Clifford Lee Burton was born on February 10, 1962, in Castro Valley, California, to Janet (Morgen) and Ray Herbert Burton, and had two siblings. His mother was of German Jewish descent, and his father was of British Isles descent.
As a young music enthusiast, Burton listened to various genres such as blues, classical, country, and jazz, and even admired the works of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. He attended college, where he studied music theory, and began playing the piano at the age of six. Later, he learned to play the bass guitar and took lessons from September 1978 to January 1980.
Before joining Metallica, Burton played in several bands. In 1982, he performed at the Whiskey A-Go-Go in Los Angeles, where he was spotted by James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich, who were forming a heavy metal band and searching for a new bassist with creativity. The two were impressed by Burton's bass playing and asked him to join their band, Metallica. Initially, Burton was hesitant, but agreed to join if the band was willing to relocate to San Francisco, which they did.
Burton went on to perform on Metallica's first three albums, "Kill 'Em All", "Ride The Lightning", and "Master of Puppets", which all became huge successes. He became a fan favorite for his impressive bass playing, powerful stage presence, and honest and opinionated personality.
Tragically, Burton's life was cut short on September 27, 1986, when the bus he was traveling in slid off icy roads in Sweden, and he was thrown out of the window and crushed. His Metallica bandmates and fans were devastated by his death, which was seen as one of the most tragic losses in the history of music.
Metallica paid tribute to Burton by releasing the home video "Cliff 'Em All" in 1987 and using several unused riffs and a poem of his on their song "To Live Is To Die", which appeared on their acclaimed 1988 album "...And Justice For All". Burton's contributions to the music industry will always be remembered, and he will never be forgotten.
