Clifford Lee Burton was an American musician and songwriter, best known as the bass guitarist for the American band Metallica from December 1982 until his death in September 1986.
Background
Burton was born on February 10, 1962, in Castro Valley, California to Jan and Ray. He was the baby of the family, having an older brother and sister. As a young kid, Burton was always interested in music, and at the age of 13 picked up the bass guitar and started plucking away. In an interview with a fan site, Burton’s mother explained that her son got into classical music and even studied Bach. His dedication to his craft was unmatched. “Between four and six hours a day, every single day, even after he got into Metallica,” Jan said of Burton’s practice schedule. “He’d stay up all night and sleep late.”
Education
He studied at Castro Valley High School.
Career
The first band Burton created was known as EZ-Street, which included Jim Martin and Mike Bordin, both of whom would later play with Faith No More. A few years later, he joined Trauma, and recorded the tune ‘Such a Shame,’ which was featured on Metal Blade’s ‘Metal Massacre II’ compilation. In 1982, while playing a gig with Trauma in Los Angeles, James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich saw Burton perform live and were immediately hooked. Looking to replace Ron McGovney on the bass, Hetfield and Ulrich talked to Burton and convinced him to join Metallica.
Burton’s first major foray into the ears of rock fans came in the form of a shredding bass solo in ‘(Anesthesia) Pulling Teeth,’ from ‘Kill ‘Em All.’ This solo was reminiscent of the first time that Hetfield and Ulrich saw Burton perform live; his use of effects while playing bass combined with his fast, guitar-like shredding made his sound an important part of Metallica, the band’s albums and their live shows, too.
Burton would continue to build his Metallica legend through the next two studio albums. He was an integral part of ‘Ride the Lightning,’ letting his style shine on songs like ‘For Whom the Bell Tolls’ and ‘The Call of Ktulu.’ The next album, ‘Master of Puppets,’ contained the bassists’ favorite Metallica tune. “My favorite song is ‘Master.’ ‘Master,’ I think, is the best Metallica song yet,” Burton said in a 1986 interview. “The lyrics are getting a lot better … Everything’s kind of growing a bit. It’s progressing.”
During the European leg of the Damage Inc. tour in support of Master of Puppets, the band complained that the sleeping cubicles on their tour bus were unsatisfactory and uncomfortable. To decide who received pick of the bunks, Kirk Hammett and Burton drew cards. On the evening of September 26, 1986, Burton won the game with an ace of spades, thereby getting the first choice of bunk. Burton was sleeping shortly before 7 am on September 27 when, according to the driver, the bus skidded off the road (the E4, 12 miles (19 km) north of Ljungby), and flipped onto the grass in Kronoberg County. Burton was thrown through the window of the bus, which fell on top of him, resulting in his death.
The bus driver said that the crash was caused by the bus hitting a patch of black ice on the road, but James Hetfield later stated that he first believed the bus flipped because the driver was drunk. Hetfield also stated that he walked long distances down the road looking for black ice and found none. When local freelance photographer Lennart Wennberg (who attended the crash scene the following morning), was asked in a later interview about the likelihood that black ice caused the accident, he said it was 'out of the question' because the road was dry and the temperature around 2 °C (36 °F), above the freezing point of 0 °C (32 °F). This was confirmed by police who – like Hetfield – also found no ice on the road. Ljungby detective Arne Pettersson was reported in a local newspaper to have said the tracks at the accident site were exactly like ones seen when drivers fall asleep at the wheel. However, the driver stated under oath that he had slept during the day and was fully rested; his testimony was confirmed by the driver of a second tour bus that was carrying the band's crew and equipment.The driver was determined not at fault for the accident and no charges were brought against him.
Following the death of Burton, Jason Newsted joined Metallica as the new bassist and would stay with the band through 2001.
Views
Quotations:
"You don't burn out from going too fast. You burn out from going too slow and getting bored."
"We do what we wanna do. If they consider that selling out, then whatever."
"Just keep going like crazy and look back when it's over. Otherwise, you just get confused."
"Personally, I would say the 'master' of this whole thing is fate ... Whoever is on the playing field is fair game, and it's up to them to avoid being used."
"The studio is just a labor. Getting on stage is the reward."
Personality
Cliff was a cool, laid-back guy who didn't mind going out of his way to talk to his fans.
Quotes from others about the person
“Cliff was the backbone. Cliff was the guy that everybody looked to. If there was a big decision to be made it was done in the inner workings. But it seemed to me, if there was something Cliff wasn't gonna like, it wasn't gonna happen. Cliff was the Keith Richards of the band. No one fucked with Cliff.” – Mick Wall
