Robert Trujillo is an American
bassistA bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
who currently plays bass in
MetallicaMetallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
. He has also played in
Suicidal TendenciesSuicidal Tendencies is a U.S. crossover thrash band founded in 1981 in Venice, Los Angeles, California by Mike Muir, its leader and only permanent member. The band is sometimes credited as one of "the fathers of crossover thrash"...
,
Infectious GroovesInfectious Grooves is a funk metal band led by Suicidal Tendencies frontman Mike Muir. It also features former Excel guitarist Adam Siegel, ex-Suicidal Tendencies bassist Robert Trujillo , and ex-Jane's Addiction drummer Stephen Perkins...
,
Black Label SocietyBlack Label Society is a heavy metal band formed by Zakk Wylde, with nine studio albums, one live album, two compilation albums, one EP, and three video albums released since formation of the band.-Formation and Sonic Brew :...
, and with
Jerry CantrellJerry Fulton Cantrell Jr. is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter best known for his work with the grunge/metal band Alice in Chains, as lead guitarist, backing and co-lead vocalist, and co-lyricist. He performs lead vocals on his solo projects, and is part of Alice in Chains' harmonizing...
and
Ozzy OsbourneJohn Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is an English vocalist, whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead singer of the pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, whose radically different, intentionally dark, harder sound helped spawn the heavy metal...
.
Career
He was a member of Ozzy Osbourne's band for a number of years starting in the late 90s. Trujillo was the subject of controversy for re-recording
Bob DaisleyRobert John "Bob" Daisley is an Australian musician, bassist and lyricist who has performed in genres of rock, blues, R&B, hard rock and metal.-Early career:...
's bass tracks for reissued versions of Osbourne's albums
Blizzard of OzzBlizzard of Ozz is the first solo studio album by British singer/songwriter Ozzy Osbourne, recorded in Surrey, UK and released on September 20, 1980 in the UK and on March 27, 1981 in the U.S.. It is the comeback album of Osbourne following his firing from Black Sabbath the previous year...
and
Diary of a MadmanDiary of a Madman is the second studio album by Ozzy Osbourne. It was recorded from the 9th of Feb to the 23 of March 1981 inclusively - the end of winter in the UK and recording ending just into spring equinox. It was released on November 7, 1981, and re-issued on August 22, 1995. An altered...
because of Daisley's claim of not receiving proper royalties. During this time, Trujillo formed an experimental supergroup,
Mass MentalMass Mental was a short lived heavy metal band. It was formed in 1998 by Suicidal Tendencies and current Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo and former Dub War and current Skindred singer Clive "Benji" Webbe.-Biography:The band was formed when Benji’s old band Dub War disbanded after a dispute with...
, with then
Dub WarDub War was a four piece metal band from Newport, South Wales, UK. Formed in 1993, the band offered an innovative mix of metal, punk, and ragga influenced by bands like The Clash and Bad Brains...
singer
Benji WebbeClive "Benji" Webbe is a Welsh singer best known as the lead vocalist for the alternate rock band Skindred and as a former member of Dub War...
, whose "ragga-punk-metal" outfit had just disbanded. The band released one studio album (exclusively in
JapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
) and one live album of their performance in Tokyo before disbanding.
Robert Trujillo began playing electric bass for
MetallicaMetallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
on February 24, 2003. The band consists of James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett, and Lars Ulrich. He had previously met and befriended his future bandmates when
Suicidal TendenciesSuicidal Tendencies is a U.S. crossover thrash band founded in 1981 in Venice, Los Angeles, California by Mike Muir, its leader and only permanent member. The band is sometimes credited as one of "the fathers of crossover thrash"...
supported Metallica during the
Nowhere Else to RoamThe Nowhere Else To Roam was the concert tour by American band Metallica, which took place in 1993 in support of their fifth studio album Metallica . This tour was the third part of the huge tour the started, after the Wherever We May Roam Tour and Guns N' Roses/Metallica Stadium Tour...
tour in 1993, and again during the
Shit Hits the ShedsThe Shit Hits The Sheds was a concert tour by the American heavy metal band Metallica, which took place in 1994. The band played in 51 shows in North America, including a concert in Woodstock '94, which had an attendance of over 350,000 people. This is tour is also known for the debut of the song...
tour one year later. Trujillo received one million dollars from the band as an advance for joining Metallica. His audition and hiring appear in the documentary film
Some Kind of MonsterSome Kind of Monster is a 2004 documentary film featuring the American heavy metal band Metallica. It shares its name with the song "Some Kind of Monster" from Metallica's 2003 album St. Anger....
