Legendary Rush drummer Neil Peart's birthday is today, Sept. 12. He would have been 72, but we unfortunately lost him in Jan. 2020. I was a drummer for many years, but I do not need those credentials to confidently submit my unshakable belief that Peart was, without a doubt, the greatest drummer who ever lived.
Believe it or not, I'm not really even much of a Rush fan overall, though I certainly marvel at the musicianship in the band throughout and they have many AMAZING songs. In making a case for Peart's musical genius, he wrote a great deal of the lyrics for Rush tunes, and he was clearly HIGHLY intelligent and a deep thinker.
Disagree with me that Peart is the greatest drummer of all time? I submit Exhibit 373,000 below: the "Ultimate Drum Solo" he performed on Letterman's show during "Drum Week" back in 2011. Feel free to debate me after watching this if you're able to pick your jaw up off floor.