📍Downey, CA, USA
1963 – 1981“James Alan Hetfield was born in Downey, California, a suburb south-east of Los Angeles, in August 1963. His father, Virgil, was a truck driver who ran a trucking business, and his mother, Cynthia, was a light opera singer with a talent for visual art. The family were strict Christian Scientists, and James felt alienated at home and at church; he was embarrassed when his religion meant he was excused from health classes at school. His mother signed him up for classical piano lessons at about nine, but he was more interested in the rock records he found at the music shop. He taught himself drums on his older half-brother David's kit, and played his brother's records, then took up the guitar. His parents divorced when he was thirteen, and in 1979, when he was sixteen, his mother died of cancer, after refusing medical treatment because of her faith. It was a devastating loss, and he poured his anger and grief into music. He went to Downey High School, and then to Brea Olinda High School after moving to live with his brother in Brea, and he played in bands like Obsession and Phantom Lord. In 1981 he answered an advertisement placed by a Danish drummer, Lars Ulrich, in a Los Angeles newspaper, and together they formed Metallica. With James on rhythm guitar and vocals, writing songs like Master of Puppets, Enter Sandman and Nothing Else Matters, Metallica became one of the biggest bands in the world, and he later wrote openly about his childhood in the band's music.”
🗺️ Approximate location today
📍 Street view today