The company was formed in May 1977 by Ray Danniels and Vic Wilson with initial recording artists Rush, Max Webster, Liverpool and A Foot in Coldwater.
The three members of Rush, Geddy Lee, Neil Peart and Alex Lifeson became associate directors of Anthem.
Anthem was formed so that Rush would have more control of their work at home in Canada (their international deal with Mercury Records initially included Canada), and so other Canadian bands would have a home, as they could not get signed by the major labels' offices in Toronto or Montreal.
Lawrence Gowan had also recorded for the label before joining Styx in 1999.
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