When Rush was inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame (CSHF) recently, a part of Willowdale went with the rock legend. The North York neighbourhood figures in the song “Subdivisions,” which was inducted as an example of Rush’s stellar songwriting abilities.

“The song very much speaks to their sensibilities about where they come from,” said Sylvia Tyson, CSHF president, referring to the members of Rush, who are lead vocalist and bassist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson and drummer Neal Peart. Tyson — best known as one-half of Canadian classic folk duo Ian and Sylvia — said Rush was a natural choice for the hall of fame, since the group has been in existence for more than 25 years and has left a mark on both the Canadian and international music scenes.

“They’ve been extremely popular for a very long time, and all their music is based on good solid musicianship and songwriting,” said Tyson. Tyson also said, when musicians are honoured publicly, it creates a buzz in the communities the musicians hail from. “Chances are, most people from Willowdale don’t know Rush is from there,” she said, “but an event like this really draws attention to that fact.”