As a bassist, Cliff Burton was known for his unique style, which made heavy use of distortion and effects (several of which are usually associated with non-bass guitars), best exemplified on his signature piece, "(Anesthesia) Pulling Teeth".
Burton's early influence was essential in creating the unique musical style for which Metallica became famous. Burton joined the band in 1982 and performed on their debut album, Kill 'Em All, which was composed of songs that had been written prior to his arrival. Burton's influence was heavier on the follow-up, Ride the Lightning, which showcased the band's evolving compositional technique.
Burton was born on February 10, 1962, in Castro Valley, California, to Jan and Ray Burton. He had two older siblings, Scott and Connie. He was raised in the San Francisco Bay area by his parents. Burton's interest in music began when his father introduced him to classical music and he began taking piano lessons.
As a teenager, Burton's interest in music switched from classical to jazz and eventually heavy metal. He began playing the bass at age 13, after the death of his brother as a tribute to him. He practiced up to six hours per day. His early influences varied from classical music to southern rock to country, blues and jazz.
Upon graduating from Castro Valley High School in 1980, Burton studied music at Chabot Junior College in northern California. One of his fellow schoolmates was "Big" Jim Martin, who eventually enjoyed success as the guitarist for Faith No More.Burton played alongside Martin in one of his first bands, Agents of Misfortune.
In 1982, Burton Joined Trauma and traveled to Los Angeles to perform at the Troubador. Among those in attendance were James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich. After hearing "this amazing shredding," they knew they had to get him to be in Metallica. They asked him to replace departed bassist Ron McGovney, and since Burton thought that Trauma was "starting to get a little commercial," he agreed. The idea of having to move to Los Angeles did not sit well with him, and said he would join only if the band would relocate from Los Angeles to his native San Francisco Bay Area. Metallica, eager to have Cliff in the band left their homes in Los Angeles to make a home in San Francisco, California.
Their first album, Kill 'Em All, features Burton's famous solo piece, "(Anesthesia) Pulling Teeth," which showcased his use of effects, such as a wah pedal (until then the wah pedal had been the near-exclusive domain of six-string guitarists).
The band's second album, Ride the Lightning, showcased the band's increasing musical growth. Burton's songwriting abilities were growing, and he received credit on six of the album's eight songs. Burton's playing style and use of effects is showcased on two tracks: the chromatic intro to "For Whom the Bell Tolls," and the "lead bass" on "The Call of Ktulu" (which was unfortunately downmixed a great deal, rendering it difficult to hear without some equalizer adjustments).
Metallica's third album, Master of Puppets, is considered by most critics to be a landmark album in both thrash and the whole of metal. Burton is featured heavily on several tracks, most notably the instrumental "Orion," which again featured Burton's lead bass playing style, and was also entirely composed by Burton. The album also contained Burton's favorite Metallica song, "Master of Puppets." Master of Puppets was the band's commercial breakthrough, but it would be Burton's final album with Metallica.
On the evening of September 27, 1986, during the European leg of the Damage Inc. tour in support of Master of Puppets, the band's tour bus ran over a patch of black ice, skidded off of the road, and flipped onto the grass in Ljungby Municipality, near Dörarp in rural southern Sweden. Burton was thrown through the window of the bus, which fell on top of him and killed him. A winch that was lifting the bus off him snapped, causing the bus to crush him a second time. James Hetfield later stated that he first believed the bus flipped because the driver was drunk, or at least negligent, and had walked long distances down the road demanding this "black ice" be shown to him. However, drunk driving was never proven, and the driver was determined not to be at fault for the accident.
Burton's body was cremated, and his ashes were scattered on the Maxwell Ranch. At the ceremony, the instrumental "Orion" from the album Master of Puppets was played.
Cliff 'Em All Bass Solos
With Trauma - video was supposedly shot the night before James and Lars first witnessed Cliff.
Agents of Misfortune with Jim Martin (Faith No More)
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