Metallica

Background:

“A life lived unexplored is a life not worth living.” Kirk Hammett

Kirk Hammett is famous to music fans as the lead guitarist of the popular group Metallica. Joining Metallica in 1983 when he replaced Dave Mustaine, the group has received several Grammys and released a number of albums, including the mega hit “And Justice for All” (1988). In 2002, he was inducted into Guitar World magazine's “Hall of Fame” as their first inductee. Previously, he was listed in the 1998 Guitar Legends “Top 100 Guitar Solos,” in which he was credited with the songs “One” (No. 7), “Fade To Black” (No. 24) and “Master of Puppets” (No. 51). In January 2007, the ESP Guitar Company announced the release of a 20 piece Limited KH-20 Guitar, to celebrate their 20 year relationship with the accomplished guitarist.

Outside the spotlight, Hammett has been married twice. He was married to first wife Rebecca from 1987 to 1991. He currently lives in San Francisco with his present wife, Lani, whom he married in 1998, and their two sons, Angel Ray Keala (born in 2006) and Vincenzo Kainalu (born in 2008). Hammett is a vegetarian and also a passionate surfer. He collects horror film memorabilia and is known for his custom made guitars with horror film graphics

The Ripper

Childhood and Family:

Kirk Lee Hammett was born on November 18, 1962, in San Francisco, California, to an Irish Merchant Marine father and Filipino mother. His family later relocated to the East Bay, which proved to be a culture shock for Kirk. He became introverted during his adolescence and found music to be his salvation. During this period, he often listened to Jimi Hendrix, Cream and Jeff Beck. Kirk attended De Anza High School in El Sobrante, California.

On December 3, 1987, Kirk married a woman named Rebecca, but they divorced in 1991. He then tied the knot with Lani on January 31, 1998, in Kailua, Hawaii. Kirk and Lani have two sons, Angel Ray Keala (born on October 6, 2006) and Vincenzo Kainalu (born on June 28, 2008).

Kirk Hammett is known by the nicknames Kirk Hampster and The Ripper.

Enter Sandman

Career:

Kirk Hammett began playing the guitar when he was 15. His first guitar was a Montgomery Ward catalog special and his first amp was a shoe box with a four inch speaker. He picked up a 1978 Fender Stratocaster a few years later and after trying to customize his sound with various guitar parts, traded it for a 1974 Gibson Flying V.

With his new Flying V, the San Francisco native began performing. In order to purchase his first Marshall amp, he briefly worked at Burger King. He also helped to establish the Bay Area trash metal band Exodus, whose members included vocalist Paul Baloff, guitarist Gary Holt, bassist Geoff Andrews and drummer Tom Hunting, in addition to Hammett on the guitar. They later became opening acts for a couple of shows for Metallica.

Hammett was very affected by the group Metallica and their original sound. When he was invited to audition for the group in New York following the departure of lead guitarist Dave Mustaine, he jumped at the opportunity and officially joined the group in 1983. A few weeks before Metallica recorded their album “Kill 'Em All” (1983), Hammett took lessons from the musician Joe Satriani.

Having recorded and toured with Metallica for nearly 25 years, Hammett is primarily recognized as the lead guitarist of the group although he has written and/or contributed to some of the group’s songs, including “Enter Sandman.” The first track and first single on Metallica's “Black Album,” the song was chosen as one of Rolling Stone's “500 Greatest Songs Of All Time.”

In Metallica's 2003 album “St. Anger,” Hammett, whose musical influences include Led Zeppelin, UFO and Jimi Hendrix, wanted to play guitar solos but producer Bob Rock and drummer Lars Ulrich felt the solos did not match the songs. Hammett later revealed, “We tried to put in solos but they sounded like an afterthought, so we left them out.”

In addition to playing music, in 2006, Hammett was heard in an episode of the popular cartoon series “The Simpsons.” He also provided some vocals on the Adult Swim show “Metalocalypse” and has written for sound tracks for such movies as “The Forsaken” (2001) and “Biker Boyz” (2003).

Awards:

• California Music Awards: Outstanding Guitarist, 2004