Robert Trujillo
Bassist Robert Trujillo connects the funk of "Infectious Grooves", the thrash of "Suicidal Tendencies", and the power of "Metallica".
(Photo: Mauricio Santana)
From a first bass that would not work through an amplifier, through his years with Ozzy Osbourne, to a permanent place in one of the world’s biggest bands. Here are 50 facts about Trujillo, his groove, and his journey.
1. He was born on October 23, 1964, in Santa Monica, California, to a family with Mexican and Native American roots.
2. His parents separated when he was five. His father moved to Venice Beach, while he and his mother lived in the Mar Vista and Culver City area. He remained close to his father and grew up immersed in the coastal culture of West Los Angeles.
3. His mother loved soul and funk, and the household soundtrack included Marvin Gaye, James Brown, and "Sly and the Family Stone". He was also exposed to jazz and rock, a combination that would shape his playing.
4. His father played flamenco guitar as a hobby. Trujillo has said that watching his father's finger movements influenced his own approach to stringed instruments.
5. He initially wanted to play drums, then keyboards, partly inspired by "Yes" and "Emerson, Lake & Palmer". Apartment living made a piano or drum kit impractical, and the solution arrived in the form of a bass given to him by a friend of his father.
6. His first bass was a hollow-body "Harmony" with strings sitting very high above the fingerboard and electronics that did not work. Its hollow body nevertheless allowed him to hear himself and practice without an amplifier.
7. As a teenager, he played in the local backyard-party band "Oblivion", covering "Van Halen", "Rush", "Black Sabbath", and Ozzy Osbourne. Years before joining Ozzy onstage, he was learning his repertoire in neighborhood backyards.
8. Alongside rock and metal, he developed an interest in jazz fusion. At 19, he pursued jazz studies, including time at the Dick Grove School, with the idea of becoming a studio musician.
9. One of his greatest heroes was bassist Jaco Pastorius. Trujillo heard a combination of jazz, rock, funk, and soul in his playing, and in 1985 he saw him up close at a guitar show in Los Angeles.
10. In 1989, he joined "Suicidal Tendencies", replacing Bob Heathcote. Guitarist Rocky George, who had known him since their school days, helped him secure an audition.
11. In 1989, he began developing "Infectious Grooves" with vocalist Mike Muir. Some ideas grew out of material Trujillo had written before joining the band, giving him a central role as a songwriter and bassist in a project that combined funk and metal.
"Infectious Grooves" in the early 1990s (Photo: Sony Music / TIDAL)
12. In 1990, he recorded "Lights...Camera...Revolution!" with "Suicidal Tendencies", their fifth studio album and the first on which he played. It reached No. 101 on the "Billboard 200" and was later certified Gold in the United States.
13. The opening of "You Can't Bring Me Down" showcases his melodic side on fretless bass. Trujillo has connected that approach to Pastorius' influence, alongside the slap technique and groove he brought to the band's thrash sound.
14. In 1991, "Infectious Grooves" released their debut album, "The Plague That Makes Your Booty Move... It's the Infectious Grooves", which reached No. 198 in the United States. Contributors included guitarists Dean Pleasants and Adam Siegel and drummers Scott Crago and Stephen Perkins.
15. Ozzy made a guest appearance on "Therapy" after the musicians recorded at the same studio complex. According to Trujillo, Ozzy would visit their room, loved the atmosphere, and later insisted on taking "Infectious Grooves" on tour.
16. In 1992, he appeared with "Infectious Grooves" in the film "Encino Man". The band performed "Feed the Monkey" during the prom scene.
17. That same year, he played on "The Art of Rebellion", the sixth studio album by "Suicidal Tendencies". It reached No. 52 in the United States, the band's highest position on the albums chart, and included "Nobody Hears".
18. In 1993, he played on "Still Cyco After All These Years", the seventh album by "Suicidal Tendencies", which reached No. 117 in the United States. It featured new recordings of early material, including songs from their debut album.
19. Also in 1993, "Infectious Grooves" released their second album, "Sarsippius' Ark", which reached No. 109 in the United States. The project mixed music and humor, including sketches built around the fictional character Sarsippius.
20. In 1993 and 1994, he opened for "Metallica" with "Suicidal Tendencies". The members of "Metallica" later recalled being impressed by his bass playing and stage presence, almost a decade before inviting him to join.
21. In 1994, he played on "Suicidal for Life", the eighth album by "Suicidal Tendencies", which reached No. 82 in the United States. That year also brought "Groove Family Cyco", the third album by "Infectious Grooves", further developing his blend of funk and metal.
22. After his first stint in "Suicidal Tendencies" ended in the mid-1990s, he joined Ozzy's backing band in 1996. One of his partners in the rhythm section was Mike Bordin, the drummer of "Faith No More".
23. In 1997, he contributed to "Baptizm of Fire", the first solo album by "Judas Priest" guitarist Glenn Tipton. He was one of several bassists involved in the recordings, alongside Billy Sheehan and others.
24. In the late 1990s, he also played in the experimental project "Mass Mental", alongside vocalist Benji Webbe, bassist Armand Sabal-Lecco, and drummer Brooks Wackerman. Its only studio album, "How to Write Love Songs", was released in Japan in 1999, combining funk, metal, and other influences.
25. In 2000, "Infectious Grooves" released their fourth studio album, "Mas Borracho". Even as his career took him into other major bands, he maintained his connection with Muir and the project.
