Editing John Rutsey

{{short description|Canadian drummer (1952–2008)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2013}}
{{Infobox musical artist <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject Musicians -->
| name             = John Rutsey
| image            = John-Rutsey.jpg
| image_size       = 
| caption          = Rutsey in 1974
| background       = non_vocal_instrumentalist
| birth_name       = John Howard Rutsey
| alias            = 
| birth_date       = July 23, 1952
| birth_place      = 
| death_date       = {{death date and age|2008|5|11|1952|7|23}}
| death_place      = [[Toronto]], Ontario, Canada
| genre            = {{flatlist|
* [[Progressive rock]]
* [[hard rock]]
}}
| occupation       = Drummer
| years_active     = 1963–1974
| past_member_of  = [[Rush (band)|Rush]]
| website          = 
}}

'''John Howard Rutsey''' (July 23, 1952 – May 11, 2008) was a Canadian musician best known as a founding member and original drummer of [[Rush (band)|Rush]]. He performed on the band's 1974 [[Rush (Rush album)|debut album]], but left shortly after its release due to health problems which limited his ability to tour with the band. He was subsequently replaced by [[Neil Peart]], who would remain the drummer of Rush on the band's future recordings and for the rest of its active history.

==Biography==
===Personal life===
Rutsey was the son of ''[[Toronto Telegram]]'' crime reporter Howard Rutsey. He had an older brother named Bill,<ref name="Visions">Banasiewicz, Bill. {{cite web|url=http://www.2112.net/powerwindows/transcripts/BanasiewiczVisions.htm |title=Visions: The Official Biography – Chapter 1 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011130610/http://www.2112.net/powerwindows/transcripts/BanasiewiczVisions.htm |archive-date=October 11, 2007 }} Archived from October 11, 2007. Retrieved April 14, 2013.</ref> and a younger brother named Mike who became a baseball writer.<ref>Buffery, Steve (August 15, 2007). {{usurped|1=[https://archive.today/20130628045104/http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Columnists/Buffery/2007/08/15/4419863-sun.html It's a living]}}. [[canoe.ca]]. Accessed from April 16, 2013.</ref><ref name="Ian Grandy Interview" /> Following the death of their father by heart attack, the brothers were raised by their mother, Eva.

Rutsey was a student at St. Patrick’s School, and it was there that he met Gary Weinrib and Alex Zivojinovich (who would later change their names to [[Geddy Lee]] and [[Alex Lifeson]] respectively).<ref name="Ian Grandy Interview">[http://guitarinternational.com/2009/09/16/a-talk-with-ian-grandy-rushs-first-roadie/ Ian Grandy Interview: Rush’s First Roadie] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121010151730/http://guitarinternational.com/2009/09/16/a-talk-with-ian-grandy-rushs-first-roadie/ |date=October 10, 2012 }}. guitarinternational.com. September 16, 2012. Accessed from October 26, 2012.</ref> Whereas Lee and Lifeson were listening to [[progressive rock]] bands such as [[Yes (band)|Yes]], [[Pink Floyd]] and [[Genesis (band)|Genesis]] at that time, Rutsey drew more inspiration from the harder styles of bands such as [[Bad Company]].<ref name="Beyond the Lighted Stage">[[Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage]] (Film released June 10, 2010). Quote from Vic Wilson "John was not a healthy boy. He had sugar diabetes. Of course like any teenager, he said he like to drink..."</ref>

===Formation of Rush===
Rutsey and Lifeson became close friends while attending St. Patrick’s School, and the pair would play [[street hockey]] together in their neighborhood.<ref name="CUP: Rush" /> Both were interested in rock music, and talked often about forming a band.<ref name="CUP: Rush">''Contents Under Pressure: 30 Years of Rush at Home & Away''. [[Martin Popoff]]. p. 9</ref> Together, they initially were members of the bands The Projection with Bill Fitzgerald and "Doc" Cooper.<ref name="Ian Grandy Interview" /> Eventually their mutual school friend, Geddy Lee, joined them and the earliest version of Rush was formed.

Rutsey's commitment has been credited with providing the band's early direction, as it was he who took the band most seriously and would insist on regular practice sessions. According to Ian Grandy, a member of the band's early road crew, "I've said it before and I'll say it again: There would have been no 'Rush' without John." At Rutsey's suggestion, Rush was initially a [[glam rock]] band. "John led the guys as far as being 'glam rockers', with really flashy jackets and pants, and eight-inch high boots", according to Grandy. "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!{{'"}}<ref name="Ian Grandy Interview" />

It was Rutsey's brother, Bill, who came up with the name Rush for the band during a rehearsal in the Rutsey family basement in mid 1968.<ref name="Visions" />

===Career===
The band formed with Rutsey on drums, Lifeson on guitars, and [[Jeff Jones (bassist)|Jeff Jones]] on vocals and bass, but after their first concert Jones left and was succeeded by Lee. During these early years, Rutsey played on the [[Not Fade Away (song)#Rush|"Not Fade Away"/"You Can't Fight It" single]] as well as the debut album ''[[Rush (Rush album)|Rush]]''.

