RAY BURTON – Father Of METALLICA’s CLIFF BURTON Dead At 94
January 19, 2020, 4 years ago
Ray Burton, father of late Metallica bassist Cliff Burton, has died at the age of 94.
Ray’s passing was confirmed by his daughter Connie, who posted on social media, "To let you all know that my Dad died last Wednesday. Rest in peace Dad."
Ray guested on the podcast Alphabetallica and dug into the history of Metallica and his son Cliff. Ray recalls the first time he saw Cliff play with Metallica and reveals that he gives a scholarship to the high school that Cliff went to, the Castro Valley High School, for music from his royalties.
Ray Burton on James Hetfield: "James does a fantastic job as a singer and the frontman. He's just an absolute natural. I remember one time asking him if he was a cheerleader in high school. Got a big laugh; he was anything but that. It always amazed me, here's a guy that was quite quiet and just turning out to be fantastic guitar player first of all, and singing his heavy metal tunes, getting the crowd to join in on the program."
