Richard Anthony Monsour, known professionally as Dick Dale, was an American rock guitarist. He was a pioneer of surf music, drawing on Middle Eastern music scales and experimenting with reverb. Dale was known as "The King of the Surf Guitar", which was also the title of his second studio album.
Dale in 2013
Fender Showman, owned by Dick Dale
Dale performing in 2006
Surf music is a genre of rock music associated with surf culture, particularly as found in Southern California. It was especially popular from 1958 to 1964 in two major forms. The first is instrumental surf, distinguished by reverb-heavy electric guitars played to evoke the sound of crashing waves, largely pioneered by Dick Dale and the Del-Tones. The second is vocal surf, which took elements of the original surf sound and added vocal harmonies, a movement led by the Beach Boys.
1963 performance flyer, promoting surf musicians
The Beach Boys performing "I Get Around" in 1964
The 1932 Ford that appeared on the cover to the Beach Boys' album, Little Deuce Coupe from 1963