Dick Dale, "The King of the Surf Guitar", died a week ago on Saturday, March 16th. At the time of his death, he had tour
dates scheduled into November, 2019. He was 81 years old.
Dale was born Richard Anthony Monsour in Boston, Massachusetts, on May 4, 1937. He was of Lebanese descent from his father, James, and of Polish-Belarusian descent from his mother, Fern. He learned the piano when he was nine, was given a trumpet in seventh grade, and later acquired a ukulele (for $6 part exchange), after having become influenced by Hank Williams. The first song he played on it was Tennessee Waltz; a 1950 recording of the song by Patti Page would become a Top 40 Hit. He was also influenced by his uncle, who taught him how to play the tarabaki and the oud.
Dale was born Richard Anthony Monsour in Boston, Massachusetts, on May 4, 1937. He was of Lebanese descent from his father, James, and of Polish-Belarusian descent from his mother, Fern. He learned the piano when he was nine, was given a trumpet in seventh grade, and later acquired a ukulele (for $6 part exchange), after having become influenced by Hank Williams. The first song he played on it was Tennessee Waltz; a 1950 recording of the song by Patti Page would become a Top 40 Hit. He was also influenced by his uncle, who taught him how to play the tarabaki and the oud.
Dick Dale - 1970
photographer unknown
According to Fender (link below), while in the ukulele phase, Dale originally wanted to be a country singer; fortunately he graduated to the guitar which he bought from a friend for $8, paying him back on installments. He learned to play it, using a combination of styles incorporating both lead and rhythm styles, so that the guitar filled the place of drums. His early tarabaki drumming later influenced his guitar playing, particularly his rapid alternate picking technique. Dale referred to this as "the pulsation", noting all instruments he played derived from the tarabaki.
He was raised in Quincy, Massachusetts until he completed the eleventh grade at Quincy High School in 1954, when his father, a machinist, took a job working for Hughes Aircraft Company in the Southern California aerospace industry in El Segundo, California. Dale spent his senior year at and graduated from Washington Senior High School. He retained a strong interest in Arabic music, which later played a major role in his development of surf rock music. He learned to surf at the age of 17.
Dale did a cover of the 1927 Greek rebetiko / tsifteteli composition Miserlou which had been a big hit in the 40's; Dale updated it to a surf rock hit in the 60's and performed it on the Ed Sullivan show in 1963; he sings as well. Dick Dale and the Del-Tones also performed it in the 1963 film, A Swingin Affair (links below). The song was the opening for the 1994 Quentin Tarantino film, Pulp Fiction (link below).
Dick Dale and the Del-Tones also appeared in the 1964 film, Muscle Beach Party, with Stevie Wonder who was thirteen years old at the time and billed as "Little Stevie Wonder." Frankie Avalon, Annette Funicello and Don Rickles were also in the film.
He has been called the "Father of Heavy Metal". This is admirably demonstrated with videos of him performing Nitro during a broadcast on KEXP (link below), when he performed with Stevie Ray Vaughn in 1987. He influenced the The Beach Boys, The Cure, Eddie Van Halen and Jimi Hendrix, among others.
His interests spread far beyond music. He was a licensed pilot and had an air strip at his property in Wonder Valley. He recollected training under martial arts masters; speeding on a motorcycle at 170 mph and fearlessly going into the cages of tigers and lions.
However, he admitted playing a gig at Disneyland in 1998
made him a little nervous — he performed atop Space Mountain without a
safety harness.
Dick Dale and the Del-Tones also appeared in the 1964 film, Muscle Beach Party, with Stevie Wonder who was thirteen years old at the time and billed as "Little Stevie Wonder." Frankie Avalon, Annette Funicello and Don Rickles were also in the film.
Dick Dale & Stevie Wonder -1964
He has been called the "Father of Heavy Metal". This is admirably demonstrated with videos of him performing Nitro during a broadcast on KEXP (link below), when he performed with Stevie Ray Vaughn in 1987. He influenced the The Beach Boys, The Cure, Eddie Van Halen and Jimi Hendrix, among others.
Dick Dale - 1962
His interests spread far beyond music. He was a licensed pilot and had an air strip at his property in Wonder Valley. He recollected training under martial arts masters; speeding on a motorcycle at 170 mph and fearlessly going into the cages of tigers and lions.
Dick Dale astride his 1941 WLD 45 Flathead Harley-Davidson
date & photographer unknown
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