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.

James was just married on August 17 to his longtime girlfriend!!!!

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