Jason Newsted played bass on The Black Album during Metallica's 1990–1991 recording sessions.
Newsted had joined Metallica in 1986 after the death of bassist Cliff Burton. He remained the band's bassist when the group recorded its self-titled fifth album at One on One Recording Studios in Los Angeles.
His contribution was not limited to performance. Newsted wrote the main riff for “My Friend of Misery,” a track that was initially intended to be an instrumental. That song became one of the album's 12 tracks and gave Newsted a notable songwriting contribution within the band.
Newsted left Metallica in 2001. Robert Trujillo later became the band's bassist, so listeners sometimes associate him with later Metallica performances rather than with The Black Album itself. Cliff Burton had already died in 1986 and therefore did not participate in these sessions.