By Jana Monji
Dick Dale was a pseudonym meant for a country music audience, but the man known by this moniker made his name as the king of the surf guitar. Born Richard Anthony Monsour (4 May 1937) in Boston, Dale died at the age of 81 on Sunday.
Growing up, he learned traditional Lebanese music from his father’s family and brought it to Southern California when his father found work at Hughes Aircraft. Dale also went to work at Hughes after graduating from Washington Senior High School, but his father encouraged his musical ambitions. Together they opened a the Rendezvous Ballroom in Balboa and Dale entertained his surfer friend.
His most famous hit was Miserlou, based on a traditional Mediterranean song and his upside down left-handed guitar playing influenced other musicians. Before interest in that song was revived by Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction in 1994, Dale and his Del-Tone had performed in the beach party movies with Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello.
Dale, like Freddie Mercury, are important ethnic Asians who made major contributions to pop/rock music but largely go unrecognized.
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