Place of Birth: San Francisco, California, USABirthday: 18 November 1962Bio: Kirk Lee Hammett is an American musician who has been the lead guitarist and a contributing songwriter for heavy metal band Metallica since 1983. Before joining Metallica he formed and named the band Exodus. In 2003, Hammett was ranked 11th on Rolling Stone\'s list of The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.