Born on Febuary 10,1962 in Castro Valley, California, Cliff attended Castro Valley High school in a suburb of San Fransico. Burton played bass in a band called Trauma, one of his gigs were attended by James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich. "Lars and I were at this place called the Whiskey" says James "and we heard this guitar solo slash noise and we couldn't believe that it was a bass.Baically we thought he was a freak and we knew we had to have him."
Cliff joined Metallica and played on three of their seven studio albums. "Kill 'Em All", "Ride The Lightning", "Master of Puppets". Cliff played a haunting bass solo titled "Anesthesia" that was played entirly without a guitar pick, so it showed his skill at playing as well as composing.
Shortly after the release of "Master of Puppets", Cliff was killed in a tragic bus accident while on tour in Sweden to support the album. A tour bus driver slid off the road and overcorrected the wheel to try and get back on it. The tire grabbed the mud alongside the road and the bus flipped and Cliff was thrown out the window, the bus rolled on top of him pinning him underneath. Cliff was pronounced dead on September 27,1986 from injuries sustained in the accident.
Rest in peace Cliff, you died before your time, and your legacy will never be forgotten. Cliff was a hero of mine as well as an influence. Cliff was also the best damned bass player I have ever heard. Cliff was an amazing bass player, as well as a talented songwriter (he wrote the whole last half of "Orion" from the bass solo to the the last harmonized guitar part). Cliff, we will never forget you, you are in our hearts as well as our memories, and as one person said "to live on in the memories of others is really to be alive."
