Neil Peart was born in Canada on September 12,1952. When he was barely 18 years old he jouneyed to England with visions of stardom on his mind. Once there, he was quickly forced to sell trinkets to make ends meet. He was an avid reader and loved the author Ayn Rand. Rand has inspired Peart's lyrics throughout his career. Neil prepared for auditions to fulfill his dreams and auditioned for the group Rush. Neil showed up for the auditions carrying his drums in garbage cans. He quickly impressed the other two members of the group and the trio of Rush was born. Neil has stayed with his partners up to this day. They have released 20 albums(both studio and live). Neil is known as the "PROFESSOR".