Metallica fans managed to petition Cliff Burton Day in Alameda, California successfully. Cliff will be honored in his hometown every Feb. 10.
The former bassist for Metallica passed away in 1986 following a bus accident in Sweden. He was only 24 at that time. Cliff's fans started an online petition on Change.org, and it was signed by more than 5,000 supporters.
IT’S OFFICIAL! The Board of Supervisors from Alameda County has just proclaimed February 10, 2018, which would have been Cliff’s 56th birthday, “Cliff Burton Day.” Thanks to all of the fans who got behind this initiative. We love that he remains so revered. pic.twitter.com/Qxy0yFptSS
— Metallica (@Metallica) February 6, 2018
Following the successful petition, Metallica announced that the Board of Supervisors from Alameda County had declared Feb. 10 as Cliff Burton Day. This date also happens to be the bassist's birthday. Cliff would have turned 56 this year.
Robert Souza reportedly organized the petition, and he was also the one who reached out to the Castro Valley Municipal Advisory Council to back the campaign. The supervisors voted 7-0 in favor of giving Cliff the special honor. Cliff played on Metallica's first three albums, namely, Kill 'Em All, Ride the Lightning, and Master of Puppets.
Ray Burton Talks About His Son
Last year, Cliff's dad, Ray Burton, revealed that he donates royalties from his son's work in Metallica to a scholarship program in his son's former high school that helps young musicians.
"I think Cliff probably would have done that with his money because he was not against education by any means. He liked it very much," said the 93-year-old.
During the same interview, Ray said that he did not know what Kill 'Em All meant until after Cliff received his first royal pay of $1,500 years ago.
"He said, 'Mom and dad, here's my first check. Come on, I'll take you out to dinner tonight.' 'Okay, let's go!' We went to dinner to his favorite sushi place in Hayward, which is right next door to Castro Valley. That was the first thing that I got that maybe there were bigger things down the road," said Ray.
Metallica's Tour
Other than the recent declaration of the Cliff Burton Day, Metallica also made headlines after the group released their live performance of "Seek & Destroy" in Madrid earlier this month. The track was featured in Metallica's album Kill 'Em All.
The group is currently on the final leg of their WorldWired tour in Europe. Their live performances will wrap up on May 11 at the Hartwall Arena in Helsinki, Finland. Some of Metallica's songs include "Nothing Else Matters," "Enter Sandman," "The Unforgiven," "Fade to Black," "Master of Puppets," "Creeping Death," "Whiskey in the Jar."
