Glad to see Dick Dale mentioned. Dale was certainly not a great vocalist, but his guitar work is probably the best of all surf guitarists. Not just Misirlou but also his work on standards like Ghost Riders is amazing.
‘Night Owl’?
Maybe his best.
He was Lebanese and so the middle-east flavor to a lot of his music.
I’m with you. Dick Dale is the ‘benchmark’ for all surf music.
I am glad to see that he not only made the list, but made the top of the list.
He is usually forgotten, but not today.
Brian Wilson was greatly influenced by Dick Dale. In the early 60s, Brian would go and listen to Dick Dale when he played around the So Cal area. I really think the fact that Mr. Dale didn’t use vocals prevented him from being as widely known as the Beach Boys.
Love his music. On Miserlou, Dick Dale is the one playing the trumpet.
I was getting worried, going through the list, that he was going to be left out. Finding him at #1 made it ok by me.
Changing subjects slightly, I had a 45 of Wipe Out as a little kid in the 60s. I was glad to see that on the list.
Danced to dick dale riverside armory circa 1963. Good times. Don’t know how we danced t o his fast riffs.
Agree. I could pretty much limit the whole list to Dick Dale tunes.