Musician Geddy Lee Net Worth And Income Sources

In this guide, we’ll explore Geddy Lee’s main sources of income and document his rise to stardom.

Geddy Lee is a commercially successful musician whose work has inspired many rock artists including Lay Claypool, Primus, and John Myung. Geddy Lee net worth is nearly $50 million.

In this guide, we’ll look at the major sources of income for Geddy Lee.

Geddy Lee Net Worth: $50,000,000

Geddy Lee’s Income Sources

Geddy Lee Net Worth : Geddy with his friends. Credit: Instagram@geddyimages
Geddy with his friends. Credit: Instagram@geddyimages

Like most successful musicians, Geddy Lee has a massive presence on social media with millions of followers from around the world. He made it on Hit Parader’s list of the 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Vocalists of all time, ranking 13.

His sources of income can be summarized as follows:

  •     Album sales (sales figures are currently unknown)
  •     Touring
  •     Merchandising (mostly from Rush)

Income Source 1: Album Sales

Geddy Lee Net Worth : Geddy filming. Credit: Instagram@geddyimages
Geddy filming. Credit: Instagram@geddyimages

Geddy Lee has enjoyed major commercial success under Rush. The band has collectively sold over 40 million records worldwide and many sold-out tours. His album called “All the World’s a Stage ” reached 6 on the Canadian Albums Chart. It is rare for his work not to finish somewhere in the top ten of the billboards chart.

Income Source 2: Touring

Live touring is a major source of revenue for commercially successful musicians like Geddy Lee. It is not uncommon for Lee to play out to sold-out venues. Rush, in particular, is known for performing to sold-out crowds.

Lee’s biggest source of touring income is the Netherlands because music is an important part of the country’s culture.

Income Source 3: Merchandising

Geddy Lee merchandise is available for sale across numerous online stores, including the official Rush band store at rushbackstage.com. Popular collectibles include gift cards, officially licensed music, and books [1].

Geddy Lee’s Personal Life

Geddy Lee Net Worth : Geddy celebrating the anniversary of Moving Pictures. Credit: Instagram@geddyimages
Geddy celebrating the anniversary of Moving Pictures. Credit: Instagram@geddyimages

Geddy Lee was born in Willowdale, Toronto on July 29, 1953, to Morris Weinrib and Mary “Manya” Rubinstein. His father and mother were from Poland and went through the Jewish holocaust in the ghettos of Starachowice.

His parents were imprisoned at Auschwitz,  Dachau, and Bergen-Belsen during the war. They were still in their teens at the time. Lee describes how his father used to bribe guards to bring shoes for his mother. After the camps were liberated by the allies, Morris looked for Manya and found her at the displaced persons camp in Bergen-Belsen [2].

The couple married and migrated to Canada. Lee learned his musical skills from his father who was skilled at the craft. Unfortunately, his father died at a young age, forcing his mother to work to support their three children.

Lee’s mother worked at the variety store that was owned and managed by her husband. According to Lee, a major reason why he chose music as a profession was because his parents were never at home.

For Lee, music was a source of getting the most out of life.

Geddy Lee Net Worth : Geddy posing with a guitar. Credit: Twitter@rushisaband
Geddy posing with a guitar. Credit: Twitter@rushisaband

Geddy Lee’s Career

Geddy Lee began producing rock music under the stage name “Geddy”. It is worth noting that his first name was pronounced “Gary”, but his mother’s heavy Polish accent resulted in the pronunciation of “Geddy”. Lee was often bullied for this at school but chose to stick with the pronunciation.

Another accent-related mistake was made when Geddy started School. His name was wrongly registered as Lorne, making him believe that his real name was Gary Lorne Weinrib, instead of Gary Lee Weinrib.

Lee started to play music at the age of 10. It wasn’t until 14 that he would get his first acoustic guitar. He practiced with drums, clarinet, and trumpet at school. Lee didn’t like the lessons at school and took piano lessons independently.

He drew heavily from John Entwistle of “The Who, Jeff Beck”, Jack Bruce of “Cream”, and Procol Harum. Lee played at various recreational events in coffeehouses, high school, dances, and bars. He held down a 9-5 job during the weekdays and practiced playing music on the weekends.

The rock band decided to play at venues such as Victory Burlesque Theater and slowly gained recognition over time. His band, Rush, began to perform opening acts for more commercially successful groups such as Kiss, Aerosmith, and Blue Oyster Cult.

Lee told his parent’s story to the group’s drummer, Neil Peart, who was their lyricist. Peart dedicated a few lyrics to Lee’s parents and the ordeal they went through because of the holocaust.

The song, which is titled “Red Sector A”, was inspired by their experiences in the holocaust and was released as part of Grace Under Pressure in 1984.

Over the years, Geddy Lee’s rock band, Rush, would prove to be one of the most popular rock groups in the world. They had 12 top 10 albums that made it to the Billboard 200.

The group has disbanded due to various reasons, including the death of former members [3].

Geddy Lee Controversy

Geddy Lee has steered clear of controversy during his 50-year career. He continues to be a stalwart of the music industry and a reliable performer who has inspired thousands of musicians.


Geddy Lee’s solo performance drawing millions of views on YouTube.


Geddy Lee Quotes

“For me, how I feel about what I wrote downturns into a song”


Similar Net Worth and Income Articles:


Geddy Lee’s Biography

Legal NameGary Lee Weinrib
Net Worth$40m to $50m
Source of WealthAlbum sales, tours, and merchandising
Date of Birth29 July 1953
Place of BirthWillowdale, Toronto, Canada
GenderMale
Height5’ 10”
Weight135 lbs.
ReligionUnknown
Straight Marital StatusMarried
PartnerNancy Young
Children2
Names of ChildrenKayla Avril Lee, Julian Lee
NationalityCanadian

Frequently Asked Questions Geddy Lee

Why Did Geddy Leave Rush?

Geddy Lee wanted to pursue a solo career and decided to part ways with his band of several years. A few personal tragedies, such as Peart’s death, eventually led to the entire band getting dismantled.

Is Lee Still Married to Nancy?

Lee is married to Nancy Young. The couple has stayed together for over 35 years and has 2 children

Who is Still Alive from Rush?

Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson are surviving members of Rush.

References

[1] https://rushbackstage.com/ – Official merchandise.

[2] https://www.timesofisrael.com/rush-rockers-mom-an-auschwitz-survivor-was-his-biggest-fan/ – Geddy Lee’s personal story.

[3] https://ultimateclassicrock.com/rush-break-up/ – Why Rush eventually broke up.


Photo of author
Author
Shane
Our Editor-in-Cheif works as a strategist at a Fortune 500 financial institution. He brings depth into our content with 10+ years of experience in managing businesses and evaluating deals. He loves the combination of boring business concepts and interesting pop culture snippets. This site is run by a team from major financial hubs in New York, Hong Kong, and London. Find out more about us.

Leave a Comment