Kirk Lee Hammett is an American guitarist. He is best known as the lead guitarist for the band Metallica. He was ranked 11th on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the greatest guitarists of all time (he is no longer on the reissued 2011 list). He was a pupil of guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani.

Biography

He was born on November 18, 1962, in San Francisco. His father was an Irish sailor and his mother was a visitor from the Philippines. Hammett completed 11 grades at De Anza High School in the city of Richmond, California. He has an older brother, Rick, and a younger sister, Toni.

As a child, Hammett took a keen interest in his brother's music collection, which greatly influenced his decision to pursue the guitar. At the age of 15, he purchased his first electric guitar with money earned at Burger King. Hammett grew up influenced by bands such as Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Status Quo, The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Scorpions, and UFO. Jimi Hendrix was the biggest influence on his work.