Cliff Burton - Early Life

Early Life

Burton was born on February 10, 1962, in Castro Valley, California to Jan and Ray Burton. He had two elder siblings, Scott and Connie. Burton's interest in music began when his father introduced him to classical music and he began taking piano lessons. In his teenage years, Burton had an interest in rock, classical and eventually heavy metal. He began playing the bass at age 13, after the death of his brother. His parents quoted him as saying, "I'm going to be the best bassist for my brother." He practiced up to six hours per day (even after he joined Metallica). Along with classical and jazz, Burton's other early influences varied from southern rock and country to the blues. Burton also cited Geezer Butler of Black Sabbath, Misfits, Phil Lynott of Thin Lizzy, and Geddy Lee of Rush as influences on his style of bass playing.