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Artist
Dick Dale & His Del-Tones
12+ albums
surf rockSurfrockclassic rockSoundtrack
about
Dick Dale & His Del-Tones also known as Dick Dale & The Del-Tones were a surf rock group from southern California, fronted by Dick Dale. Formed in the late 1950's it is considered one of the first (if not the first) surf bands. Dick Dale (Richard Anthony Monsour, Boston, Massachusetts, May 4, 1937 – March 16, 2019) was an American surf rock guitarist, singer and songwriter known as The King of the Surf Guitar. He pioneered and created what many call the surf music style, drawing on Middle-Eastern music scales and experimenting with reverberation. Dale worked closely with Fender to produce custom made amplifiers, including the first-ever 100-watt guitar amplifier. He pushed the limits of electric amplification technology, helping to develop new equipment that was capable of producing distorted, "thick, clearly defined tones" at "previously undreamed-of volumes." The "breakneck speed of his single-note staccato picking technique" and showmanship with the guitar is considered a precursor to heavy metal music, influencing guitarists such as Jimi Hendrix and Eddie Van Halen. Dale was born Richard Anthony Monsour in Boston, Massachusetts, on May 4, 1937. He was of Lebanese descent from his father and Polish-Belarusian descent from his mother. His grandparents farmed in Whitman, Massachusetts. Dale's family moved to Quincy, Massachusetts when Dale was very young. He learned to play music, starting with piano when he was nine. He first started playing the piano when he was you