. As the current bassist for Metallica, he was inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of FameThe Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is dedicated to archiving the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers and others who have, in some major way,...
alongside all current members of the band, as well as
Jason NewstedJason Curtis Newsted is an American bassist known for his work with Metallica, Voivod and Flotsam and Jetsam. Joining Metallica in 1986 after Cliff Burton's death, Newsted remained a member until 2001, making him the band's longest-serving bassist...
(who left the band in 2001) and the late
Cliff BurtonClifford Lee "Cliff" Burton was an American musician, best known as the bass guitarist for the American heavy metal band Metallica....
on April 4, 2009.
In 2003, Trujillo was seen playing an
upright bassThe double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
in the
Nickel CreekNickel Creek was an American progressive acoustic music trio consisting of Chris Thile , Sara Watkins and Sean Watkins . The band was founded in 1989 and released 6 albums between 1993 and 2006...
music video, "Smoothie Song". However, he did not play bass for the band during the song's recording.
Personal life
Robert is married and has a son and daughter, Ty and Lula.
His girlfriend (now wife) Chloé did a
pyrographyPyrography is the art of decorating wood or other materials with burn marks resulting from the controlled application of a heated object such as a poker. It is also known as pokerwork or wood burning....
(woodburning) design of the
Aztec CalendarThe Aztec calendar is the calendar system that was used by the Aztecs as well as other Pre-Columbian peoples of central Mexico. It is one of the Mesoamerican calendars, sharing the basic structure of calendars from throughout ancient Mesoamerica....
for him on his bass guitar.
Years later when Rob heard Chloé had moved to Los Angeles, he called her from a pay phone while on a surfing trip in Tahiti in a determined effort to reconnect. They have been together for the past seven years and are now married. His wife has her own website called "Chloe in art".
Technique
Trujillo is primarily a fingerstyle player, but has been known to play with a
pickA plectrum is a small flat tool used to pluck or strum a stringed instrument. For hand-held instruments such as guitars and mandolins, the plectrum is often called a pick, and is a separate tool held in the player's hand...
in some recordings and while playing live. Trujillo's predecessor in Metallica,
Jason NewstedJason Curtis Newsted is an American bassist known for his work with Metallica, Voivod and Flotsam and Jetsam. Joining Metallica in 1986 after Cliff Burton's death, Newsted remained a member until 2001, making him the band's longest-serving bassist...
, was almost exclusively a pickstyle player, while
Cliff BurtonClifford Lee "Cliff" Burton was an American musician, best known as the bass guitarist for the American heavy metal band Metallica....
, Newsted's predecessor and bassist on Metallica's first three albums, played fingerstyle exclusively.
Trujillo also uses the slap bass technique, seen mostly in his work with Suicidal Tendencies and especially Infectious Grooves. At many of the shows during Metallica's 2004
Madly in Anger with the World TourThe Madly in Anger with the World Tour was a year-long concert tour by Metallica that took place in 2003 and 2004, in connection with their St. Anger album....
, 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 PalladinoPino Palladino is a Welsh bass guitarist who gained fame playing primarily rock and roll, blues rock, and rhythm and blues music, although he has been lauded for his ability to play most genres of popular music, including jazz, neo soul, and funk...
, he developed this during the recording sessions for Jerry Cantrell's
Degradation TripDegradation Trip is the second solo album by Alice in Chains guitarist and vocalist Jerry Cantrell, released on June 18, 2002. It marks his difficult transition from Columbia Records to Roadrunner and was dedicated to Alice in Chains lead singer Layne Staley, who died two months before the album's...
which, according to Trujillo, had him working from "little hoodrat demos" with nearly inaudible bass.
Equipment
With Metallica, he is most often seen playing
FernandesFernandes Guitars is a guitar and accessory manufacturer that originated in Japan in 1969, building flamenco guitars. As the company grew it expanded production to include more acoustic guitars, electric guitars, bass guitars, amplifiers, and accessories to become one of the biggest guitar...
