Posted on 03/18/2019 7:34:25 AM PDT by AngelesCrestHighway
that Dale died Sunday. His bassist Sam Bolle confirmed Dale’s death tothe Guardian. No cause of death was revealed, but the guitarist reportedly suffered from health issues in recent years. In 2010, Dale said he was battling rectal cancer, and in an interview that went viral, Dale said in 2015 that “I can’t stop touring because I will die” due to medical expenses stemming from cancer treatment, diabetes and renal failure. “I have to raise $3,000 every month to pay for the medical supplies I need to stay alive, and that’s on top of the insurance that I pay for,” Dale said at the time. As the progenitor of the surf rock genre and an innovator who helped stretch the possibilities of the electric guitar, Dale inspired musicians like Jimi Hendrix, Eddie Van Halen, Ry Cooder and the Beach Boys. Dale’s “Miserlou” also notably featured in the opening credits sequence of Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction. Born Richard Monsour in Boston in 1937, Dale first played ukulele and then guitar as a child; Dale’s father, with Lebanese roots, taught his son the Middle Eastern scales that would later form the backbone of surf music.
(Excerpt) Read more at msn.com ...
We'll Never Hear the End of It--Dick Dale (1960)
When the Beatles were signing their record contract with Capitol Records, John Lennon said the biggest reason they wanted to be on Capitol was because they had Dick Dale.
RIP, King of the Surf Guitar.
I never managed to get to a live performance although he played Baltimore and Annapolis numerous times the past two decades. My wife did, however see him in the early ‘90’s and shot him at a local club where she was the house photographer. Last night she said she was going to have to dig through the thousands of negatives she kept and look for the shots. Around the same time, she also shot Danny Gatton at the same club. She found a couple of those and printed them out for me. Two Fender maestros.
Very glad I saw him both times!
Though known as the "King of the Surf Guitar" he actually was from the Boston Area and relocated to California after high school. RIP Mr. Dale.
Bummer
Jimi Hendrix, like Dale, would play his Stratocaster left-handed with the tuning upside-down. Eddie Van Halen would later cite Dale and surf music as one of his prime inspirations, with the Van Halen guitarist modeling his method on Dale’s quick-picking. Stevie Ray Vaughan, another disciple, would team with Dale on a cover of the Chantays’ surf classic “Pipeline” in 1986; the rendition would be nominated for Best Rock Instrumental Performance at the 1987 Grammys.
Aging myself here, I moved with my family to Los Angeles in 1961 from Washington State when my dad was hired by Lockheed in Burbank. Surf music was suddenly everywhere here in Southern California. Could not get enough.
Makes you wonder, how much money did he burn through over his career, when buying some appreciating assets like apartment buildings would have provided the income he needed for treatment. A lot of entertainers and athletes are in the same boat.
God rest his soul.
Very talented man
RIP
Close. His family moved for his father’s job. He graduated from George Washington High School in LA.
Dick Dale and Link Wray, two very cool guitarist.
I double checked. You are correct. I said “graduated”, I should have said “attended” high school in Boston area (Quincy). The family moved after his junior year.
Thanks for the added clarity.
I loved his music!
I was raised in Newport Beach and his house was right next to the body surfing spot The Wedge.
I never surfed the Wedge but I surfed other spots around it and whenever the waves were huge there and I’d go to watch the pros, Dale would come out of his house sometimes and talk to folks.
One time he had a garage sale and tons of people went to look at his stuff.
He was a great guitarist!
Ed
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