John Rutsey was the original drummer in Rush when they started in the late sixties in suburban North Toronto, Canada.



In early 1974, their first album, aptly and simply entitled "Rush" was recorded, financed and independently released on Moon Records.



During that summer of 1974, many important things occurred which were to alter the whole concept of Rush before the year was out. A radio station in Cleveland began playing the album, resulting in the importation and sales of a few boxes of albums. There was interest. An American booking agency, (ATI), began discussing the possibility of some American dates for the band, thereby triggering the interest of Mercury Records, who signed them to a lucrative long-term contract. There was an international release.



Next Mercury and ATI got together and came up with a promotional tour which would cover much of the United States, and allow the band to play before many thousands of people. There was an American tour. Then suddenly, after a long period of fragile health and musical frustration, John announced that he was going to leave the band, only weeks before the album was to be released, and the tour to commence. There was no drummer.



That is, until Neal Peart joined the band on Geddy's twenty-first birthday, June 29, 1974, with a scant two weeks remaining in which to assemble enough material to hit the road...



John Rutsey passed away on May 11, 2008. He was 55 years old. Apparently John died of a heart attack in his sleep.