered,” which hit shelves April 29. Re-mastered at Abbey Road studios by engineer Sean McGee, the set includes: the original art jacket, a rare reproduction of the original 1974 Canadian retail poster, individual Moon Records publicity 5×7 photos, a 12×12 Rush Family Tree poster, a download card for a free digital copy and is pressed on audiophile 200 gram vinyl. For more details, check out the band’s online store at RushBackstage.com.