Neil Peart

Neil Ellwood Peart (b. September 12, 1952, Caledonia, Ontario; last name pronounced: 'Peert') is the lyricist and drummer for the rock ensemble Rush. A perennial favourite of other drummers, both amateur and professional, he has received many awards for his recorded performances (for example, from Modern Drummer magazine).

Along with his Rush colleagues Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson, Peart was made an Officer of the Order of Canada on May 9, 1996. The trio were the first rock musicians so honoured.

Peart's only child, daughter, Selena Peart Taylor, was killed in a single-car accident in 1997, and his wife, Jaqueline Taylor, died of cancer in 1998. Peart subsequently remarried, to photographer Carrie Nuttall (website).

Peart is also an author of travelogue nonfiction, including such works as The Masked Rider, which documented a bicycle tour through Cameroon in late 1986, and Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road, which recounted his motorcycle travels through Canada, the United States, and Mexico following the deaths of his wife and child.