Dick Dale, born Richard Anthony Monsour (1937-2019), was known as The King of the Surf Guitar. Starting in 1961, he played at surfer dances at the Rendezvous Ballroom in Balboa, California, to audiences of up to 3000 people. He was also known as the Father of Heavy Metal because he used loud amplifiers and heavy-gauge strings. The Fender company created a special amplifier for him so that he could play louder than his audience's screaming.
Dale never made a significant impact on the pop charts, which to me seems to be a tragedy. "Let's Go Trippin'" was the only song to make any headway on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching #60.
His music reached a new audience when his version of "Misirlou" was used on the soundtrack to the movie Pulp Fiction. In his later years, he was inducted into various halls of fame but had to continue touring, as this was the only way that he could pay his medical bills.
Created February 5, 2026.