Brief History & Biographies
In 1981, Lars Ulrich met James Hetfield through an L.A. newspaper advertisment and formed the band, Metallica. Other players included a bassist, Ron McGovney, and a lead guitarist, Dave Mustaine. Mustaine also provided some vocals. In 1983, they acquired eccentric bass genius Cliff Burton. Lars and James first saw Cliff jaming by himself in a bar; he was so good that they were amazed to see that he was playing a bass and not a guitar. Lars, James, and Mustaine were so eager to have him in the band that they relocated to San Francisco where Cliff was living. Under advise of their manager, they fired Mustaine because of drug and alcohol problems and picked up Kirk Hammett. This change occured while the band was staying in New York City in 1983. They recorded their first album, Kill 'em All, later in the same year. In 1986, while touring in Sweden, their tour bus crashed killing Burton. A few weeks later, they picked up new bassist, Jason Newsted. Despite their terrible loss, they have continued to create great music as their popularity continues to grow. |