On Octobre 28th, 1981, drummer Lars Ulrich made guitar player/singer James Hetfield an offer he couldn't refuse:"I've got a track saved for my band on Brian Slagel's new Metal Blade label".
The truth is, Lars didn't have a band at that time, but he did that day when James joined him. The two recorded their first track on a cheap recorder with James performing singing duties, rhythm guitar dutiesand bass guitar duties. Lars dutifully pounded the drums, helpes with musical arrangements and acted as manager. Hetfield's friend and housmateRon McGovney was eventually talked into taking up bass and Dave Mustaine took lead guitar duties.
The band adopted the moniker Metallica after a suggestion from Bay Area friend Ron Quintana, and they quickly began gigging in the Los Angeles area opening for bands like Saxon. Eventually recording a fully-fledged demo called No Life Til Leather, Metallica quickly saw the tape whistle around the metal ape-trading underground and become a hot commodity, with San Fransisco and New York particularly receptive.
Metallica performed 2 shows in San Fransisco and found the crowds friendlier and more honest than LA's "there to be seen" mob. They also caught up-and-coming band Trauma, and most importantly their bass player, Cliff Burton. Cliff refused to move to Southern California: it was enough to convince Metallica to relocate to the Bay Area, and Cliff subsequently joined Metallica.
In New York, a copy of No Life Til Leather made its way to Jon Zazula's record shop, the aptly-named Metal Heaven. Zazula quickly recruitd Metallica to come out east to play some shows and record an album. The band made it to New York in a stolen U-Haul. Dave Mustaine, at that point the band's guitarist, was proving to be more problematic than even these loose young chaps could handle. Thus a few weeks arrival, Mustaine was sent packing, roadie Mark Whitakker kirk Hammet from Bay Area thrashers Exodus. Two phone calls and one flight later, on April 1,1983 Kirk Hammet joined Metallica.
On september 27th, 1986 somewhere in Sweden the band's tour bus skidded out of control and flipped, killing Cliff Burton.Lars James and Kirk decided to fight on. Jason Newsted was chosen from over 40 audition to be the new bassist.
In January 2001, Jason left the band. No one reason can be fairly called the cause, more several long standings isuues that silently grew beyond their initial molehills.of course everyone assumed this would precipitate the break-up of the band.
Not True...
