Robert Trujillo
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Roberto Agustín Miguel Santiago Samuel Trujillo Veracruz (; born October 23, 1964) is an American musician who has been the bassist for heavy metal band
Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. It was formed in Los Angeles in 1981 by vocalist and guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...
since 2003. He first rose to prominence as the bassist of
crossover thrash Crossover thrash (often abbreviated to crossover) is a fusion genre of thrash metal and hardcore punk. The genre emerged in the mid-1980s, when hardcore punk bands, such as Suicidal Tendencies, Cryptic Slaughter, Corrosion of Conformity and Dir ...
band
Suicidal Tendencies Suicidal Tendencies is an American crossover thrash band formed in 1980 in Venice, California, by vocalist Mike Muir. The band has undergone various lineup changes, with Muir as the only remaining original member. Their current lineup includes ...
from 1989 to 1995, while also collaborating with Suicidal Tendencies frontman Mike Muir for
funk metal Funk metal (also known as thrash-funk or punk-funk) is a subgenre of funk rock and alternative metal that infuses heavy metal music (often thrash metal) with elements of funk and punk rock. Funk metal was part of the alternative metal movement, ...
supergroup Infectious Grooves. After leaving Suicidal Tendencies, he performed with
Ozzy Osbourne John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and media personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead singer of the heavy metal music, heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which per ...
,
Jerry Cantrell Jerry Fulton Cantrell Jr. (born March 18, 1966) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is best known as the founder, lead guitarist, co-lead vocalist, and main songwriter of the rock band Alice in Chains. The band rose to internatio ...
, and heavy metal band Black Label Society. Trujillo joined Metallica in 2003 and is the band's longest-serving bassist. He was inducted to the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), also simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and the ...
as a member of Metallica in 2009.


Life and career


Early life

Roberto Agustín Miguel Santiago Samuel Trujillo Veracruz was born in
Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...
, on October 23, 1964. He is of Mexican and Native American descent. He grew up in
Culver City, California Culver City is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,779. It is mostly surrounded by Los Angeles, but also shares a border with the unincorporated area of Ladera Heights, Californi ...
, where his father was a teacher at Culver City High School. Trujillo gained an interest in music during his childhood; his mother was a huge fan of
soul music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in African-American culture, African-American African-American neighborhood, communities throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Catchy rhythms, stressed by handclaps ...
, particularly musicians like
Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gaye Jr. (; April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984) was an American Rhythm and blues, R&B and soul singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He helped shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player an ...
,
James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, musician, and record producer. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th-century music, he is referred to by Honorific nick ...
, and
Sly and the Family Stone Sly and the Family Stone was an American band formed in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1966 and active until 1983. Their work, which blended elements of funk, soul music, soul, psychedelic rock, gospel music, gospel, and R&B, becam ...
. Trujillo stated that " Jaco astoriuswas my hero growing up", and that the jazz bassist changed his view of what the instrument could play: "Hearing him was like hearing
Eddie Van Halen Edward Lodewijk Van Halen ( , ; January 26, 1955 – October 6, 2020) was an American musician. He was the guitarist, keyboardist, backing vocalist and primary songwriter of the rock band Van Halen, which he founded with his brother Alex V ...
doing " Eruption" for the first time: You thought, 'What instrument is that?' I loved jazz fusion and branched out from there. But Jaco had an edge that far exceeded his jazz persona. He was funk, he was rock, he was soul. And his whole attitude was punk." He began playing in "a lot of backyard party bands", playing music by
Black Sabbath Black Sabbath are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler, and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. After adopting the Black Sabbath name in 1969 (the band ...
,
Ozzy Osbourne John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and media personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead singer of the heavy metal music, heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which per ...
, Rush, and
Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1968. The band comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist-keyboardist John Paul Jones (musician), John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham. With a he ...
. He went to jazz school when he was 19 with the intention of becoming a studio musician, but he maintained his passion for rock and metal.


