Cliff Burton

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Cliff Burton
Cliff Burton, bassist of Metallica: February 10, 1962 9:38pm- September 27, 1986
Background information
Birth name	Clifford Lee Burton
Born	February 10, 1962 Castro Valley, California, U.S.
Died	September 27, 1986 (aged 24) Ljungby Municipality, Sweden
Genres	Thrash metal, speed metal,heavy metal
Occupations	Musician, Songwriter
Instruments	mce:script type=">uitar" href="/wiki/Bass_guitar">Bass, Piano, Guitar
Years active	1979–1986
Labels	Megaforce, Elektra
Associated acts	Metallica, Agents of Misfortune,EZ-Street, Trauma
Website	Official Metallica website
Notable instruments
Rickenbacker 4001 Aria Pro II SB-1000

Clifford Lee Burton (February 10, 1962 – September 27, 1986) was an American bassist best known as the bass player of American thrash metal band Metallica. As a bassist he made heavy use of distortion and effects (several of which are usually associated with non-bass guitars), best exemplified on his signature piece, "(Anesthesia) Pulling Teeth".

Burton's early influence was essential in creating the unique musical style for which Metallica became famous. Burton joined the band in 1982 and performed on their debut album, Kill 'Em All. Burton performed on two more Metallica albums, Ride the Lightning and Master of Puppets, both of which met with major commercial and critical success.

On September 27, 1986, Burton died when the band's tour bus skidded and crashed in Sweden.

Burton was inducted posthumously into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Metallica on April 4, 2009. His father, Ray Burton, gave a speech on his son's behalf.