Dave Mustaine is an American-born guitarist, songwriter, singer, actor, and writer. He is widely regarded as one of the best guitarists of his generation and a pioneer of the thrash metal subgenre of heavy metal music. A former member of the heavy metal band “Metallica”, Dave Mustaine is best known as the founding member, lead guitarist, lead songwriter, and frontman of the heavy metal band “Megadeth”.
Dave Mustaine Bio
David Scott Mustaine was born on 13 September 1961 in La Mesa, California. His mother Emily (née David) is of German descent, while his father John Mustaine had a combination of French, Canadian, Irish and Finnish descent. Dave Mustaine was raised as a Jehovah’s Witness and continues to hold on to his Christian faith.
He left home as a teenager and joined his first real band “Panic” as lead guitarist in the 1970s. However, the band disintegrated later in 1981 after the tragic death of two of its members. Mustaine later switched to the heavy metal band Metallica, which consisted of drummer Lars Ulrich and singer/guitarist James Hetfield. However, he was dismissed in 1983, shortly before the band recorded their debut album, due to the unpredictable behavior on his part and severe alcohol and drug abuse. Mustaine then returned to live with his mother in California, where he had saved up enough money to move to Hollywood.
In Hollywood, Dave Mustaine formed his own heavy metal band called “Fallen Angels”, which later became the more popular band of today, “Megadeth”. Megadeth originally consisted of Mustaine, bassist David Ellefson, guitarist Greg Handevidt and drummer Dijon Carruthers. However, this line-up has changed several times over the years. The band has released numerous albums and several chart hits. In addition to their immense commercial success, the band has received worldwide reviews and Dave Mustaine is widely regarded as one of the best guitarists the world has ever known. Over the years, Dave and his Megadeth band have been known to stir up controversy, either through unobserved press releases or through the lyrics of their songs.
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In 2003, the guitarist suffered a career-threatening arm injury that led to the temporary disbanding of Megadeth. While he underwent physiotherapy to regain the use of his left hand, the multi-talented artist turned his attention to other aspects of music, including record production. He also managed to rebuild Megadeth in 2004, but some members of the band hesitated to return. The following year Mustaine launched the annual heavy metal music festival Gigantour as an alternative to Ozzy Osbourne’s Ozzfest.
In 2010, original Megadeth bassist David Ellefson finally reunited with the band, followed by a North American tour to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Megadeth’s hugely successful 1990 album Rust in Peace. After several nominations over the years, Megadeth finally received their first Grammy Award in 2017 for best metal performance for their 15th studio album Dystopia (2016). With millions of records sold around the world, Megadeth is currently considered one of the pioneers of the thrash metal sub-genre, and Dave Mustaine is the only band member to have been involved in all the band’s recordings since its inception.
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Dave Mustaine Wife
Just like his first-class music career, Dave Mustaine has also had good experiences on the home front. The talented musician is married to Pamela Anne Casselberry. The couple formed the bond of marriage in April 1991 in the early stages of Mustaine’s career. Well over two decades and two children later, the couple has remained together and is growing equally strongly. On February 11, 1992, they welcomed their first child, a son named Justis David Mustaine. The couple welcomed a second child, a daughter named Electra Nicole Mustaine, on January 28, 1998.
Son, Daughter
Interestingly, both children of Dave Mustaine followed their famous father’s path to show business. His son Justis David Mustaine is an actor and guitarist. He has taken part in a number of stage productions but did not dare to pursue an acting career on the big screen. Mustaine’s daughter Electra Mustaine is in turn a singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Unlike her metal-headed father, Electra Mustaine has ventured into country music.
Height and Other Body Measurements
Dave Mustaine stands at an impressive height of 6 feet (183 cm). He also has a fit physique with a bodyweight of 84 kg (185 lbs). Over the years, the Megadeth frontman has retained his red curly hair, which is one of his trademarks.
