Skip Gildersleeve
Russell “Skip” Gildersleeve is a crew veteran of many bands. He was brought in for the ‘Caress of Steel’ tour to replace Jimmy Johnson, and he often used to introduce the band. Skip, a.k.a. “Slider”, became Geddy’s bass technician, and by ‘Counterparts’ he graduated to a stage management role. When not touring with Rush, he worked for Steely Dan (with Lorne Wheaton) as equipment manager, and guitar tech for Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band.
Skip is no mean guitar player himself. He guested on Japanese artist Venus Fly Trapp’s debut CD ‘Shakunetsu’, which means “red heat”.