Ray Danniels is the CEO/President of SRO (Standing Room Only) Management Inc. and of independent record label Anthem Entertainment Group. He is also the long-time manager of Canadian trio and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame members, Rush. He is featured in a new interview with Celebrity Access; an excerpt is available below:

Q: How did you prepare for the upcoming R40 Live 40th Anniversary Tour which launches May 8th and hits 34 North American cities as well as the year-long 12 Months Of Rush celebrations? 

Danniels: "These were deals that had been floated either by us or to us. My focus, and Pegi’s (VP SRO/Anthem Pegi Cecconi’s) focus was that they were all in sync with what would be the 40th anniversary, and what would be the tour. So we weren’t just sputtering, and having things come out here and there. That we would have a focus, and that we would roll it all out."

Q: With all of this activity, there’s a sense of finality in the air. Will this be the final Rush tour? Both Geddy Lee, and Alex Lifeson have talked about the tour somewhat in those terms. So final tour or not? 

Danniels: "Somewhere between possible and probable. There are some of us who would keep going forever, and there are some of us who wouldn’t. So it’s a process of working that out. And what somebody thinks today may not be what they think in a month."

Q: Once the band return to performing, they might think, “We can’t give this up.” 

Danniels: "Yeah, that is possible. I am focused on making this as good as it can be, and then seeing where we are. I did not want to do a farewell tour. There was no one in the band who wanted to do that because there is nobody who thinks it is that final or thinks that they won’t make music or do something. But I will tell you this. I am probably not going to be able to get a band full of 65 year olds out again on the road--which is what would happen next time with any potential tour--they all would be 65-ish. Neil is as much an athlete as he is a musician, but with these 2 1/2 and 3 hour length sets, I don’t know if it possible to keep up with that (physical) demand. And they each want to go out on top in every single way. From their status....well, that is more me—the status—than it is them; and still having the ability to be at their best. To play at the level that they have been able to play."

Go to this location for the complete interview.

Danniels began his career as an agent in the music business when he was a teenager, first booking bands and then moving on to promoting concerts in his hometown of Toronto. In 1971 he took on both agent and manager roles with a rock band from Willowdale called Rush. After every record company in Canada turned the band down, Danniels took initiative by funding Rush’s first record and then starting his own label to release it. In 1973 the first Rush single was released on Moon Records, which was later renamed Anthem. Forty years later, Anthem is still releasing Rush albums in Canada. Rush’s 20th studio album, Clockwork Angels, was released by Anthem in 2013, debuted #1 in Canada and went on to be certified gold. Together, Ray Danniels and Rush created Core Music, a publishing entity where the band’s entire body of work remains to this day.

In addition to Rush, Anthem has released albums from Max Webster, Ian Thomas, Gowan, Molly Johnson, Steven Page and most recently The Tea Party, Big Wreck and Brody Dalle. Anthem has made an impact with projects that have defined Canadian culture, having released projects such as Bob & Doug Mackenzie and The Trailer Park Boys soundtracks. In its 40-year history, SRO Management has been instrumental in the careers of Rush, Van Halen, Extreme, The Tea Party, Matthew Good, and Big Wreck amongst others.

Danniels was inducted into the Canadian Music Industry Hall of Fame in 2007 and was also the recipient of the third annual Music Managers Forum Canada Honour Roll Award.

Go to this location for Rush's North American tour schedule.