Dick Dale, whose death was confirmed Sunday, manifested a quintessentially Southern California story, forged in surf, sand and rock ’n’ roll.
Guitarist Dick Dale attends the 2010 NAMM show at the Anaheim Convention Center on Jan. 14, 2010. The guitarist died Saturday at age 81.
Dale, who was 81, died Saturday after a long bout with rectal cancer, longtime friend and former bassist Steve Soest said Sunday. Dale was born Richard Anthony Monsour on May 4, 1937, in Boston to a father who had emigrated from Lebanon and a mother who was Polish Belarusian. Growing up in a Lebanese neighborhood in Quincy, Mass., outside of Boston, exposed him to the sounds of Arabic music, which became a signature of his musical amalgam.
In interviews he would often overstate his role in the development of Fender products, but he was an important early adopter of instruments and amplifiers that would change the sound and content of popular music beginning in the 1950s. Dale liked to consider himself one of Fender’s favorite guinea pigs, and he did push guitars and amplifiers to the limits in his live performances.
As a celebrity, he capitalized on quirky passions. At one point he kept live tigers at his Balboa Peninsula mansion, which had previously belonged to Gillette shaving company magnate King Gillette, and titled an early-’80s live album “The Tigers Loose.” That was his first album in 18 years after surf music fell out of favor in the mid-1960s with the rise of the Beatles, the British Invasion, psychedelic music and other genres.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Dick Dale, the king of surf guitar, dies at 81Dale's blistering fast, reverb-heavy assault revolutionized rock guitar and anchored the movie 'Pulp Fiction.'
Read more »
Dick Dale, King of Surf Guitar, 'Miserlou' composer, is deadLOS ANGELES (AP) — The man who earned the title King of the Surf Guitar has died at age 81. His former bassist Sam Bolle says Dick Dale passed away Saturday night. No other details were...
Read more »
‘Tricky Dick’ Review: The Sound and the FuryReview: CNN’s miniseries on President Nixon is the story of America’s most turbulent times
Read more »
Trump Jr. fires back at Dick Cheney over foreign policyDonald Trump Jr. lashed out at Dick Cheney for criticizing the Trump administration’s foreign policy at a private interview with Vice President Mike Pence over the weekend
Read more »
Dick Cheney reportedly confronts Mike Pence over Trump's foreign policyFormer Vice President Dick Cheney reportedly confronted Vice President Mike Pence about President Donald Trump's foreign policy at a gathering Saturday, according to The Washington Post.
Read more »
Washington Post: Dick Cheney confronts Pence about administration's foreign policyDick Cheney confronted Vice President Mike Pence about the Trump administration's foreign policy, the Washington Post reports
Read more »