26. In 2001, he played on "Down to Earth", Ozzy's eighth studio album, which reached No. 4 in the United States and was certified Platinum. Beyond playing bass, he co-wrote "That I Never Had", "Junkie", and "Can You Hear Them?".
27. In 2002, Ozzy released his fourth full-length live album, "Live at Budokan". Trujillo appears alongside Bordin and guitarist Zakk Wylde, documenting the touring lineup of that period.
28. That same year, he played on "Degradation Trip", Jerry Cantrell's second solo album, which reached No. 33 in the United States. Bordin played drums, and the complete double-album version, "Degradation Trip Volumes 1 & 2", followed later that year.
29. Also in 2002, he contributed to "1919 Eternal", the third studio album by "Black Label Society", playing bass on "Demise of Sanity" and "Life, Birth, Blood, Doom". He also performed live with Wylde's band.
30. A controversial chapter in his career involved re-recording the bass parts for the 2002 reissues of Ozzy's debut album, "Blizzard of Ozz", and his second, "Diary of a Madman". These replaced existing recordings by Bob Daisley; Trujillo did not play on the original albums released in 1980 and 1981.
31. On February 24, 2003, he was officially announced as the new bassist of "Metallica", permanently replacing Jason Newsted. He joined James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, and Kirk Hammett as a full member.
(Photo: Metallica website)
32. To demonstrate their commitment, the band offered him a million-dollar advance. His audition, acceptance into the band, and reaction to the offer were documented in "Some Kind of Monster", released in 2004.
33. Although he joined before the release of "St. Anger", the eighth studio album by "Metallica", in 2003, he does not play on the album itself. Producer Bob Rock recorded the bass parts, while Trujillo played on the accompanying rehearsal DVD and the subsequent tour.
34. On May 1, 2003, he performed his first show with "Metallica" at "San Quentin" prison in California. The band played ten songs for the inmates after visiting the prison to film the "St. Anger" video.
35. He primarily plays fingerstyle, although he occasionally uses a pick. His slap technique is particularly associated with "Infectious Grooves", while his low stance and "Crab Walk" have become trademarks of his performances with "Metallica".
36. Since joining "Metallica", he has become closely associated with "Warwick" basses, alongside instruments by "Tobias", "Fender", and others. His wife, artist and musician Chloé Trujillo, has decorated some of his instruments, including a bass with an Aztec-calendar-inspired design.
37. On September 12, 2008, "Metallica" released their ninth studio album, "Death Magnetic", his first studio album with the band. He received songwriting credits on all ten tracks, and the album topped the U.S. chart with approximately 490,000 copies sold in its first three days.
38. In 2009, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of "Metallica". Bassists Cliff Burton and Newsted were also included in the induction, and Trujillo and Newsted performed together onstage.
39. On May 22, 2010, he performed with "Metallica" at Ramat Gan Stadium during the "World Magnetic" tour. It was the band's third appearance in Israel and their first in the country with Trujillo.
40. In 2010, he helped the Pastorius family regain control of the "Bass of Doom", his hero's famous "Fender Jazz Bass". He financed its recovery from a legal dispute, seeking to keep the instrument accessible to the family.
41. In 2011, he played on "Lulu", the collaborative studio album by "Metallica" and Lou Reed. He later explained that working with Reed encouraged him to embrace noise, improvisation, and creative freedom without fearing mistakes.
42. In 2013, he returned to the stage with "Infectious Grooves", including an appearance at the "Metallica" festival "Orion Music + More". That year also saw the release of the concert film "Through the Never", in which he appears with the band.
43. In 2015, the documentary "JACO", which he co-produced, was released. Directed by Paul Marchand and Stephen Kijak, it explores Pastorius' life, playing, and struggles through interviews and material from the family archives.
44. In 2016, he played on "Hardwired... to Self-Destruct", the tenth studio album by "Metallica", which reached No. 1 in the United States. Unlike the previous album, he received no songwriting credits on the standard edition's tracks.
45. His son Tye Trujillo followed in his footsteps and became a bassist. In April 2017, at just 12 years old, he filled in for Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu at several "Korn" shows in South America. He later joined "Suicidal Tendencies", the band that had first brought his father to wider attention.
46. In 2022, he reunited with Ozzy on his 13th studio album, "Patient Number 9", which reached No. 3 in the United States and No. 2 in the United Kingdom. It renewed a musical connection dating back to the "Infectious Grooves" years.
47. On April 14, 2023, "Metallica" released their 11th studio album, "72 Seasons", which reached No. 2 in the United States. On "You Must Burn!", he contributed vocals to a "Metallica" album for the first time. His bass parts were played primarily on a five-string "Warwick" selected for the studio sessions.
48. In 2024, he contributed to Cantrell's fourth solo album, "I Want Blood". He played on "Vilified", "Off the Rails", and "It Comes", renewing a collaboration that began more than two decades earlier.
49. In July 2025, he performed with "Metallica" at "Back to the Beginning" in Birmingham, the farewell event for Ozzy and "Black Sabbath". For Trujillo, it brought him full circle to the music he had played as a teenager and the singer whose stage had been such an important part of his journey.
50. With more than 23 years in "Metallica" as of October 2026, he is the longest continuously serving bassist in the band's history. Alongside the stadium shows, he remains connected to funk, fusion, surfing, and friends from the scene where he started.
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