Recently I had the honor of attending a master class held by another one of my musical heroes, Dick Dale. I've met Mr. Dale several times before, at NAMM shows and concerts, and he has always been kind and generous with his time. Here's a little bit about him.Dick Dale is an American surf rock guitarist, known as The King of the Surf Guitar.
Dale was a surfer and originally wanted his music to reflect the sounds he heard in his mind while surfing. While he is known for introducing the use of reverb that would give the guitar a "wet" sound, now a staple of surf music, it was Dale's staccato picking that was his trademark. Since Dale was left-handed he was initially forced to play a right-handed model, like Jimi Hendrix. His outrageous style on stage was an influence on the young Hendrix. However, he did so without restringing the guitar, instead playing the guitar upside-down (while Hendrix would restring his guitar); he often played by reaching over the fretboard rather than wrapping his fingers up from underneath. Even after he acquired a proper left-handed guitar, Dale continued to use his reverse stringing. Dale is noted for playing his percussive, heavy bending style while using extremely heavy gauge string sets. His desire to create a certain sound led him to push the limits of equipment: He experimented with reverberation and made use of custom made Fender amplifiers, including the first-ever 100-watt guitar amplifier.
Dale's 1961 song "Let's Go Trippin'" is often regarded as the first surf rock song. His first full-length album was Surfers' Choice in 1962. The album was picked up by Capitol Records and distributed nationally, and Dale soon began appearing on the Ed Sullivan Show, and in films where he played his signature single "Misirlou". He later stated, "I still remember the first night we played it ("Misirlou"). I changed the tempo, and just started cranking on that mother. And...it was eerie. The people came rising up off the floor, and they were chanting and stomping."
Though surf rock became nationally popular in the United States briefly, the British Invasion began to overtake the American charts in 1964. Though he continued performing live, Dale was soon set back by rectal cancer. In Jimi Hendrix's song "Third Stone from the Sun", the line "Then you'll never hear surf music again" was Hendrix's reaction upon hearing that Dale was battling cancer, intended to encourage his friend to recuperate. Dale, in gratitude, later covered this song as a tribute to Hendrix. Though he recovered, he retired from music for several years. In 1979, he almost lost a leg after being injured while swimming when a pollution-related infection made the mild injury much worse. As a result, Dale became an environmental activist and soon began performing again. He recorded a new album in 1986 and was nominated for a Grammy. In 1987 he appeared in the movie Back to the Beach, playing surf music and performing "Pipeline" with Stevie Ray Vaughan. The use of "Misirlou" in the 1994 Quentin Tarantino film Pulp Fiction gained him a new audience.
Dale says he has never used alcohol or drugs, and discourages use by band members and road crew. He has studied martial arts for 30 years. At age 74 he still puts on a physically energetic live show. In early 2008, Dick experienced a recurrence of cancer and is still undergoing treatment. Despite his health problems, he maintains a busy performance schedule.
Dale is associated with the Fender Stratocaster . Fender makes a signature model, the Dick Dale Custom Shop Stratocaster, fitted with "Custom Shop '54" pickups, which are supposed to recreate the sound of the first "Strats". Dick uses a reverb unit with the signal split between two Fender Dual Showman amps. As of 2010, Dale continues to play with his original reverb unit and Showman amps from the early 1960s.
Dale was a surfer and originally wanted his music to reflect the sounds he heard in his mind while surfing. While he is known for introducing the use of reverb that would give the guitar a "wet" sound, now a staple of surf music, it was Dale's staccato picking that was his trademark. Since Dale was left-handed he was initially forced to play a right-handed model, like Jimi Hendrix. His outrageous style on stage was an influence on the young Hendrix. However, he did so without restringing the guitar, instead playing the guitar upside-down (while Hendrix would restring his guitar); he often played by reaching over the fretboard rather than wrapping his fingers up from underneath. Even after he acquired a proper left-handed guitar, Dale continued to use his reverse stringing. Dale is noted for playing his percussive, heavy bending style while using extremely heavy gauge string sets. His desire to create a certain sound led him to push the limits of equipment: He experimented with reverberation and made use of custom made Fender amplifiers, including the first-ever 100-watt guitar amplifier.
Dale's 1961 song "Let's Go Trippin'" is often regarded as the first surf rock song. His first full-length album was Surfers' Choice in 1962. The album was picked up by Capitol Records and distributed nationally, and Dale soon began appearing on the Ed Sullivan Show, and in films where he played his signature single "Misirlou". He later stated, "I still remember the first night we played it ("Misirlou"). I changed the tempo, and just started cranking on that mother. And...it was eerie. The people came rising up off the floor, and they were chanting and stomping."
Though surf rock became nationally popular in the United States briefly, the British Invasion began to overtake the American charts in 1964. Though he continued performing live, Dale was soon set back by rectal cancer. In Jimi Hendrix's song "Third Stone from the Sun", the line "Then you'll never hear surf music again" was Hendrix's reaction upon hearing that Dale was battling cancer, intended to encourage his friend to recuperate. Dale, in gratitude, later covered this song as a tribute to Hendrix. Though he recovered, he retired from music for several years. In 1979, he almost lost a leg after being injured while swimming when a pollution-related infection made the mild injury much worse. As a result, Dale became an environmental activist and soon began performing again. He recorded a new album in 1986 and was nominated for a Grammy. In 1987 he appeared in the movie Back to the Beach, playing surf music and performing "Pipeline" with Stevie Ray Vaughan. The use of "Misirlou" in the 1994 Quentin Tarantino film Pulp Fiction gained him a new audience.
Dale says he has never used alcohol or drugs, and discourages use by band members and road crew. He has studied martial arts for 30 years. At age 74 he still puts on a physically energetic live show. In early 2008, Dick experienced a recurrence of cancer and is still undergoing treatment. Despite his health problems, he maintains a busy performance schedule.
Dale is associated with the Fender Stratocaster . Fender makes a signature model, the Dick Dale Custom Shop Stratocaster, fitted with "Custom Shop '54" pickups, which are supposed to recreate the sound of the first "Strats". Dick uses a reverb unit with the signal split between two Fender Dual Showman amps. As of 2010, Dale continues to play with his original reverb unit and Showman amps from the early 1960s.
Here's a a link to video of me playing rhythm guitar for Dick Dale at the master class I attended. A thrill for me.
Dick Dale is the King of Surf Guitar and American Icon.
No comments:
Post a Comment