James Hetfield Biography "James is probably the driving creative force." - Kirk "Hetfield brings the pride. He stands a very tall and strong guy over all of, not just the music, but all of what is Metallica." - Jason James Hetfield is the voice, among other things, of Metallica's songs but it wasn't always planned that way... In the early days, Metallica tried a few different vocal/guitar configurations. Some of the experiments included adding another guitar player, or having then lead guitar player Dave Mustaine play the sole guitar. John Bush from Armored Saint was even asked to sing for the band at one point.

Hetfield was born to a truck driver and light opera singer on August 3rd, 1963, in Los Angeles. His family's Christian Science religious beliefs are often mentioned as the root of James' "tortured soul" lyrics. Musically, he began at age 9 with piano lessons, then with his guitar in hand, James aspired to become a rock star in his first band, Obsession. The band was made up of the Veloz brothers on bass and drums and Jim Arnold on guitar. A pair of friends, Ron McGovney and Dave Marrs, acted as the band's roadies. This meant sitting in the loft of the Veloz garage running a control panel for makeshift lighting effects. After Obsession broke up, the Marrs-Hetfield-McGovney trio continued jamming together.