# Robert Trujillo
**Robert Trujillo** (born 1964, [Santa Monica, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/santa-monica-california)) is an American bassist best known as the bass player of the heavy metal band [Metallica](https://www.edgepedia.org/metallica), which he joined in 2003 after earlier stints with [Suicidal Tendencies](https://www.edgepedia.org/suicidal-tendencies), Infectious Grooves, and Ozzy Osbourne's band[1](https://www.santaclara5.com/periodicos/Years/2024/Marzo/El%20Mundo/2024-03-11-El%20Mundo.pdf) • [2](https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/how-robert-trujillo-almost-ruined-his-metallica-audition). He plays with his fingers rather than a pick, a funk-rooted style that is less common in metal[3](https://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/robert-trujillo-talks-jaco-pastorius-film-making-and-fingers-630297).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | Santa Monica, California, 1964[1](https://www.santaclara5.com/periodicos/Years/2024/Marzo/El%20Mundo/2024-03-11-El%20Mundo.pdf) |
| Current role | Bassist of Metallica since 2003, the band's fourth member on bass since 1981[2](https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/how-robert-trujillo-almost-ruined-his-metallica-audition) • [4](https://shop.warwick.de/media/91/bb/d4/1750065419/727684fe10b43a1f_bassiste_magazine_103_avril_mail_2023_robert_trujillo.pdf.pdf?ts=1750065419) |
| Earlier bands | Suicidal Tendencies (joined near the end of the 1980s), Infectious Grooves, Ozzy Osbourne[2](https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/how-robert-trujillo-almost-ruined-his-metallica-audition) |
| Signature influence | Jazz bassist Jaco Pastorius; Trujillo produced a 2014 documentary about him and owns Pastorius's fretless "Bass of Doom" Jazz Bass[4](https://shop.warwick.de/media/91/bb/d4/1750065419/727684fe10b43a1f_bassiste_magazine_103_avril_mail_2023_robert_trujillo.pdf.pdf?ts=1750065419) |
| Songwriting credits | "Manunkind" (Hardwired... To Self-Destruct, 2016) and three tracks on 72 Seasons (2023): "Screaming Suicide", "You Must Burn!", and "Sleepwalk My Life Away"[5](https://www.nme.com/news/music/metallicas-robert-trujillo-reveals-why-he-hasnt-written-much-music-for-the-band-3825542) |
| Playing style | Finger-style funk and metal bass; wore his bass high early in his career, in the manner of Mark King[3](https://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/robert-trujillo-talks-jaco-pastorius-film-making-and-fingers-630297) |
## Early life and influences
Trujillo grew up in Santa Monica, California, where his interest in music took hold early; he has cited Rush and [Van Halen](https://www.edgepedia.org/van-halen) among the influences of his youth[6](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/brief/512706/robert-trujillo). Flamenco was probably the first music he ever heard, because his father played it[7](https://blabbermouth.net/news/metallicas-robert-trujillo-interviewed-by-megadeths-david-ellefson-video). His central influence, however, is the jazz bassist [Jaco Pastorius](https://www.edgepedia.org/jaco-pastorius), whose approach inspired Trujillo to write music in a particular way and whose energy he says he channeled into his writing for Infectious Grooves[8](https://www.musicradar.com/news/robert-trujillo-on-his-bass-journey-with-metallica-ive-always-felt-challenged) • [9](https://www.metalcastle.net/metallicas-robert-trujillo-names-his-biggest-influences/).
## Suicidal Tendencies and Infectious Grooves
Trujillo joined the skate-thrash band Suicidal Tendencies near the end of the 1980s; guitarist Rocky George helped bring him into the band, and his funk bass playing shaped the band's sound[2](https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/how-robert-trujillo-almost-ruined-his-metallica-audition) • [10](https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/robert-trujillo-metallica-infectious-grooves-ex-suicidal/id1168843946?i=1000560511248). A profile of his career describes the band's ethos as fusing styles from different worlds, punk and ska, metal, funk, whatever, with no rules[11](https://www.loudersound.com/features/metallicas-rob-trujillo-my-life-story).
Infectious Grooves began in 1991 as a side project of Suicidal Tendencies singer [Mike Muir](https://www.edgepedia.org/mike-muir) and [Jane's Addiction](https://www.edgepedia.org/janes-addiction) drummer [Stephen Perkins](https://www.edgepedia.org/stephen-perkins), with Trujillo on bass and Adam Siegel on guitar, blending metal and funk. Its debut album, *The Plague That Makes Your Booty Move*, appeared on Epic in 1991, followed by *Sarsippius' Ark* (1993), *Groove Family Cyco* (1994), and *Mas Borracho* (2000)[12](https://hugoribeiro.com.br/area-restrita/Phillips_Cogan-Encyclopedia_Heavy_Metal_Music.pdf).
