Cliff graduated from Castro Valley High in 1980. After High School he went on to Trauma, a prominent Bay Area band noted for its impressive showmanship. Amidst the glamour and the theatrics of his fellow band members, Cliff was the one who stood out the most. Usually clad in bell bottoms, Cliff's on stage presence was marked by his constant headbanging and his wild, free flying red hair. He did record some demos with Trauma. One of those songs "Such A Shame," can be found on Metal Massacre 2. While Cliff's bass is prominent throughout the song, it fails to showcase his unique trademark style.

It wasn't long until a very young Metallica got wind of this upcoming bass player. Lars and James sought after Cliff at one of Trauma's gigs. After many months of pleas and phone calls, Cliff agreed to join Metallica. However, he would only join if the band would relocate to the San Francisco Bay Area. They agreed. He replaced old Metallica bassist, Ron McGovney. On stage, he brought to the band many great bass solos.

In 1986, the band play it's first concert togather in a few months because James injured his arm. After the show, they drew cards to see who would get which bunk on the bus and as luck would have it, Cliff drew the Ace of Spades and chose Kirk's bunk. Around dawn, the bus lost control and started to flip ejecting Cliff from the bus and pinning him under the bus. The driver claimed he hit some black ice but the police report stated that it was 37 degrees outside, and there was no mention of ice on the road.

His body was flown back to the United States. His funeral was held on October 7th, 1986 at Chapel Of The Valley in his hometown of Castro Valley, CA. He was cremated, and his ashes were spread at a place where he spent a lot of time at, the Maxwell Ranch.