Ron McGovney facts for kids

Ronald J. McGovney (born November 2, 1963) is an American musician. He is best known as the first bass guitarist for the famous thrash metal band Metallica. He played with them from October 1981 to December 1982.

Before joining Metallica, Ron played with James Hetfield in a band called Leather Charm. Ron was a part of Metallica during their first year of playing live shows. He also appeared on their early recordings, known as demos, before he left the band in late 1982. Later, he played in another thrash metal band called Phantasm. He even played with Metallica again at their 30th anniversary concert!

Ron McGovney's Music Journey

Starting with Leather Charm and Metallica

In June 1981, Ron McGovney started his first band, Leather Charm. He formed it with his friend James Hetfield and guitarist Hugh Tanner. Tanner later left the band. The group then included guitarist Troy James and drummer Jim Mulligan. They practiced many songs, including covers and their own music. But when Mulligan left later that year, the band ended.

James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich then started a new band called Metallica in October 1981. Ron McGovney joined them, along with guitarist Dave Mustaine, in early 1982. This completed the first lineup of the band that played live shows. Their first show was on March 14. For the rest of 1982, the band practiced a lot at Ron's parents' house. They became very popular in the Los Angeles and Orange County heavy metal music scene.

During this time, they recorded several early songs, called demos. One was even recorded in Ron's garage! Other demos included the Power Metal demo and the No Life 'Til Leather demo. A recording of the song "Hit the Lights" with Ron playing bass was also on the Metal Massacre Vol. 1 album.

Ron's time in Metallica was sometimes difficult. He often had disagreements with Lars Ulrich and Dave Mustaine. He felt that he was mostly helping with money and transportation, rather than being a respected band member. Because of these growing problems, he decided to leave the band on December 10, 1982. Cliff Burton took his place as the new bass player. After leaving Metallica, Ron wasn't interested in playing music for a while and sold most of his instruments.

Playing with Phantasm

In 1986, Hirax singer Katon W. De Pena convinced Ron to start playing music again. They formed a thrash metal band called Phantasm. Other musicians joined them, including guitarist Rodney Nicholson. Phantasm released a demo recording, but they never recorded a full album. The band broke up in 1988 because the members had disagreements. In 2001, a record label released a CD called Wreckage. It included a better version of their demo and a live recording from 1987.

Later Music Activities

Ron McGovney stopped his music career after Phantasm ended. However, he sometimes gave interviews and went to events related to Metallica. Phantasm talked about getting back together in 2007, but it didn't happen.

Ron played music in public again for the first time in 23 years on December 10, 2011. He played two songs, "Hit the Lights" and "Seek & Destroy", with Metallica. Dave Mustaine and early guitarist Lloyd Grant also joined them on stage. This was part of Metallica's 30th anniversary celebration. Two years later, on December 5, 2013, he joined Dave Mustaine's band Megadeth on stage. They sang a cover of the song "Cold Sweat" by Thin Lizzy.

Ron McGovney has said that even though his time in Metallica ended with some problems, he now gets along well with his old bandmates. He thinks that maybe he would have been better suited to work as their road manager instead of their bass player, given his personality and skills.

See also

In Spanish: Ron McGovney para niños