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.
@Bass Guitarist for the American Heavy Metal Band Metallica, Family and Childhood
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 born at
He died on September 27, 1986 in a bus accident in Sweden while he was on a Europe tour with his band.
He inherited the spirit of easy going attitude from his parents who were hippies. He was unconventional as a person and as a musician.
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.
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.
His siblings include Scott and Connie who were elders to him. He started learning classical piano while he was six years old.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.”
Clifford Lee Burton was the talented bass guitarist of the American heavy metal band ‘Metallica’ whose tragic death was a great loss to the world of western music and to music lovers all over the world. Even during his childhood days, he showed signs of becoming a great musician. Initially he learnt to play classical piano but later got attracted to rock music and started playing bass guitar both out of his passion and as a tribute to his brother who died very young. Even as a boy, he had a good taste for music and he listened to all kinds of music irrespective of the genre. The influence of rock stars like Phil Lynott, Geddy Lee, and Geezer Butler can be felt in his performances for Metallica where he made an indelible impression as a bassist. He was daring and unconventional in his stage performances and made them lively both by his attire and by his musical rendering; dressed in bell bottoms combined with his mannerism of head-banging and his blond hair waving in the air, he kept the audiences spellbound. As an individual, he was friendly, honest, practical, and someone who freely expressed his opinions. It was tragic that the music prodigy lost his life at the prime of his youth.
Information | Detail |
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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 |
Gender | Male |
Father | Ray Burton |
Mother | Jan Burton |
Sun Sign | Aquarius |
Born in | Castro Valley, California, United States |
Famous as | Bass Guitarist for the American heavy metal band Metallica. |
Died at Age | 24 |