Cliff Burton facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Cliff Burton
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Burton during a concert
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Clifford Lee Burton |
| Born | February 10, 1962 Castro Valley, California, United States |
| Died | September 27, 1986 (aged 24) Dörarp, Ljungby Municipality, Sweden |
| Genres | Thrash metal |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter |
| Instruments | Bass guitar, guitar, piano, vocals |
| Years active | 1980–1986 |
| Labels | Megaforce, Elektra |
| Associated acts | Metallica, Agents of Misfortune, EZ-Street, Trauma |
Clifford Lee "Cliff" Burton (February 10, 1962 – September 27, 1986) was an American musician. He was famous as the second bass guitar player for the band Metallica. He played with them from December 1982 until his death in September 1986.
Cliff joined Metallica in 1982. He played on their first three studio albums: Kill 'Em All, Ride the Lightning, and Master of Puppets. He also helped write a song called "To Live Is to Die" for their fourth album, ...And Justice for All. This credit was given after his death.
Sadly, Cliff died in a bus accident in Sweden on September 27, 1986. The band was touring to support their Master of Puppets album. Later, he was honored by being added to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Metallica in 2009. Many people remember him as one of the best bass players ever. In 2011, Rolling Stone magazine readers voted him the ninth greatest bassist of all time.
Contents
Cliff Burton's Early Life
Cliff Burton was born in Castro Valley, California. His parents were Ray and Jan Burton. He had an older brother, Scott, and an older sister, Connie. Cliff started loving music when his dad showed him classical music. He also began taking piano lessons.
As a teenager, Cliff enjoyed rock, classical, and heavy metal. He started playing the bass guitar at age 13. He practiced for many hours each day. Cliff was influenced by many types of music. These included classical, jazz, southern rock, country, and the blues.
Some of the bass players who inspired Cliff were Geddy Lee, Geezer Butler, Stanley Clarke, Lemmy Kilmister, and Phil Lynott.
Cliff Burton's Music Career
Cliff joined his first professional band, Trauma, in 1982. He recorded a song called "Such a Shame" with them. This song appeared on a music collection called Metal Massacre.
In 1982, Trauma played a show in Los Angeles. James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich from the band Metallica were there. They heard an amazing bass solo by Cliff. They thought it was a guitar player at first! When they found out it was a bass solo, they wanted Cliff to join Metallica.
Cliff agreed to join Metallica if they moved from Los Angeles to the San Francisco Bay Area. Metallica really wanted Cliff in the band, so they moved to El Cerrito.
Joining Metallica and First Albums
Cliff's first recording with Metallica was a demo tape called Megaforce. The band then got a record deal with Jon Zazula's label, Megaforce Records. Their first album, Kill 'Em All, came out on July 25, 1983. On this album, Cliff showed off his unique bass playing in a song called "(Anesthesia) - Pulling Teeth". He used special effects pedals, which was unusual for bass players.
Metallica's second album, Ride the Lightning, showed how much the band was growing. Cliff helped write six of the eight songs on this album. His bass playing stood out on songs like "For Whom the Bell Tolls" and "The Call of Ktulu".
Major record labels noticed Metallica after Ride the Lightning. The band signed with Elektra Records. They then started working on their third album, Master of Puppets. Many music critics consider this album a very important one in heavy metal music.
Master of Puppets and Final Performance
Master of Puppets included the instrumental song "Orion," which has a great bass solo by Cliff. The title track, "Master of Puppets," was Cliff's favorite Metallica song. This album was a big success for the band. It was also the last album Cliff recorded with Metallica.
Cliff's final concert was in Stockholm, Sweden, on September 26, 1986. This was just one day before he passed away.
Cliff Burton's Death
During a tour in Europe, the band members were not happy with their sleeping bunks on the tour bus. To decide who got the best bunk, Kirk Hammett and Cliff drew cards. On the night of September 26, 1986, Cliff won the game. He chose Kirk's bunk.
Early on September 27, 1986, Cliff was sleeping. The bus driver lost control, and the bus skidded off the road. It flipped over onto the grass. Cliff was thrown out of a window, and the bus landed on him. He died instantly.
Cliff Burton's Legacy
Cliff's body was cremated. His ashes were scattered at the Maxwell Ranch. During the ceremony, Metallica's song "Orion" was played. Words from the song "To Live Is to Die" are written on Cliff's memorial stone.
After Cliff's death, Jason Newsted became Metallica's new bass player. He stayed with the band until 2001. Later, Robert Trujillo became the bassist.
Metallica wrote a song called "To Live Is to Die" as a tribute to Cliff. This song appeared on their album ...And Justice for All. Cliff received credit for writing parts of the song.
On October 3, 2006, a memorial stone was put up in Sweden. It is near the place where the bus crash happened.
Other bands also honored Cliff. The Thrash metal band Anthrax dedicated their album Among the Living to him. The band Metal Church did the same with their album The Dark.
On April 4, 2009, Cliff was added to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He was inducted with his Metallica bandmates. His father, Ray Burton, accepted the honor. He said that Cliff's mother was Metallica's biggest fan.
A book about Cliff's life, To Live Is to Die: The Life and Death of Metallica's Cliff Burton, was published in 2009.
In 2017, it was shared that Cliff's parents had been donating his music earnings. They gave the money to a scholarship fund for music students. This fund was for students at his old high school, Castro Valley High School.
Cliff Burton's Discography
- Kill 'Em All (1983)
- Ride the Lightning (1984)
- Master of Puppets (1986)
- ...And Justice for All (1988) (Credited for writing "To Live is to Die")
Images for kids
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Memorial stone near the crash site, next to a CD copy of Master of Puppets.
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Cliff Burton memorial stone on October 15, 2018.
See also
In Spanish: Cliff Burton para niños