Career

Trujillo gained prominence when he replaced Bob Heathcote as the bassist for California
crossover thrash Crossover thrash (often abbreviated to crossover) is a fusion genre of thrash metal and hardcore punk. The genre emerged in the mid-1980s, when hardcore punk bands, such as Suicidal Tendencies, Cryptic Slaughter, Corrosion of Conformity and Dir ...
band
Suicidal Tendencies Suicidal Tendencies is an American crossover thrash band formed in 1980 in Venice, California, by vocalist Mike Muir. The band has undergone various lineup changes, with Muir as the only remaining original member. Their current lineup includes ...
. Initially billed as "Stymee" on the 1989 album '' Controlled by Hatred/Feel Like Shit...Déjà Vu'', Trujillo remained in the band until the mid-1990s. Concurrent to his work with Suicidal Tendencies, Trujillo is a member of the band's side project, Infectious Grooves, along with vocalist Mike Muir. Trujillo was a member of Ozzy Osbourne's band for a number of years starting in the late 1990s. In contrast to his earlier jazz and funk inspired playing, Osbourne's band was more straightforward hard rock and metal.Jeff Ho, ''Juice'' interview. Trujillo co-wrote several songs on the '' Down to Earth'' album. He was the subject of controversy for re-recording
Bob Daisley Robert John Daisley (born 13 February 1950) is an Australian musician and songwriter. A bassist, he is perhaps best known for his intermittent relationship with vocalist Ozzy Osbourne, for whom he contributed bass, co-production and songwriti ...
's bass tracks for reissued versions of Osbourne's first two solo albums '' Blizzard of Ozz'' (1980) and '' Diary of a Madman'' (1981) after Daisley claimed that he was not paid proper royalties. During this time, Trujillo formed an experimental supergroup, Mass Mental, with then
Dub War Dub War are a four-piece metal band from Newport, Wales. Formed in 1993, the band's musical style is a mix of metal, punk, and reggae. Biography Dub War formed in 1993 in Wales. The band released two albums, via the metal label Earache Recor ...
singer Benji Webbe, whose "ragga-punk-metal" outfit had just disbanded. The band released one studio album in Japan and one live album of their performance in Tokyo before disbanding. Zakk Wylde, a personal friend and bandmate from the Ozzy days, recruited him to play with Black Label Society for a few shows. Trujillo joined
Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. It was formed in Los Angeles in 1981 by vocalist and guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...
on February 24, 2003, two years after Jason Newsted resigned. He had previously met and befriended his future bandmates when
Suicidal Tendencies Suicidal Tendencies is an American crossover thrash band formed in 1980 in Venice, California, by vocalist Mike Muir. The band has undergone various lineup changes, with Muir as the only remaining original member. Their current lineup includes ...
supported Metallica during the Nowhere Else to Roam tour in 1993, and again during the Shit Hits the Sheds Tour one year later. Trujillo received one million dollars from the band as an advance for joining Metallica. His audition and hiring as well as his million dollar payment offer appeared in the documentary film '' Metallica: Some Kind of Monster''. As the current bassist for Metallica, he was inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), also simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and the ...
alongside all current members of the band, as well as previous bassists Jason Newsted and Cliff Burton.


Personal life

Trujillo is married and has a son and a daughter. Trujillo's wife, Chloé, has created a
pyrography Pyrography or pyrogravure is the free handed art of decorating wood or other materials with burn marks resulting from the controlled application of a heated object such as a Fireplace poker, poker. It is also known as pokerwork or wood burning. ...
design of the
Aztec calendar The Aztec or Mexica calendar is the calendar, calendrical system used by the Aztecs as well as other Pre-Columbian era, Pre-Columbian indigenous peoples of Mexico, peoples of central Mexico. It is one of the Mesoamerican calendars, sharing the bas ...
on one of his basses. His son, Tye, is the bassist of thrash metal band OTTTO and bassist for Trujillo's former band Suicidal Tendencies.


Other projects

In 2012, Trujillo produced a documentary about jazz bassist
Jaco Pastorius John Francis Anthony Pastorius III, also known as Jaco Pastorius (; December 1, 1951 – September 21, 1987), was an American jazz bassist, composer, and producer. Widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential bassists of all time, ...
titled '' Jaco'', directed by Stephen Kijak and Paul Marchand. The film was named Official Film of Record Store Day 2014 and was released in November 2014.


