Dave Mustaine facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dave Mustaine
|
|
|---|---|
Mustaine with Megadeth at Hellfest 2022
|
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | David Scott Mustaine |
| Born | September 13, 1961 La Mesa, California, U.S. |
| Genres |
|
| Occupation(s) |
|
| Instruments |
|
| Years active | 1978–present |
David Scott Mustaine (born September 13, 1961) is an American musician famous for his work in heavy metal music. He is the co-founder, singer, and main songwriter for the thrash metal band Megadeth. He is the only person who has been in the band since it started. Before Megadeth, he was the first lead guitarist for the band Metallica.
With Megadeth, Mustaine has released sixteen studio albums and sold over 50 million records around the world. Six of these albums have been certified platinum, which means they sold over a million copies each. In 2017, Megadeth won a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance for the song "Dystopia".
Mustaine helped write some of Metallica's early songs, including four on their first album, Kill 'Em All, and two on Ride the Lightning. He grew up in a family of Jehovah's Witnesses but is now a born-again Christian. In 2019, he successfully recovered from throat cancer. He has been married to Pamela Anne Casselberry since 1991, and they have two children, Electra and Justis.
Musicians and fans highly respect Mustaine's guitar skills. He was ranked as one of the best metal guitarists of all time by publications like Ultimate Guitar, Loudwire, and in the book The 100 Greatest Metal Guitarists.
Early Life and First Bands
Dave Mustaine was born on September 13, 1961, in La Mesa, California. His parents were Emily and John Mustaine. His mother's family was of German Jewish heritage. His father's family had French, German, Irish, and Finnish roots. He had three older sisters. His father left the family when Dave was four years old.
Panic
Panic was Mustaine's first band, where he played lead guitar. The band had some early tragedies. The drummer and a sound man died in a car crash after their first show. Mustaine wrote some songs in Panic that he would later use in Megadeth, such as "Mechanix" and parts of "Hangar 18".
Metallica
In 1981, Mustaine left Panic to join Metallica as their lead guitarist. Drummer Lars Ulrich had put an ad in a newspaper looking for a guitarist. Mustaine remembered that when he met James Hetfield and Ulrich, they hired him on the spot without even needing him to audition.
Mustaine's time in Metallica was short. He had serious disagreements with the other band members. On April 11, 1983, just before Metallica was set to record their first album in New York, the band asked him to leave. They put him on a bus back to Los Angeles. On that bus ride, he got the idea for a new song, "Set the World Afire", which he later recorded with Megadeth.
Even though he was only in Metallica for a short time, he made a big impact. He is credited as a co-writer on four songs from Kill 'Em All and two songs from Ride the Lightning.
The Start of Megadeth
After being fired from Metallica, Mustaine was determined to start his own band. He wanted it to be faster and heavier than his old one. He met bassist Dave Ellefson, and they decided to form a band together. After trying out a few other members, they officially became Megadeth.
Mustaine decided to be the lead singer himself, as well as the main guitarist. In 1984, Megadeth recorded a three-song demo that got them noticed. They signed a record deal with Combat Records in November of that year.
Success in the 1980s
In 1985, Megadeth released their first album, Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good!. They toured the U.S. and Canada to support it. The next year, they signed with a major label, Capitol Records. This led to their second album, Peace Sells... but Who's Buying?, released in 1986. This album is now considered a classic of thrash metal. The opening bass line of the title track was even used by MTV News.
The band's lineup changed over the next few years. Guitarist Chris Poland and drummer Gar Samuelson were replaced by Jeff Young and Chuck Behler. With this new lineup, Megadeth released So Far, So Good... So What! in 1988. The album included the song "In My Darkest Hour", which Mustaine wrote after hearing about the death of Metallica's bassist, Cliff Burton.
By the end of the 1980s, Mustaine had changed the lineup again. He hired drummer Nick Menza and began looking for a new lead guitarist.
The Classic Lineup and 1990s Fame
In 1990, guitarist Marty Friedman joined the band. This lineup of Mustaine, Ellefson, Menza, and Friedman is often called the "classic" Megadeth lineup. That year, they released Rust in Peace, an album that many critics call one of the greatest thrash metal albums ever made.