## Ozzy Osbourne
Moving to [Ozzy Osbourne](https://www.edgepedia.org/ozzy-osbourne)'s band was, as one profile puts it, the move that enabled Trujillo to perform at the top level[2](https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/how-robert-trujillo-almost-ruined-his-metallica-audition). The connection went back years: Osbourne sang on a song for Infectious Grooves, which is how the two first worked together[6](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/brief/512706/robert-trujillo).
## Metallica
After [Jason Newsted](https://www.edgepedia.org/jason-newsted)'s departure, Metallica's remaining members worked with producer [Bob Rock](https://www.edgepedia.org/bob-rock) filling in on bass until Trujillo was hired in 2003. Metallica's own history credits his easy-going demeanor and ferocious finger-plucking style with giving him the edge in auditions[13](https://www.metallica.com/history/). The audition process was famously documented in the 2004 band film *Some Kind of Monster*, in which Trujillo was reported to have received a million-dollar advance as a "welcome to the family"[2](https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/how-robert-trujillo-almost-ruined-his-metallica-audition). One near-mishap preceded it: after a late-night drinking session with drummer [Lars Ulrich](https://www.edgepedia.org/lars-ulrich) that ran until 5 in the morning, he auditioned with what he describes as the worst hangover of his life[2](https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/how-robert-trujillo-almost-ruined-his-metallica-audition).
Joining meant learning more than 20 years of Metallica's catalog plus the twelve songs of *St. Anger*, which had never been performed live as a unit, alongside the press attention that comes with the band[2](https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/how-robert-trujillo-almost-ruined-his-metallica-audition). In the studio his role has often been limited to doubling guitar riffs, with the bass intro of "Manunkind" (2016) a notable exception; on stage, commentators note, he integrates fully into the band, putting his technique at the service of the song rather than displaying it[4](https://shop.warwick.de/media/91/bb/d4/1750065419/727684fe10b43a1f_bassiste_magazine_103_avril_mail_2023_robert_trujillo.pdf.pdf?ts=1750065419). He has described his approach in recent Metallica records as an "art of simplicity", building a pulse within songs whether fast or aggressive[14](https://www.guitarworld.com/features/metallicas-robert-trujillo-on-the-art-of-simplicity).
His songwriting footprint in the band has grown over time. He was credited as a writer on "Manunkind" from *Hardwired... To Self-Destruct* (2016) and is listed as co-writer on three tracks on *72 Seasons* (2023): "Screaming Suicide", "You Must Burn!", and "Sleepwalk My Life Away". He has said that whether or not his name appears on a song, he is in the room whenever the band works on music[5](https://www.nme.com/news/music/metallicas-robert-trujillo-reveals-why-he-hasnt-written-much-music-for-the-band-3825542).
On tour, Trujillo and guitarist [Kirk Hammett](https://www.edgepedia.org/kirk-hammett) have made a nightly feature of short jams, the "Doodle", covering songs by local or favorite artists, from [Black Sabbath](https://www.edgepedia.org/black-sabbath) and [Rammstein](https://www.edgepedia.org/rammstein) to A-ha's "Take On Me" in Oslo[15](https://www.loudersound.com/music/tracks-singles/metallica-doodle-map).
## Jaco Pastorius documentary and the Bass of Doom
Trujillo spent about five years making a documentary film about Jaco Pastorius, released in 2014, covering the bassist's roots, technique, and influence on leading bass players of recent decades[3](https://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/robert-trujillo-talks-jaco-pastorius-film-making-and-fingers-630297) • [16](https://www.brevardlive.com/uploads/docs/23e2582f143869435179722.pdf). In the late 1990s he befriended Pastorius's eldest son Johnny Pastorius[17](https://eltonsounds.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web-jaco.pdf). He is the owner of Pastorius's legendary fretless sunburst Fender Jazz Bass, known as the Bass of Doom, and has played that instrument on stage with Metallica[4](https://shop.warwick.de/media/91/bb/d4/1750065419/727684fe10b43a1f_bassiste_magazine_103_avril_mail_2023_robert_trujillo.pdf.pdf?ts=1750065419).