Technique

Trujillo in 2009 Trujillo is primarily a finger-style player, but sometimes plays with a pick. Trujillo's predecessor in Metallica, Jason Newsted, was predominantly a pick-style player; Cliff Burton, Newsted's predecessor and bassist on Metallica's first three albums, played finger-style exclusively. Trujillo is known for playing "massive chords" and "chord-based harmonics" on the bass. Trujillo uses the slap bass technique, seen mostly in his work with Suicidal Tendencies and Infectious Grooves. At many of the shows during Metallica's 2004 Madly in Anger with the World Tour, Trujillo would often play an extended bass solo (dubbed "Jungle Essence" on recordings), which made extensive use of slap bass and other techniques and effects. For recording purposes, Trujillo uses his own code for writing down bass arrangements. Inspired by an article by
Pino Palladino Giuseppe Henry "Pino" Palladino (born 17 October 1957) is a Welsh musician, songwriter, and record producer. A session bassist, he has played bass for a number of acts such as the Who, the John Mayer Trio, Gary Numan, Paul Young, Don Henle ...
, he developed this during the recording sessions for Jerry Cantrell's '' Degradation Trip'', which, according to Trujillo, had him working from "little hoodrat demos" with nearly inaudible bass.


Equipment


Bass guitars

With Metallica, Trujillo has primarily been playing
Warwick Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon, Warwickshire, River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined wit ...
Streamer bass guitars, both 5- and 4-strings. His signature model Streamer bass was released in March 2010. He often plays Fernandes Gravity 5-string basses, particularly a model with a silver finish, blue flame decals, and EMG pickups. In addition to his signature Warwick basses, Zon Guitars produce a signature bass model, the Sonus RT. Prior to Metallica, he was most often seen playing
Tobias Tobias is the transliteration of the , which is a Graecisation of the Hebrew biblical name . With the biblical Book of Tobit being present in the Deuterocanonical books and Biblical apocrypha, Tobias is a popular male given name for both Chri ...
, ESP and MusicMan basses (all 5-strings), as well as a
Fender Precision Bass The Fender Precision Bass (or "P-Bass") is a model of bass guitar, electric bass guitar manufactured by Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. In its standard, post-1957 configuration, the Precision Bass is a solid body, four-stringed instrument ...
with Black Label Society and Ozzy Osbourne. Trujillo has been seen in concert playing a Yamaha TRB5-P2 5-string bass, a customized green
Rickenbacker Rickenbacker International Corporation is a string instrument manufacturer based in Santa Ana, California. Rickenbacker is the first known maker of electric guitars, with a steel guitar in 1932, and produces a range of electric guitars and bass ...
4001/4003 4-string bass modified with EMG pickups, various Nash P-Bass Copy guitars, and both a classic Fender Precision Bass and Fender Jazz Bass. Trujillo is the custodian of
Jaco Pastorius John Francis Anthony Pastorius III, also known as Jaco Pastorius (; December 1, 1951 – September 21, 1987), was an American jazz bassist, composer, and producer. Widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential bassists of all time, ...
' legendary "Bass Of Doom" (the sunburst fretless 1962 Jazz Bass used by Pastorius on most of his recordings and live appearances). He has performed onstage with Metallica with the instrument. For amplification, he uses Ampeg amplifiers and cabinets. In 2010, Trujillo collaborated with Jim Dunlop to create his new Icon signature bass strings – these strings are taper-core stainless steel, with a non-tapered B string in gauges 45–130 (5-string).


Effects

Trujillo's pedal board consists of an Electro Harmonix Q-Tron, a Tech 21 SansAmp Bass Driver DI, a Tech 21 XXL, an MXR m-135 SmartGate, a Morley
Mark Tremonti Mark Thomas Tremonti (born April 18, 1974) is an American guitarist and singer, best known for his tenures with the rock bands Creed (band), Creed and Alter Bridge. He is a founding member of both bands, and has also collaborated with many other ...
wah pedal, and a Boss OC-2 Octave Pedal; all powered by a Voodoo Lab Pedal Power.


