Cliff Burton was the most amazingly talented bassist of all time. He often merged
bass playing with electric guitar playing using a wah-wah pedal. Cliff was born in San
Francisco on February 10, 1962 to Jan and Ray Burton. He grew a liking for The Misfits, Mexican food, and H.
P. Lovecraft. He owned a green station wagon that he often drove around the bay area with
friends in, with The Misfits blasting out the
windows. Cliff was a cool, laid-back guy who didn't mind going out of his way to talk to his fans. He started out playing
bass for bands such as Trauma and Agents of Misfortune, and was known for his headbanging and wild stage presence. Cliff was soon discovered by
Metallica, and that was when he replaced Ron McGovney and got his own place in the band, but he would only join if
Metallica moved to San
Francisco, which they did. Cliff's greatest masterpieces are (Anesthesia)-Pulling Teeth, The Call of Ktulu, and Orion. His career with
Metallica was going great, but tragedy came with his
death during a tour bus accident on September 27th, 1986. The band was on their way to Denmark when the bus supposedly slipped on a patch of ice and turned onto its side beside the road. Lars Ulrich (drums) had broken a toe and Kirk Hammett (lead guitar) had a black eye, but worst of all, Cliff had apparently been thrown off of his bunk-bed and halfway out the window, and then the bus crushed him when it had turned over. The rest of the guys, who were having a hard time coping with the tragedy, were brought to a hotel until they returned back to America a couple days later. Cliff's ashes were spread at Maxwell Ranch, a ranch where he spent a lot of his time. In 1987, a documentary of performances, interviews, and footage of the guys just having a good time called Cliff 'em All was released as a tribute to Cliff.
Metallica found a new bassist (Jason Newsted) and on their next album (...And Justice For All) is a song that Cliff had written called To Live is to Die that also includes some riffs that he had written as well. Cliff Burton will forever remain in the hearts of many as the greatest bassist of all time.
