Fingers flying in scorching style as he played his left handed Fender guitar, musical trail blazer, the “King of the Surf Guitar,” Dick Dale, passed away last month (3/16) at age 81.
Dale practically invented surf music, paving the way for the early 60’s “Surf Music” craze, and then he became popular all over again when a new generation heard his version of “Miserlou” in Quentin Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction” (1994).
But it was Dale’s first hit, 1961’s “Let’s Go Trippin,'” that opened the door for groups such as The Chantays, The Pyramids, The Astronauts, The Surfaris and countless others.
Thank you, Dick Dale, from Boomers all over the world, who imagined themselves surfing the waves and basking in the sun as they listened to your one of a kind artistry. Your music has a permanent place in the soundtrack of our life.
We can honor Dick Dale by buying one of his albums from a “real” record store tomorrow, the annual “Record Store Day,” when record store aficionados do their thing.