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Dick Dale wasn't nicknamed "King of the Surf Guitar" for nothing: he pretty much invented the style single-handedly, and no
matter who copied or expanded upon his blueprint, he remained the fieriest, most technically gifted musician the genre ever
produced. Dale's pioneering use of Middle Eastern and Eastern European melodies (learned organically through his familial
heritage) was among the first in any genre of American popular music, and predated the teaching of such "exotic" scales in
guitar-shredder academies by two decades. The breakneck speed of his single-note staccato picking techn ...read more
Dick Dale wasn't nicknamed "King of the Surf Guitar" for nothing: he pretty much invented the style single-handedly, and no
matter who copied or expanded upon his blueprint, he remained the fieriest, most technically gifted musician the genre ever
produced. Dale's pioneering use of Middle Eastern and Eastern European melodies (learned organically through his familial
heritage) was among the first in any genre of American popular music, and predated the teaching of such "exotic" scales in
guitar-shredder academies by two decades. The breakneck speed of his single-note staccato picking technique was unrivalled
until it entered the repertoires of metal virtuosos like Eddie Van Halen, and his wild showmanship made an enormous
impression on the young Jimi Hendrix. But those aren't the only reasons Dale was once called the father of heavy metal.
Working closely with the Fender company, Dale continually pushed the limits of electric amplification technology, helping to
develop new equipment that was capable of producing the thick, clearly defined tones he heard in his head, at the previously
undreamed-of volumes he demanded. He also pioneered the use of portable reverb effects, creating a signature sonic texture
for surf instrumentals. And, if all that weren't enough, Dale managed to redefine his instrument while essentially playing it
upside-down and backwards -- he switched sides in order to play left-handed, but without re-stringing it (as Hendrix later
did).
Dick Dale was born Richard Monsour in Boston in 1937; his father was Lebanese, his mother Polish. As a child, he was exposed
to folk music from both cultures, which had an impact on his sense of melody and the ways string instruments could be
picked. He also heard lots of big band swing, and found his first musical hero in drummer Gene Krupa, who later wound up
influencing a percussive approach to guitar so intense that Dale regularly broke the heaviest-gauge strings available and
ground his picks down to nothing several times in the same song. He taught himself to play country songs on the ukulele, and
soon graduated to guitar, where he was also self-taught. His father encouraged him and offered career guidance, and in
1954, the family moved to Southern California. At the suggestion of a country DJ, Monsour adopted the stage name Dick
Dale, and began performing in local talent shows, where his budding interest in rockabilly made him a popular act. He recorded
a demo song, "Ooh-Whee Marie," for the local Del-Fi label, which was later released as a single on his father's new Del-Tone
imprint and distributed locally. During the late '50s, Dale also became an avid surfer, and soon set about finding ways to mimic
the surging sounds and feelings of the sport and the ocean on his guitar. He quickly developed a highly distinctive
instrumental sound, and found an enthusiastic, ready-made audience in his surfer friends. Dale began playing regular gigs at
the Rendezvous Ballroom, a once-defunct concert venue near Newport Beach, with his backing band the Del-Tones; as word
spread and gigs at other local halls followed, Dale became a wildly popular attraction, drawing 1,000s of fans to every
performance. In September 1961, Del-Tone released Dale's single "Let's Go Trippin'," which is generally acknowledged to be
the very first recorded surf instrumental.
"Let's Go Trippin'" was a huge local hit, and even charted nationally. Dale released a few more local singles, including "Jungle
Fever," "Miserlou," and "Surf Beat," and in 1962 issued his (and surf music's) first album, the groundbreaking Surfer's Choice,
on Del-Tone. Surfer's Choice sold like hotcakes around Southern California, which earned Dale a contract with Capitol Records
and national distribution for Surfer's Choice. Dale was featured in Life magazine in 1963, which led to appearances on The Ed
Sullivan Show and the Frankie/Annette film Beach Party; he also released the follow-up LP King of the Surf Guitar, and went
on to issue three more albums on Capitol through 1965. During that time, he developed a close working relationship with Leo
Fender, who kept engineering bigger and better sound systems in response to Dale's appetite for louder, more maniacally
energetic live performances.
Surf music became a national fad, with groups like the Beach Boys and Jan & Dean offering a vocal variant to complement the
wave of instrumental groups, all of which were indebted in some way to Dale. But in 1964, the British Invasion stole much of
surf's thunder, and Dale was dropped by Capitol in 1965. He remained a wildly popular local act, but in 1966, he was
diagnosed with rectal cancer, which forced him to temporarily retire from music. He beat the disease, however, and soon
began pursuing other interests: owning and caring for a variety of endangered animals, studying martial arts, designing his
parents' dream house, and learning to pilot planes. In 1979, a puncture wound suffered while surfing off Newport Beach led to
a pollution-related infection that nearly cost him his leg; Dale soon added environmental activist to his resumé. In addition to
all of that, Dale performed occasionally around Southern California throughout the '70s and '80s.
In 1986, Dale attempted to mount a comeback. He first recorded a benefit single for the UC-Irvine Medical Center's burn unit
(which had helped him recuperate from potentially serious injuries), and the following year appeared in the beach-movie
sendup Back to the Beach. The soundtrack featured a duet between Dale and Stevie Ray Vaughan on the Chantays' surf
staple "Pipeline," which was nominated for a Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental. In 1991, Dale did a guest spot on an album
by the San Francisco-based Psychefunkapus, and a successful Bay Area gig got him signed with Hightone Records. The album
Tribal Thunder was released in 1993, but Dale's comeback didn't get into full swing until, in 1994, "Miserlou" was chosen as
the opening theme to Quentin Tarantino's blockbuster film Pulp Fiction. "Miserlou" became synonymous with Pulp Fiction's
ultra-hip sense of style, and was soon licensed in countless commercials (as were several other Dale tracks). As a result,
Tribal Thunder and its 1994 follow-up Unknown Territory attracted lots of attention, earning positive reviews and surprisingly
strong sales. In 1996, he supported the Beggars Banquet album Calling Up Spirits by joining the normally punk- and ska.
oriented Warped Tour. Adding his wife and young drum-playing son to his band, Dale refocused on touring over the next few
years. He finally returned with a new CD in 2001, Spacial Disorientation, issued on the small Sin-Drome label. « hide |
Contributors: rockandmetaljunkie, Jimmy,
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