Dick Dale (born Richard Anthony Monsour on May 4, 1937) is an American surf rock guitarist, known as The King of the Surf Guitar. He pioneered the surf music style, drawing on Middle-Eastern music scales and experimenting with reverberation. He worked closely with Fender to produce custom made amplifiers,including the first-ever 100-watt guitar amplifier. He pushed the limits of electric amplification technology, helping to develop new equipment that was capable of producing distorted, \"thick, clearly defined tones\" at \"previously undreamed-of volumes.\" The \"breakneck speed of his single-note staccato picking technique\" and showmanship with the guitar is considered a precursor to heavy metal music, influencing guitarists such as Jimi Hendrix and Eddie Van Halen.
Listen to the Best Music of:
Etta James, Billie Holiday, Bill Evans, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, Nina Simone, Muddy Waters, Django Reinhardt, Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis, James Brown, Chet Baker, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole, Duke Ellington, Elvis Presley, Count Basie, Herbie Hancock, Edith Piaf, Aretha Franklin, Charlie Parker, Lightnin' Hopkins, B.B. King, Thelonious Monk, Howlin' Wolf, Quincy Jones, Johnny Cash, Chuck Berry, Paul Anka, John Coltrane, John Lee Hooker, Coleman Hawkins, Robert Johnson, Dean Martin, Oscar Peterson, George Gershwin, Frank Sinatra, Hank Williams, Benny Goodman, Art Tatum, Joe Turner, Bing Crosby, Dave Brubeck, Mahalia Jackson, Fats Domino, Marvin Gaye, Bud Powell, Sonny Rollins, Tony Bennett... and many others!
