Line #35 Music/DickDale


1	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dale_1626.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:300:That's his backyard, by the way.]]He was born Richard Anthony Monsour on May 4, 1937, but the rest of the world knows him as Dick Dale, the King Of The Surf Guitar. He was largely credited for kickstarting the SurfRock movement singlehandedly, and in fact, "Let's Go Trippin'," released in 1961, is perhaps the first surf instrumental in rock history. Dick was one of the most powerful guitar players of his time, responsible for various innovations in rock, such as introducing the use of reverb to create a "wet" sound.
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4	He's also known for his staccato, rapid-fire style of playing (referred to by guitarists as "tremolo picking"), which lead him to break the heaviest guitar strings on the market at the time. In fact, his playing was so intense that Fender made custom amplifiers for him, including the first 100 watt amp. For these and other reasons, Dick wound up being a huge influence on Music/JimiHendrix. Interestingly, Dick was left-handed, and managed to pave all this new ground while playing his guitar upside-down ''without restringing it'', which even the fellow leftie Hendrix couldn't boast.
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6	For a number of reasons, Dale's music ended up being influential enough on HeavyMetal that some commentators have, in all seriousness, referred to him as the Father of Heavy Metal. Part of this was his connection to the development of the amplifier and electric guitar; part of it was due to his showmanship and the intensity (and loudness) of his performances; the technique of tremolo picking, which he popularised, also wound up being ubiquitous in metal music, particularly ThrashMetal and BlackMetal. Dale also played a major role in popularising the usage of Middle Eastern scales in rock music.[[note]]He credited an uncle of his who was an oud player for getting him interested in music. According to legend, his choice to cover 'Misirlou' came from a bet that he could play a song on one string, which stirred a memory of his uncle playing the song in such a manner.[[/note]]
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8	His heyday was in the 1960s, prior to UsefulNotes/TheBritishInvasion. However, Dick also managed a resurgence in popularity when one of his signature tunes, the cover of "Misirlou", was featured on the soundtrack for ''Film/PulpFiction''. He's also responsible for the soundtrack to ''VideoGame/RocketJockey''.
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10	Dick Dale was also an environmental activist, stemming from when he almost lost a leg due to an injury from swimming, made worse by a pollution infection.
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12	Dale's home was Twentynine Palms, California, and he performed well into his seventies, notably with his son, Jimmy Dale, on the drums. Sadly, Dick Dale left this Earth on the night of March 16th, 2019, to ride that big wave in the sky.
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14	'''Albums'''
15	* ''Music/SurfersChoice'' (1962)
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17	----
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19	!!LET'S! GO! TROPIN'!
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21	* AsHimself: ''Film/BackToTheBeach'' [[invoked]]
22	* CarSong : "The Scavenger", "Grudge Match".
23	* {{Determinator}}: Once said he couldn't stop touring because he'd literally die, and that sadly was NotHyperbole; due to numerous health problems, he needed touring income to pay for whatever his health insurance wouldn't cover. Fortunately, he was able to keep going until the ripe old age of 81.
24	* DrugsAreBad: He not only abstained from drugs, but also discouraged his crew as well.
25	* FutureMusic: Collaborating with composer Aarin Richard and ride producer Eddie Sotto, he provided [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3ypNd0cod4&feature=channel&list=UL the theme music]] for [[Ride/DisneyThemeParks Disneyland's]] ride ''Ride/SpaceMountain''. This piece was used from 1996 to 2003 (when the ride was closed for remodeling; after it reopened in 2005, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTfK4snGyf0&feature=channel&list=UL a new, more symphonic piece]] by Creator/MichaelGiacchino was used).
26	* GreatestHitsAlbum: A career spanning over ''five decades'' is bound to build up a significant amount. The single-disc ''King of the Surf Guitar: The Best of Dick Dale'' is a critical favorite, but if that isn't enough for you, there's also the double-disc set ''Better Shred Than Dead: The Dick Dale Anthology'' which one-ups many others by covering his 90s comeback on top of his peak years.
27	* {{Instrumental}}: "Misirlou" and "Let's Go Trippin'" are particularly famous examples, though there are plenty more of these in his repertoire. Dick wasn't much for singing.
28	* PunctuatedForEmphasis: The start of "Let's Go Trippin'".
29	* {{Sampling}}: He was ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTnV_ExKicw not]]'' happy about Music/TheBlackEyedPeas using "Misirlou" for "Pump It".
30	* SequelSong: "Miserlou ''Twist''." [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmcK4EnVunI It's "Miserlou" with strings!]]
31	* SurferDude: As the poster boy for the SurfRock genre, this is an obvious title.
32	* SurfRock: The TropeMaker, or at the very least, the TropeCodifier and GenrePopularizer for the first wave, if you'll pardon the pun. (Music/TheBeachBoys naturally codified and popularized the second wave.)
33	* UrExample: In some ways, he qualifies as one for HeavyMetal. See his biography above for more about this.

Context Music / DickDale