Lee and Lifeson have each acknowledged that during the writing and recording sessions for the band's debut album, Rutsey was given the role of chief lyricist. When the time came to start recording, however, he did not deliver any lyrics. In interviews, Lee and Lifeson have both said that Rutsey was dissatisfied with what he had written and had torn up the lyric sheets. Lee hastily wrote the lyrics to all the songs before recording the vocal tracks.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.musictimes.com/articles/5651/20140422/six-lead-vocalists-who-dont-write-their-own-lyrics-ozzy-osbourne-roger-daltrey-and-more.htm |title=Six Lead Vocalists Who Don't Write Their Own Lyrics: Ozzy Osbourne, Roger Daltrey, and more |last=DeGroot |first=Joey |work=Music Times |date=2014-04-22 |access-date=2015-11-04}}</ref>  When Rush performed live, Rutsey was the one who would introduce the band members to the audience, and tell them the name of the song before they would perform it.

Soon after Rush released its debut album, Rutsey left the band, due to musical differences, health concerns related to diabetes, and his general distaste for touring. Rutsey's final performance with the group was on July 25, 1974, at Centennial Hall in London, Ontario.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Daly |first1=Skip |last2=Hansen |first2=Eric |title=Rush: Wandering the Face of the Earth – The Official Touring History 1968 – 2015 |date=2019 |publisher=Insight Editions |location=San Rafael |isbn=978-1-68383-450-2 |page=48}}</ref> He was replaced by [[Neil Peart]].

===Later life===
Lifeson stated in a 1989 interview that he still often had seen Rutsey, and after leaving the band Rutsey went into bodybuilding. Lifeson remarked, "He competed on an amateur level for a while, doing that for a few years, and has sort of<!-- OK here: don't correct it--> 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."<ref>[[Rockline]]. February 6, 1989.</ref> In 2005, Lifeson said that he had not seen Rutsey since around 1990.<ref>"Hangin' With Rush". [[VH1 Classic]]. 2005. Retrieved August 27, 2012.</ref>

===Death===
On May 11, 2008, Rutsey died in his sleep of an apparent heart attack, related to complications from diabetes.<ref name="Billboard">[http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1045375/original-rush-drummer-john-rutsey-dies "Original Rush Drummer John Rutsey Dies"]. ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]''. May 11, 2008</ref> Rutsey's family wished to keep the funeral a private affair,<ref name="Billboard" /> although donations would be sent to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation in [[Markham, Ontario]].<ref>[http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/nationalpost/obituary.aspx?page=lifestory&pid=109734732#fbLoggedOut John Rutsey Obituary]. [[The National Post]]. May 15, 2008. Retrieved April 16, 2013.</ref>

==Aftermath==
After Rutsey's death, Lee and Lifeson released this statement: "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."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rushisaband.com/display.php?id=1482 |title=John Rutsey passes away at age 55 |date=May 13, 2008}}</ref>

Rutsey's part in the band's early history is acknowledged in the 2010 documentary ''[[Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage]]''. Tape-recorded comments from him are heard during the film, and the DVD release includes two performances with him on drums in its bonus features.<ref>[https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003J27WFW Rush – Beyond the Lighted Stage 2 DVD (2010)]. [[Amazon.com]]. Accessed from April 14, 2013.</ref> A third performance is included as a bonus feature on the ''[[Time Machine 2011: Live in Cleveland]]'' home video release.

== Discography ==
Single:
*1973: "[[Not Fade Away (song)#Other cover versions|Not Fade Away]]" / "[[Rush (Rush album)#Recording and production|You Can't Fight It]]" (with Rush)

Studio album:
*1974: ''[[Rush (Rush album)|Rush]]'' (with Rush)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{discogs artist|John Rutsey}}
* {{IMDb name|id=6510751}}

{{Rush}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rutsey, John}}
[[Category:1952 births]]
[[Category:2008 deaths]]
[[Category:Canadian heavy metal drummers]]
[[Category:Canadian male drummers]]
[[Category:Canadian rock drummers]]
[[Category:Deaths from diabetes in Canada]]
[[Category:Musicians from Toronto]]
[[Category:People with type 1 diabetes]]
[[Category:Rush (band) members]]
[[Category:20th-century Canadian drummers]]
[[Category:20th-century Canadian male musicians]]