Rush

Over four-plus decades, Canadian power trio Rush (bassist/keyboardist/vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer Neil Peart) became one of rock's most celebrated and enduring bands. Rush garnered a large and devoted following among hard rock, heavy metal, and prog audiences almost from the beginning. They sold over 40 million records and were nominated for seven Grammys between 1981-2010; they also netted 25 gold and/or platinum albums, and all but three entered the upper half of the Top 200. After 1981's chart-topping Moving Pictures, they began a seven-year period where their recorded sound was dominated by Lee's synth playing, which culminated on 1989's Presto. During the '90s, they shifted toward a hooky and radio-friendly brand of hard rock, best exemplified by 1996's Test for Echo. During their final period, they delivered studio offerings that fused heavy and prog in new ways; the last was 2012's conceptual Clockwork Angels. Rush amicably split in 2015 after Peart decided to retire from touring. He died from brain cancer in early 2020.