Gravity 5-string basses, particularly a model with a silver finish, blue flame decals, and
EMGEMG, Inc. is the current legal name of a company based in Santa Rosa, California which manufactures guitar pickups and EQ accessories. Founded in 1976, the company was originally called Dirtywork Studios. The name was changed to "Overlend" in 1978 and then to the current name in 1983...
pickups. He has a
Warwick-Overview:Warwick basses were originally a premium brand offering a small range of models built from high quality and exotic tonewoods with 'Neck-through' design...
Signature Streamer bass that was released in March 2010. He also has a signature bass model, the Sonus RT, manufactured by
Zon GuitarsZon Guitars is a manufacturer of bass guitars founded in 1981 by Joseph Zon.-Background:The company is known for its bass guitar models which feature non-traditional designs and materials. The brand is most closely associated with endorser and player Michael Manring, who collaborated with the...
. Prior to Metallica, he was most often seen playing Tobias,
ESP, located in North Hollywood, California, is an American-based, Japanese-owned manufacturer of electric guitars and basses.- History :In 1975, Hisatake Shibuya opened a shop called Electric Sound Products in Tokyo. It provided custom replacement parts for guitars. In 1976, ESP gained a reputation...
and
MusicMan bassesIntroduced in 1987, the StingRay 5 was the first all-new Music Man bass designed and built in San Luis Obispo by the Ernie Ball team. The five-string's styling is based on the classic look of the Silhouette guitar...
(all 5-strings), as well as a
Fender Precision BassThe Fender Precision Bass is an electric bass.Designed by Leo Fender as a prototype in 1950 and brought to market in 1951, the Precision was the first electric bass to earn widespread attention and use. A revolutionary instrument for the time, the Precision Bass has made an immeasurable impact on...
with Black Label Society and Ozzy Osbourne. Trujillo has been seen in concert playing a
YamahaYamaha may refer to:* Yamaha Corporation, a Japanese company with a wide range of products and services** Yamaha Motor Company, a Japanese motorized vehicle-producing company...
TRB5-P2 5-string bass, a customized green
RickenbackerRickenbacker International Corporation, also known as Rickenbacker, is an electric and bass guitar manufacturer based in Santa Ana, California...
4001/4003 4-string bass fitted with EMG pickups, various Nash P-Bass Copy guitars, and both a classic Fender Precision Bass and
Fender Jazz BassThe Jazz Bass was the second model of electric bass created by Leo Fender. The bass is distinct from the Precision Bass in that its tone is brighter and richer in the midrange and treble with less emphasis on the fundamental harmonic...
. For amplification, he uses
AmpegAmpeg is primarily a musical instrument amplifier manufacturer headquartered in Woodinville, Washington, though they also manufacture guitars to a small extent...
amplifiers and cabinets. Trujillo recently collaborated with
Jim DunlopDunlop Manufacturing, Inc., known colloquially as Jim Dunlop, is a manufacturer of musical accessories based in Benicia, California. Originally founded in 1965 by Jim Dunlop, Sr., the company has grown from a small home operation to being a large manufacturer of music gear for over 40 years.- Way...
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).
Trujillo is also the custodian of the "Bass Of Doom" - a defretted mid-1960s Fender Jazz Bass that was formerly owned by the late
Jaco PastoriusJohn Francis Anthony Pastorius III , known as Jaco Pastorius, was an American jazz musician and composer widely acknowledged as a virtuoso electric bass player....
and which was extensively used on his recorded works. The bass had been seriously damaged, but has subsequently been restored and refinished. Trujillo acquired it from its previous owner, with the intention of having the bass remain with him, in trust for the Pastorius family. He has, however, been seen playing it onstage with Metallica.
Effects
Trujillo's pedal board consists of an Electro Harmonix Q-Tron, a Tech 21
SansAmpTech 21 is a New York based manufacturer of guitar and bass effect pedals, amps, and DI boxes which allow the user to emulate the tone of many popular guitar amps and record those sounds directly into a mixer....
Bass Driver DI, a Tech 21 XXL, a
MXRMXR, also known as MXR Innovations, was a manufacturer of guitar effects units, co-founded in 1973 by Keith Barr and Terry Sherwood . MXR was based in the United States in Rochester, New York. MXR Innovations, Inc. was incorporated in 1974...
m-135 SmartGate, a
MorleyMorley Pedals is the name of a guitar effects pedal company, famous for manufacturing wah-wah pedals and other treadle type effects for guitar. Morley pedals use electro-optical circuitry rather than a potentiometer to control the effect. The foot treadle controls a shutter inside the pedal that...
