Although Metallica would become a '90s heavy metal phenomenon (due largely in part to their multi-million selling self-titled release from 1991), the band's major force early on was undeniably their late-bassist Cliff Burton. Burton had a major say in Metallica's music, look, and direction, which was an unglamorous slap in the face against glam metal (ripped jeans, shirts of their fave bands, long unkempt hair, etc.) with absolutely no interest in videos or the mainstream. After Burton's untimely death in 1986, Metallica enjoyed their biggest success, but wound up going completely against what they originally stood for. Burton was born on February 10, 1962, in Castro Valley, CA, and took up bass as a teenager.
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