The Guardian broke the news having received confirmation from Dale's live bassist, Sam Bolle. He relayed that the surf rock pioneer passed away on March 16.
Dale was born Richard Anthony Monsour in Boston, Massachusetts on May 4, 1937. He's credited with creating the surf rock style and was one of the first guitarists to use reverb. He was also well known for his staccato picking technique, which it's said went on to influence and shape heavy metal music, and his 1962 single Misirlou — which Quentin Tarantino used in his 1994 film Pulp Fiction.
Because of his unique style and desire to push genre boundaries and the limitations of equipment, Dale worked with Leo Fender to develop amplifiers that could withstand his rigorous guitar playing.
Since the news of his death, numerous tributes to Dale have appeared online, including messages from the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson and Fender.
I’m sorry to hear about Dick Dale passing. Dick’s guitar playing was a big influence on all of us, and we covered “Misirlou” on our Surfin’ USA album in ‘63. Love & Mercy to Dick’s family. pic.twitter.com/QPd2wzo7zB
We don't run any advertising! Our editorial content is solely funded by lovely people like yourself using Stereoboard's listings when buying tickets for live events. To keep supporting us, next time you're looking for concert, festival, sport or theatre tickets, please search for "Stereoboard". It costs you nothing, you may find a better price than the usual outlets, and save yourself from waiting in an endless queue on Friday mornings as we list ALL available sellers!