Mark TremontiMark Thomas Tremonti is an American musician and songwriter, best known as the lead guitarist of the American rock bands Creed and Alter Bridge. He is a founding member of both bands...
wah pedal, and a
BossBoss is a manufacturer of effects pedals for electric guitar and bass guitar. It is a division of the Roland Corporation, a Japanese manufacturer that specializes in musical equipment and accessories...
OC-2 Octave Pedal; all powered by a Voodoo Lab Pedal Power.
Acting
Trujillo has made appearances in films and a TV show and TV film, he appeared in the 1978 film
House Calls, and the 1992 comedy film
Encino ManEncino Man, released in Europe as California Man, is a 1992 comedy film directed by Les Mayfield and starring Brendan Fraser, Sean Astin and Pauly Shore. The plot revolves around two geeky teenagers from Encino, Los Angeles, California played by Astin and Shore, who discover a caveman in their...
. He made a guest appearance in the hit TV series
CHiPsCHiPs is an American television drama series produced by MGM Studios that originally aired on NBC from September 15, 1977, to July 17, 1983. CHiPs followed the lives of two motorcycle police officers of the California Highway Patrol...
and appeared in the TV film
Scout's Honor-Plot Summary:Joey, The clever but lonely orphan, is determined to be the best cub scout ever. A hard-working executive who dislikes children takes on a troop of cub scouts and becomes a den mother to save her job. on an outing, she takes her den to a nearby park, where the boys discover a cave and...
.
Almost comically, he was in a Pacific Bell Smart Yellow Pages commercial that aired in the '90s. When asked to think of something that couldn't be found in the Pacific Bell Smart Yellow Pages, he mentioned that he was looking for a kilt because he was going on tour and apparently wanted to wear one.
Infectious Grooves
- The Plague That Makes Your Booty Move...It's the Infectious Grooves
The Plague That Makes Your Booty Move...It's the Infectious Grooves is the debut album by Infectious Grooves, released in 1991. The second song "Therapy" featured Ozzy Osbourne. The album introduces the character Sarsippius. As of 2011, the album is out of print and problems with the rights...
(1991)
- Encino Man Soundtrack (1992)
- Sarsippius' Ark
Sarsippius' Ark is the second album from Infectious Grooves. It was released in 1993.-Track listing:# "Intro" – 0:41# "Turtle Wax " – 3:30...
(1993)
- Groove Family Cyco
Groove Family Cyco is the 3rd album by Infectious Grooves, a 1994 concept record about a family of crazy people . The "Violent & Funky" music video appeared in Beavis and Butthead- Track listing :# "Violent & Funky" – 4:19...
(1994)
- Mas Borracho
Mas Borracho is the 4th album released in 2000 by Infectious Grooves. The title, as written on the album, is "but drunk" in Spanish. However, it most likely is a misspell of "más borracho", meaning "more drunk" or "drunker".-Track listing:...
(1999)
- Years Of Cykos (2008)
- Funk It Up - Live In France 1995 (2010)
- Mad Mad Muir Musical Tour (2011)
Suicidal Tendencies
- Controlled By Hatred/Feel Like Shit...Déjà Vu
- Song notes :* "Master of No Mercy", "Waking the Dead", "Controlled by Hatred" and "Choosing My Own Way of Life" were compositions by guitarist Mike Clark's previous band No Mercy....
(1989) (credited as "Stymee")
- Lights...Camera...Revolution!
Lights...Camera...Revolution! is an album by Suicidal Tendencies, which was released in 1990. It is their fourth proper studio album as their previous release, Controlled By Hatred/Feel Like Shit...Déjà Vu, is considered a double-EP of stop-gap material rather than a full-length album.This was the...
(1990)
- The Art of Rebellion (1992)
- Still Cyco After All These Years
Still Cyco After All These Years is a 1993 compilation album by Suicidal Tendencies. It is a re-recording of the band's 1983 debut album, Suicidal Tendencies and also contains 3 additional tracks...
(1993)
- Suicidal for Life
Suicidal for Life is an album by Suicidal Tendencies, which was released in 1994. It is their sixth proper studio release as Still Cyco After All These Years is a re-recording of the band's early material...
