Ron McGovney

Ron McGovney (born November 2, 1962 ) is an American musician and was the first bass player for the metal band Metallica .

McGovney and James Hetfield went to the same school in suburban Los Angeles and had been friends since 1977. They had met before, with Hetfield's father running a trucking business and McGovney's father running a truck repair shop on the same street. McGovney had been taking guitar lessons for several years when Hetfield persuaded him to take over the bass part of his fledgling band. Together they formed a band called Phantom Lord , which was later renamed Leather Charm , before Hetfield teamed up with Lars Ulrich to form Metallica .
McGovney didn't record any official songs with Metallica, just a few covers and demos . One of these demos is an early version of " Hit the Lights " with Lloyd Grant on lead guitar . As the only one with a steady income and his own delivery truck, he also took care of the transport of the equipment for some time and offered the band a rehearsal room and, in some cases, accommodation in a demolition house with a garage on his parents' property.

For Ron McGovney music remained just one hobby among several, while Hetfield, Ulrich and Dave Mustaine , who had joined them in the meantime , were already determined to embark on a musical career as teenagers. So when you met the talented Cliff Burton at the end of 1982 , he soon replaced McGovney. The constant arguments with Mustaine resulted in McGovney losing patience and throwing the band out of his house. About a month later, the band moved to San Francisco to write songs with Burton.

McGovney's relationship with the band later relaxed, and he met the musicians several times; he now lives with his own family in North Carolina and earns his living as a foreman in a factory. Music is still just one hobby among many.