Friday, March 4: Rock Birthdays

Happy Birthday today (March 4) to former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted who turns 53. In remembrance today, bassist and founding Yes member Chris Squire would have been 68.

Jason Newsted joined Metallica after the death of Cliff Burton in 1986 and stayed with the band until 2001. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Metallica on April 4, 2009, in Cleveland OH and he joined the band on stage for a few songs including ‘Master of Puppets’ and ‘Enter Sandman’. Jason Newsted’s last project was the heavy metal band Newsted which no longer appears to be active.

Metallica’s fast tempo, aggressive sound made them one of the “Big Four” thrash metal bands along with Anthrax, Megadeth, and Slayer. The band established a growing fanbase in the underground metal community and won critical acclaim for their first four albums. Their third album “Master of Puppets” was described as one of the most influential and heaviest thrash albums. The band received it’s most commercial success with their fifth album, “The Black Album” which debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200 in 1991.

Cheers to Jason Newsted today!