Discography

upTrujillo in 2013 ;Jerry Cantrell *'' Degradation Trip'' (2002) *'' Degradation Trip Volumes 1 & 2'' (2002) ;Black Label Society *'' 1919 Eternal'' (2002) ;Infectious Grooves *'' The Plague That Makes Your Booty Move... It's the Infectious Grooves'' (1991) *''Encino Man Soundtrack'' (1992) *'' Sarsippius' Ark'' (1993) *'' Groove Family Cyco'' (1994) *'' Mas Borracho'' (1999) *'' Year of the Cycos'' (2008) *''Funk It Up – Live in France 1995'' (2010) *''Mad Mad Muir Musical Tour'' (2011) ;Suicidal Tendencies *'' Lights...Camera...Revolution!'' (1990) *'' The Art of Rebellion'' (1992) *'' Still Cyco After All These Years'' (1993) *'' Suicidal for Life'' (1994) ;Glenn Tipton *'' Baptizm of Fire'' (1997) ;Mass Mental? *'' How to Write Love Songs'' (1999) *''Live in Tokyo'' (2001) ;Ozzy Osbourne *'' Down to Earth'' (2001) *'' Blizzard of Ozz'' (reissue) (2002) *'' Diary of a Madman'' (reissue) (2002) *'' Live at Budokan'' (2002) *'' Patient Number 9'' (2022) ;Metallica *'' St. Anger'' (2003) (Credited as band member but does not play. Plays on bonus live DVD) *'' Death Magnetic'' (2008) *''
Lulu Lulu may refer to: Companies * LuLu, an early automobile manufacturer * Lulu.com, an online e-books and print self-publishing platform, distributor, and retailer * Lulu Hypermarket, a retail chain in Asia * Lululemon Athletica or simply Lulu, a C ...
'' (with
Lou Reed Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician and songwriter. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. Althoug ...
) (2011) *'' Beyond Magnetic'' (EP) (2011) *'' Hardwired... to Self-Destruct'' (2016) *'' S&M2'' (2020) *'' 72 Seasons'' (2023) ;Various artists *"The Blackest Box – The Ultimate Metallica Tribute" (2002) *" A Song for Chi" (2009) * A.N.I.M.A.L. – "Poder Latino" (guest in song track 6) *Farmikos – "Farmikos" (2015)


Videography

*'' Lights...Camera...Suicidal'' 1990
Suicidal Tendencies Suicidal Tendencies is an American crossover thrash band formed in 1980 in Venice, California, by vocalist Mike Muir. The band has undergone various lineup changes, with Muir as the only remaining original member. Their current lineup includes ...
VHS home video *'' Live at Budokan'' live album with accompanying live DVD *'' Boozed, Broozed & Broken-Boned'' live DVD from Detroit, Michigan *'' St. Anger'' live bonus DVD – 2003 *'' Metallica: Some Kind of Monster'' Metallica documentary *'' The Videos 1989–2004'' video compilation DVD *'' Français Pour Une Nuit'' live DVD from the concert in Nîmes, France *'' Orgullo, Pasión, y Gloria: Tres Noches en la Ciudad de México'' live DVD from the concerts in Mexico City *'' The Big Four'' live DVD from Sofia, Bulgaria *'' Metallica: Through the Never'' 2013 movie *'' Jaco'' (2014) producer


Video game appearances

Trujillo appears in '' Guitar Hero: Metallica''. He is a playable character in '' Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD'' when the ''Pro Skater 3 HD Revert Pack''
downloadable content content (DLC) is additional content created for an already released video game, distributed through the Internet by the game's publisher. It can be added for no extra cost or as a form of video game monetization, enabling the publisher to gain ad ...
is installed. Trujillo appears with the rest of Metallica as playable characters in Fortnite.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Trujillo, Robert 1964 births 20th-century American bass guitarists 21st-century American bass guitarists American heavy metal bass guitarists American male bass guitarists American musicians of Mexican descent Black Label Society members Guitarists from California Living people Mass Mental members Metallica members Musicians from Santa Monica, California Native American musicians Entertainers from Culver City, California Suicidal Tendencies members The Ozzy Osbourne Band members Thrash metal musicians