Cliff Burton

Clifford Lee Burton was the talented bass guitarist of the American heavy metal band ‘Metallica’ whose tragic death was a great loss to the world of western music and to music lovers all over the world. Even during his childhood days, he showed signs of becoming a great musician. Initially he learnt to play classical piano but later got attracted to rock music and started playing bass guitar both out of his passion and as a tribute to his brother who died very young. Even as a boy, he had a good taste for music and he listened to all kinds of music irrespective of the genre. The influence of rock stars like Phil Lynott, Geddy Lee, and Geezer Butler can be felt in his performances for Metallica where he made an indelible impression as a bassist. He was daring and unconventional in his stage performances and made them lively both by his attire and by his musical rendering; dressed in bell bottoms combined with his mannerism of head-banging and his blond hair waving in the air, he kept the audiences spellbound. As an individual, he was friendly, honest, practical, and someone who freely expressed his opinions. It was tragic that the music prodigy lost his life at the prime of his youth.