(1994)
- Years Of Cykos (2008)
- Mad Mad Muis Musical Tour (2011)
Ozzy Osbourne
- Down to Earth
-Personnel:Primary musicians*Ozzy Osbourne – vocals*Zakk Wylde – guitars*Robert Trujillo – bass*Mike Bordin – drumsAdditional musicians...
(2001)
- Blizzard of Ozz
Blizzard of Ozz is the first solo studio album by British singer/songwriter Ozzy Osbourne, recorded in Surrey, UK and released on September 20, 1980 in the UK and on March 27, 1981 in the U.S.. It is the comeback album of Osbourne following his firing from Black Sabbath the previous year...
(reissue) (2002)
- Diary of a Madman
Diary of a Madman is the second studio album by Ozzy Osbourne. It was recorded from the 9th of Feb to the 23 of March 1981 inclusively - the end of winter in the UK and recording ending just into spring equinox. It was released on November 7, 1981, and re-issued on August 22, 1995. An altered...
(reissue) (2002)
- Live at Budokan
Live at Budokan is a CD/DVD combination released by heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne on June 25, 2002. It was recorded at the Nippon Budokan Hall on February 15, 2002 in Tokyo, Japan.-CD:#"I Don't Know" – 5:51...
(2002)
Metallica
- Some Kind of Monster (2004)
- Death Magnetic
Death Magnetic is the ninth studio album by the American heavy metal band Metallica. It was released on September 12, 2008 through Warner Bros. Records. It was the band's first album to feature bassist Robert Trujillo and the first to be produced by Rick Rubin, making this Metallica's first album...
(2008)
- Orgullo, Pasión y Gloria: Tres Noches en la Ciudad de México
-Personnel:*James Hetfield - vocals, rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar on "The Unforgiven", lead guitar on "Nothing Else Matters" and "Master Of Puppets"*Kirk Hammett - lead guitar, backing vocals.*Robert Trujillo - bass, backing vocals....
(2009)
- Six Feet Down Under
-Personnel:* James Hetfield - lead vocals, rhythm guitar* Lars Ulrich - drums* Kirk Hammett - lead guitar, backing vocals* Jason Newsted - bass, backing vocals on tracks 1-6* Robert Trujillo - bass, backing vocals on tracks 7-8...
(2010)
- The Big 4 Live from Sofia, Bulgaria
The Big 4 Live from Sofia, Bulgaria is a DVD/Blu-ray featuring live concert performances by Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax, collectively known as "the big four" of thrash metal. The event took place on June 22, 2010 at the Sonisphere Festival at Vasil Levski National Stadium, Sofia,...
(2010)
- Six Feet Down Under (Part II)
-Personnel:* James Hetfield - vocals, rhythm guitar* Kirk Hammett - lead guitar* Robert Trujillo - bass* Lars Ulrich - drums...
(2010)
- Live at Grimey's
-Personnel:* James Hetfield – vocals, rhythm guitar* Kirk Hammett – lead guitar* Robert Trujillo – bass* Lars Ulrich – drums...
(2010)
- Lulu
Lulu is a collaborative album between rock singer-songwriter Lou Reed, and heavy metal band Metallica. The album was recorded in San Rafael, California during April through June of 2011, after Reed had played with Metallica at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 25th Anniversary Concert which led to...
(2011)
- Upcoming Metallica Studio Album (201?)
Videography
- St. Anger
St. Anger is the eighth studio album by the American heavy metal band Metallica. It was released on June 5, 2003 through Elektra Records. It was the band's last album released through Elektra. The album marked the end of the longest timespan between studio albums from Metallica, with nearly six...
live bonus DVD - 2003
- Some Kind of Monster
Some Kind of Monster is a 2004 documentary film featuring the American heavy metal band Metallica. It shares its name with the song "Some Kind of Monster" from Metallica's 2003 album St. Anger....
Metallica documentary
- The Videos: 1989-2004 Video compilation DVD
- Français Pour Une Nuit
Français Pour Une Nuit is a live DVD by the American heavy metal band Metallica, recorded in Nîmes, France in the Arena of Nîmes on July 7, 2009. It was released in three formats...
Live DVD from the concert in Nîmes
- Orgullo, Pasión Y Gloria - Tres Noches En La Ciudad De México Live DVD from the concerts in Mexico City
External links