Info Ron McGovney
Ron McGovney
Birth date: November 2, 1962
From: Los Angelas, CA
Personal:
Physique:
Joined Metallica: Late 1981
Left Metallica: February 1983
Instrument: Bass
Story:
Ron McGovney (born November 2, 1962) was Metallica's first bass player when they formed in the late 1970's. He was replaced by Cliff Burton. After leaving/being dismissed from Metallica, Ron 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. Ron found the label of "Metallica's first bassist" too difficult to handle, and he left Phantasm after a handful of shows.
Ron met James Hetfield in high school. They became friends through a mutual love of heavy rock, and alienation from their peers. Hetfield convinced Ron to learn bass guitar, bought an instrument and an amplifier, and proceeded to teach Ron. Soon, the pair moved into one of Ron's parents' rental houses, which was due to be demolished.
Ron noted that his time in Metallica was not enjoyable. Ron 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. Ron eventually left Metallica after their first lead guitarist, Dave Mustaine, poured beer down the neck of his bass guitar. When Ron turned on the amp his bass was plugged into, he received a huge electric shock.
Ron recorded several demos with Metallica including one from his own garage in '82, the Power Metal Demo, No Life 'Till Leather and the notable live demo, Metal Up Your Ass.
Twenty years later, around 2005 or so, Ron sold most of his Metallica memorabilia on eBay, including the bass guitar he used while he played in Metallica.