Dick Dale: A
Forgotten Father When most people are asked to think of who shaped the music that they listen to today (rock fans only please), they probably throw out such names as Jimi Hendrix, Elvis Presley, and the Beatles. I feel that another name should be made just as common an answer. That essential name is Dick Dale. Who is Dick Dale? I discovered the name, and more importantly the music, only a few years ago. I have since been amazed that a musician with such ability and creativity can go so unrecognized. Dale's ability ranks with or beyond the great players of rock and roll, and his career, at over four decades, spans far beyond that of any other artist who helped shape modern rock styles. A career as long as this has allowed Dale to have a considerable impact, even on others, who were simultaneously changing rock history in their own way. Jimi Hendrix was friends with Dale, and admitted to imitating his slide technique. If Jimi Hendrix, an absolute guitar legend, learned from Dick Dale, then why is Dale still not known? The single biggest reason Dale has been forgotten is probably because of his genre of music. Dick Dale is the "King of the Surf Guitar." Surf music found its popularity on the West Coast in the late 50s and early 60s. It has its own style and is mostly instrumental. This aspect coupled with the fact that surf music does not use the typical major and minor pentatonic scales native to rock music, are probably the major causes of its demise in popularity. Dale, however, continued to play this style of music; a style that was really his own. He also paved the way for other surf musicians such as the Ventures or the Surfaries. These bands are a slightly lighter version of Dale's surf-rock sound. Rock and roll is supposed to be all about the music. Once the love for the music is found other aspects of rock can be developed. These secondary agents are popularity, a fan base, albums and record deals, and image. Many of today's bands seem to be based more around just popularity. Many bands have one catchy tune, sign a record deal, sell out, and by the next year people are saying, "Who was that one band who did that one song?" These bands fail because they do not put the music first. Dick Dale is definitely about the music. He is a self-taught guitar player, who developed a very interesting style. When he was a child, Dale bought a right-handed instrument. He is, however, a lefty and not knowing any better, simply flip the guitar up side down (Douglass 4). This is how he learned to play and he continues to string his guitar like this fifty years later. Not only is he self-taught, and plays solely by ear, but he nearly single-handedly founded a new style of music. These musical abilities are not just limited to the guitar. Dale also plays the bass, the drums, and even the trumpet during shows, as well as a long list of other instruments, showing his true musical talent. Dale's guitar style also differs from others by using a double-picking technique, which is essentially hitting a string very fast to get one tone. Instead of picking the note once, it is struck several times. This gives Dale a very particular sound and feel of his music. Dale cares a great deal about the sound that he produces. He uses high volumes and high levels of reverb to produce the energy of his playing. He has said that he wants his guitar to sound like he is playing under water. This is the tone that is given by the high reverb levels. Dale pioneered this sound as well as another aspect of sound, the one that effects rock music today. Dick Dale invented LOUD. As Dick Dale began his career he played at a local club drawing few fans. This changed, however, to thousands. This is when Dale realized that his music needed to be louder. The sound that he was aiming for was only reaching the first thousand fans. Dale was acquainted with Leo Fender, the founder of the Fender Guitar Company. The two began to work on ways to make amplifiers more powerful, which in the early 60s was a new technology (Official Dick Dale Homepage). They ran amps through amps and created that loud sound that everyone expects today when they attend a rock concert. Dale has the secondary qualities of a good rock and roll artist as well. He has a dedicated fan base, who he jokes are the "Dickheads." He has the albums and the image and more and more the popularity. His music is featured in a current television advertisement for flatscreen TV and in various other places. The song "Miserlou," the theme of the Tarintino hit Pulp Fiction, was written by Dale in the late 60's when he was with his band the Del-Tones. He has played in odd places and for different audiences. At a show last year he told the audience at a concert about playing for royalty one time. This brings up another important fact about Dick Dale. He loves his job and he loves his fans. After shows Dale remains on stage and signs autographs for every fan who is interested. He constantly acknowledges his audience and has a very grassroots attitude. He keeps ticket prices low and plays many small venues, keeping the music personal to each and every fan. Dale knows that they love the music too. His cult-following never forgets his style and showmanship, and continue to come out to see him perform. There are so many other details that make Dick Dale a very fascinating figure in rock. He was the first rock style guitarist to perform on the Ed Sullivan Show, a gig which has been the maker of many bands. He was also the first artist to have two albums listed in the top ten at one time (Official Dick Dale Homepage). Dale was named the "father of heavy metal" because of the loudness and intensity that he first developed (Official Dick Dale Homepage). He uses enormously heavy strings on his guitar causing him to shred picks which he hands out to the audience mid way through a song. Dale also continues to give himself, still touring at over sixty years old, and his views to his fans. He does not have encores at his concert claiming that by leaving the stage and returning several minutes of music are lost. He simply stays on stage. With this much dedication, success, innovation, and pure love for his music, Dick Dale is a rock legend. Works Cited 1. The Official Dick Dale Homepage. Online. Internet. Availible www.dickdale.com 2. Douglass, Greg. The Dick Dale Anthology: Better Shred than Dead. Rhino Entertainment Company, 1997. Email: dougie_101@hotmail.com |