Cliff Burton was an American musician and the lead bassist of the renowned band “Metallica.” This biography gives information about his profile, childhood, life, achievements and timeline.
Cliff Burton
@Bass Guitarist for the American Heavy Metal Band Metallica, Family and Childhood
Feb 10, 1962
Biography
Personal Details
- Birthday: February 10, 1962
- Died on: September 27, 1986
- Nationality: American
- Famous: Bass Guitarist for the American Heavy Metal Band Metallica, Died Young, Musicians, Guitarists
- Siblings: Connie Burton, Scott Burton
- Cause of death: Car Accident
- Birth Place: Castro Valley, California, United States
Cliff Burton born at
Castro Valley, California, United States
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Birth Place
He died on September 27, 1986 in a bus accident in Sweden while he was on a Europe tour with his band.
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Personal Life
He inherited the spirit of easy going attitude from his parents who were hippies. He was unconventional as a person and as a musician.
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Personal Life
He was extremely smart and was found to outgrow even his teachers who taught him music. Even after his achievement as a bassist in Metallica, he practised nearly four to six hours per day.
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Personal Life
Clifford Lee "Cliff" Burton was born in Castro Valley, California to Ray Burton and Jan Burton. His father was an Assistant Highway Engineer in San Francisco and his mother was a teacher for disabled children.
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Childhood & Early Life
His siblings include Scott and Connie who were elders to him. He started learning classical piano while he was six years old.
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Childhood & Early Life
When his brother died of brain aneurysm, he swore to become the best bassist as a token of homage to him. He took bass lessons for two years and even outwitted his teachers.
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Childhood & Early Life
He was educated at Earl Warren Junior High School and at Castro Valley High School. In 1980, he graduated from Castro Valley High School with deep knowledge in music theory.
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Childhood & Early Life
While he was a student at the Castro Valley, he formed his own band “EZ Street,” which was named after a strip club in San Mateo. The members included Mike Bordin and Jim Martin.
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Career
Along with Martin, he formed his second band, "Agents of Misfortune", while they were students at Chabot Community College. In 1981 their band was successful to enter the "Battle of the Bands" contest.
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Career
In 1982, he joined “Trauma” a local band and recorded the song “Such a Shame.” The tune became a hit and was included in Metal Blade’s “Metal Massacre II” album.
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Career
His performance at the Whiskey A-Go-Go a nightclub in Los Angeles impressed James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich who were about to form a heavy metal band. They invited him to join their band as a bass player.
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Career
Burton was not convinced at first but expressed his willingness to join them if they could move their band to San Francisco. His wish was accepted and “Metallica” was formed.
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Career
His first Metallica album “Kill ‘Em All” was accredited with 3x platinum certification by the RIAA with 3 million copies sold in the United States. Main credit goes to Burton’s solo “Pulling Teeth.”
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Major Works