Dick Dale’s importance to the development of modern guitar playing is nothing short of monumental. Hailed as ‘The King of the Surf Guitar’, while the title is demonstrative of his eminence, it doesn’t account for the real significance of his triumphs. Adding to this, Dale’s timeless 1962 track ‘Miserlou’ is much more noteworthy than just the one that made Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction tick.
During the early 1960s, Dale was at the peak of his powers. His efforts were so groundbreaking that they would influence most of the leading acts in surf music, including The Beach Boys, The Trashmen and Jan and Dean. Notably, these artists would sometimes even include covers of Dale’s pieces in their albums. After this heady period, the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Pete Townshend and Eddie Van Halen would cite him as a defining influence on their craft.
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