The band's popularity grew. In 1991, they played at the Rock in Rio festival for 145,000 people. They also toured the U.S. on the "Clash of the Titans" tour with Slayer and Anthrax.
In 1992, Megadeth released Countdown to Extinction. It was their most commercially successful album, reaching No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart. It featured hit songs like "Symphony of Destruction" and "Sweating Bullets".
The band continued to release popular albums throughout the 1990s, including Youthanasia (1994) and Cryptic Writings (1997). The song "Trust" from Cryptic Writings became a big radio hit. By the end of the decade, both Nick Menza and Marty Friedman had left the band.
Megadeth in the 2000s
The 2000s began with a new lineup. Al Pitrelli replaced Friedman on guitar, and Jimmy DeGrasso replaced Menza on drums. They released the album The World Needs a Hero in 2001.
In 2002, Mustaine suffered a serious nerve injury to his left arm. Doctors told him he might never play guitar again. Because of this, he announced that he was breaking up Megadeth. After months of intense physical therapy, he slowly recovered and had to re-learn how to play the guitar.
By 2004, Mustaine was ready to make music again. He recorded what was supposed to be a solo album, but it ended up being a new Megadeth album called The System Has Failed. He put together a new touring band and Megadeth was officially back.
The band released United Abominations in 2007 and Endgame in 2009. The lineup continued to change, with guitarist Chris Broderick joining in 2008.
Recent Years and Continued Success
_(5272639121).jpg)
In 2010, original bassist David Ellefson rejoined Megadeth after being away for eight years. That same year, Megadeth toured with Metallica, Slayer, and Anthrax as "The Big Four" of thrash metal. They played several shows together around the world.
Megadeth released more albums, including Super Collider (2013) and Dystopia (2016). The album Dystopia was a huge success. It won a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance for its title track. This was Megadeth's first Grammy win after many nominations.
In June 2019, Mustaine announced he had been diagnosed with throat cancer. The band canceled their tour dates so he could get treatment. By early 2020, he announced that he was cancer-free and the band returned to performing.
Megadeth's most recent album, The Sick, the Dying... and the Dead!, was released in 2022.
Personal Life
Mustaine married Pamela Anne Casselberry in 1991. They have two children, a son named Justis and a daughter named Electra Mustaine, who is a country music singer. The family lives in Nashville, Tennessee.
Faith and Beliefs
Mustaine was raised as a Jehovah's Witness. Today, he is a committed born-again Christian. His faith became more important to him after he faced personal challenges. He has said that his faith helped him put his life back together.
Because of his beliefs, he has chosen not to perform with bands that he feels have satanic or anti-Christian themes. He also used to perform a song called "The Conjuring", which had lyrics about black magic. For many years, he refused to play it live because of his changed beliefs, but has since considered playing it again.
Martial Arts
Mustaine is skilled in martial arts. He has black belts in taekwondo and Ukidokan karate. In 2007, the World Taekwondo Federation named him a Goodwill Ambassador. He also practices Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and earned his brown belt in 2022 at the age of 61.
Discography
- With Metallica
- Mustaine co-wrote several songs on the albums Kill 'Em All and Ride the Lightning.
- With Megadeth
- Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good! (1985)
- Peace Sells... but Who's Buying? (1986)
- So Far, So Good... So What! (1988)
- Rust in Peace (1990)
- Countdown to Extinction (1992)
- Youthanasia (1994)
- Cryptic Writings (1997)
- Risk (1999)
- The World Needs a Hero (2001)
- The System Has Failed (2004)
- United Abominations (2007)
- Endgame (2009)
- Thirteen (2011)
- Super Collider (2013)
- Dystopia (2016)
- The Sick, the Dying... and the Dead! (2022)
Images for kids
-
Mustaine at the Electric Ballroom, London, 2012
-
Mustaine performing at Curitiba, Brazil in 2016, on the Dystopia world tour
-
A KV1, the same model of guitar played by Mustaine.
-
Mustaine with his Dean VMNT USA Gears of War guitar, during the United Abominations tour, 2007
.JPG)
See also
In Spanish: Dave Mustaine para niños
- List of celebrities who own wineries and vineyards
