Ron McGovney

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Ron McGovney (born November 2, 1962 [1]) was Metallica's first bass player when they formed in the early 1980s. He was replaced by Cliff Burton. After leaving/being dismissed from Metallica, McGovney was disillusioned with music and sold most of his equipment. However, several years later, he was enticed into another band called Phantasm with ex-Hirax (at that time) singer Katon W. De Pena. McGovney found the label of "Metallica's first bassist" too difficult to handle, and he left Phantasm after a handful of shows.

McGovney met James Hetfield in high school. They became friends through a mutual love of heavy rock, and alienation from their peers. Hetfield convinced McGovney to learn bass guitar, bought an instrument and an amplifier, and proceeded to teach McGovney. Soon, the pair moved into one of McGovney's parents' rental houses, which was due to be demolished.

Audio samples:

"Am I Evil? (Diamond Head Cover)" (1982) (file info) — play in browser (beta)
- One of the first demos to be made by Metallica, this sample of a cover song features Ron McGovney on Bass Guitar and Dave Mustaine on Lead Guitar.
Problems playing the files? See media help.

McGovney noted that his time in Metallica was not enjoyable. McGovney found himself being not only the bassist, but also the manager of the band, having to do promotion work (he was responsible for the "Power Metal" slogan that Metallica used in its early days) as well as drive the band to gigs. He believed that his efforts in the band were not appreciated, and felt insulted when the band began searching for a new bassist (Cliff Burton, later a legendary figure in heavy metal history) behind his back. McGovney eventually left Metallica after their first lead guitarist, Dave Mustaine, poured beer down the neck of his bass guitar. When McGovney turned on the amp his bass was plugged into, he received a huge electric shock.

McGovney recorded several demos with Metallica including one from his own garage in '82, the Power Metal Demo, No Life 'Til Leather and the notable live demo, Metal Up Your Ass.

McGovney recently sold most of his Metallica memorabilia on eBay, including the bass guitar he used while he played in Metallica. He was interviewed by Metallica fansite AllMetallica.com and is a member of its affiliate forum.