Ronald J. McGovney (born November 2, 1962) is a semi-retired American musician, best known as the original bass guitarist in the heavy metal band Metallica from October 1981 to December 1982.

Having previously played with guitarist James Hetfield in the garage band Leather Charm, McGovney was a member of Metallica during its first year of gigging and appeared on their early demos before departing late in 1982. After a period of inactivity, he later played in the thrash metal band Phantasm.

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