James Alan Hetfield was born on August 3rd, 1963 in
Downey, California, a suburb of Los Angeles. He
began his interest in music after his mother died, as a
comfort and escape from an unhappy reality. After
moving in with his brother-in-law in La Brea, James
met a group of young men who shared an interest in
music. They formed a garage band called Obsession,
which did covers of Thin Lizzy and Black Sabbath. His
next project was Leather Charm, for which he was a
vocalist. The band also featured a bassist named Ron
McGovney. This band would write the song that would
give Metallica its start - "Hit The Lights." James was
approached by a young Dane named Lars Ulrich, who
finally convinced him to start another band. They
recorded a rough impromptu version of "Hit the Lights"
for Brian Slagel, who put it on his first Metal Massacre
compelation album. The rest, is history! Some of
Jaymz' favourite activities include: hunting, fishing, and smoking Cuban cigars. He is currently
living in Novato, California.

As all long time fans know, Jayms is also amazingly accident-prone. Here is a list of only a few of
his injuries:

     40 stitches on his head from an ATV accident.
     Compound fracture of both bones in his left forearm requiring two metal plates, screws and
     85 stitches.
     Broke left wrist while skateboarding during Ozzie tour
     Severe burns (2nd degree) on face, left arm and hand from pyro accident during the Roam
     tour - required skin grafts.

Other info:
Height: 6' 1"
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Blond
James was married on Aug 17, 1997 and now he has a new born daughter.