## Family and later activity
Trujillo's son Tye Trujillo is the current touring bassist of Suicidal Tendencies. In September 2023, Robert rejoined his former band on stage for a gig supporting Metallica, and father and son played the early Suicidal Tendencies track "I Saw Your Mommy..." together[18](https://www.metallica.com/news/in-the-press/2023-09-11-in-the-press-01.html). He has also appeared outside the metal world, including on Bootsy Collins's funk/metal concept album *Metal Health*[19](https://www.musicradar.com/artists/guitarists/imagine-what-bucket-faces-every-day-because-he-dont-talk-to-people-he-talks-with-his-guitar-and-thats-pretty-much-it-bootsy-collins-on-his-friendship-with-oddball-guitar-virtuoso-buckethead), and his work has drawn a Grammy nomination in the Best Music Film category[20](https://www.grammy.com/artists/robert-trujilio/12703/).
## References
1. [El Mundo, 11 March 2024 (print edition profile of Robert Trujillo)](https://www.santaclara5.com/periodicos/Years/2024/Marzo/El%20Mundo/2024-03-11-El%20Mundo.pdf)
2. ["How a late-night drinking session with Lars Ulrich almost ruined Robert Trujillo's Metallica audition", Guitar World](https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bassists/how-robert-trujillo-almost-ruined-his-metallica-audition)
3. ["Robert Trujillo talks Jaco Pastorius, film-making and fingers", MusicRadar](https://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/robert-trujillo-talks-jaco-pastorius-film-making-and-fingers-630297)
4. [Bassiste Magazine No. 103 (April/May 2023), Robert Trujillo feature](https://shop.warwick.de/media/91/bb/d4/1750065419/727684fe10b43a1f_bassiste_magazine_103_avril_mail_2023_robert_trujillo.pdf.pdf?ts=1750065419)
5. ["Metallica's Robert Trujillo reveals why he hasn't written much music for the band", NME](https://www.nme.com/news/music/metallicas-robert-trujillo-reveals-why-he-hasnt-written-much-music-for-the-band-3825542)
6. ["Robert Trujillo, Bassist for Metallica", PBS NewsHour, Brief but Spectacular](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/brief/512706/robert-trujillo)
7. ["Metallica's Robert Trujillo interviewed by Megadeth's David Ellefson", Blabbermouth.net](https://blabbermouth.net/news/metallicas-robert-trujillo-interviewed-by-megadeths-david-ellefson-video)
8. ["Robert Trujillo on his bass journey with Metallica", MusicRadar](https://www.musicradar.com/news/robert-trujillo-on-his-bass-journey-with-metallica-ive-always-felt-challenged)
9. ["Metallica's Robert Trujillo Names His Biggest Influences", MetalCastle](https://www.metalcastle.net/metallicas-robert-trujillo-names-his-biggest-influences/)
10. [The Ex-Man with Doc Coyle podcast: Robert Trujillo (Metallica, Infectious Grooves, ex-Suicidal Tendencies)](https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/robert-trujillo-metallica-infectious-grooves-ex-suicidal/id1168843946?i=1000560511248)
11. ["Metallica's Rob Trujillo: My Life Story", Louder](https://www.loudersound.com/features/metallicas-rob-trujillo-my-life-story)
12. [Phillips & Cogan, Encyclopedia of Heavy Metal Music, Infectious Grooves entry](https://hugoribeiro.com.br/area-restrita/Phillips_Cogan-Encyclopedia_Heavy_Metal_Music.pdf)
13. [History, Metallica.com](https://www.metallica.com/history/)
14. ["Metallica's Robert Trujillo on the art of simplicity", Guitar World](https://www.guitarworld.com/features/metallicas-robert-trujillo-on-the-art-of-simplicity)
15. ["The Metallica Doodle Map: All of Rob and Kirk's local Doodles", Louder](https://www.loudersound.com/music/tracks-singles/metallica-doodle-map)
16. [Brevard Live magazine feature on Robert Trujillo](https://www.brevardlive.com/uploads/docs/23e2582f143869435179722.pdf)
17. [Jaco documentary review, eltonsounds.com](https://eltonsounds.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/web-jaco.pdf)
18. ["Robert Trujillo Reunites with Suicidal Tendencies for Gig Supporting Metallica", Metallica.com](https://www.metallica.com/news/in-the-press/2023-09-11-in-the-press-01.html)
19. ["Bootsy Collins on his friendship with Buckethead", MusicRadar](https://www.musicradar.com/artists/guitarists/imagine-what-bucket-faces-every-day-because-he-dont-talk-to-people-he-talks-with-his-guitar-and-thats-pretty-much-it-bootsy-collins-on-his-friendship-with-oddball-guitar-virtuoso-buckethead)
20. [Robert Trujillo, Grammy Awards and Nominations, Recording Academy](https://www.grammy.com/artists/robert-trujilio/12703/)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Individual musical biographies › Rock, metal, and popular-band musicians › Heavy metal › Heavy metal rhythm sections and instrumentalists › Heavy metal bassists and keyboardists*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license