Cliff Burton’s ex-bandmate remembers the late Metallica bassist’s prodigious talent

Music teacher and former Trauma guitarist Brian Allen has recalled Cliff Burton’s exceptional musical ability, saying the late Metallica bassist was unusually skilled even before he became famous. Allen’s memories offer a glimpse of Burton’s early development and the musical influences that shaped his distinctive playing.

Allen said Burton studied music with him in the early 1980s and could already play across several styles, including jazz and classical music. Burton joined Metallica in 1982 and died in a 1986 tour bus crash aged 24; Allen described his talent as remarkable and his musical knowledge as far beyond what he typically encountered.