Name: Robert Trujillo
Born: October 23, 1964, Santa Monica, California
Personal: Single
Instrument: Bass, Background Vocals
Vitals: Brown eyes, dark hair, 5'9"/1.75 meters tall
Equipment: Tobias / MTD, Music Man, Fernandez, Ampeg SVT
III, Hi Watt, Dean Markley Strings
He's got rhythm, and he's most certainly got music. Now Robert Trujillo's
also got the job of being Metallica's new bassist and family member...one
that will doubtless fit this most righteous and cheerful of Southern
Californians like a glove.
Although he sometimes does use a pick, Trujillo is best known as
a baaaad motherplucker, a finger-playin' bass monster who's dexterity,
tones and attitude have seen him grace the bass of Suicidal Tendencies,
Infectious Grooves and Ozzy Osbourne's band since his first professional
work with Suicidal in 1989. It all stems back to a childhood filled
with variety and spice.
Growing up in Venice Beach "Dog Town", Trujillo heard everything,
from Led Zeppelin to Motown with a chunk of funk in between. Joined
with a young love of surfing, Trujillo developed a rhythm and a
vibe that saw him play with a variety of local bands through his
early 20s until he met Mike Muir of Suicidal Tendencies via his
High School buddy, Suicidal guitarist Rocky George. the two got
on infamously well, and thus began a rich and fruitful relationship
which saw Rob establish himself as one of the most exciting bass
talents in the rock world.
In the early '90s, he and Muir formed the experimental funk-rockers
Infectious Grooves, and then in the mid-'90s Trujillo joined up
with Ozzy Osbourne. Together with drummer Mike Bordin, Trujillo
formed one of rock music's most soild and reliable rhythm units.
Rob's name first floated by the Metallicamp during Suicidal's supporting
role on the Summer Shed tour of '94, when all the band noted his
enthusiastic style and performances. Thus when it was time to consider
who could step up and take the bass full-time in Metallica, Rob's
name was an obvious choice.
By all accounts, Trujillo's audition dared the band NOT to give
him the job, and even producer Bob Rock was heard saying how complete
and unequivocally whole the band sounded with Rob playing.
And so it was that on Thursday, February 24th 2003, Robert Trujillo
walked in to the HQ and saw Ulrich, Hammett and Hetfield immediately
start applauding him. Again, Rob is the perfect fit, a calm, even-keeled
man with experience and full bass props...and genuinely one of the
nicest guys around. It all adds up to the 4th member, an equal part
of the Metallica family and an exciting new stage in Metallihistory.
