Dick Dale (born Richard Anthony Monsour on 4 May 1937 in Boston, Massachuse… Read Full Bio ↴Dick Dale (born Richard Anthony Monsour on 4 May 1937 in Boston, Massachusetts; died 16 March 2019) was an American rock guitarist, known as The King of the Surf Guitar.

Dale is revered as one of the pioneers of surf rock and one of the most influential guitarists of the early 1960s. His technique influenced future guitarists such as Jimi Hendrix and Eddie Van Halen. He experimented with reverberation and made use of custom-made Fender amplifiers. Among Dale's most well-known songs are "Misirlou", "Surf Beat", and "Let's Go Trippin'". He also released music under Dick Dale & His Del-Tones.

Born Richard Anthony Mansour to a Lebanese father and a Polish mother, he soon learned to play the drums, the ukulele, and finally the guitar. Among his early musical influences was his uncle, an oud player performing belly dance music. A plethora of Dale's early material contains middle eastern musical influences. Dale's professional career began in 1959, playing with his band The Del-Tones for surfers at the Rendezvous Ballroom in Balboa, California. With authorities concerned about the mix of young people and guitars, one of the requirements at the Ballroom was that every male patron wear a tie, so the audience was often made up of barefooted guys in surfer garb wearing ties that were handed out at the door.

Dale is often credited as one of the first electric guitarist to employ exotic scales in his playing. When Dale started surfing he became so fascinated that he began seeking ways of channeling the energy and power of the sport through his guitar playing. While he is primarily known for introducing the use of guitar reverberation, which has since become a staple of the surf sound, it was Dale's fast staccato picking that was his trademark. Due to his left-handedness, Dale was initially forced to play a right-handed model. However, he did so without restringing the guitar, leading him to effectively play the guitar upside-down (while Hendrix would restring his guitar). Even after he acquired a proper left-handed guitar, Dale continued to use his reverse stringing.

Discography:
Albums:
1962 - Surfer's Choice (Deltone)
1963 - King of the Surf Guitar (Capitol)
1963 - Checkered Flag (Capitol)
1964 - Mr. Eliminator (Capitol)
1964 - Summer Surf (Capitol)
1965 - Rock Out With Dick Dale & His DelTones: Live At Ciro's (Capitol)
1983 - The Tigers Loose (Balboa)
1993 - Tribal Thunder (HighTone)
1994 - Unknown Territory
1996 - Calling Up Spirits (Beggars Banquet)
2001 - Spacial Disorientation

King Of The Surf Guitar
Dick Dale Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Listen to the king of the surf guitar
Listen to the king of the surf guitar
Listen, listen to the king

Oh how he can pluck those strings
Oh how he makes you sing
Listen, listen to the king

From Balboa to Anaheim
San Bernardino to Riverside
All the kids in all L.A.
Come to hear Dick Dale play

From Balboa to Anaheim
San Bernardino to Riverside
All the kids in all L.A.
Come to hear Dick Dale play

Listen to the king of the surf guitar
Listen to the king of the surf guitar
Listen, listen to the king

Come on and listen
Come on and listen
Come on and listen
Come on and listen
Come on and listen
Come on and listen
Come on and listen

Come on and listen
Come on and listen

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to “King of the Surf Guitar” by Dick Dale are a tribute to the artist’s legendary status in the surf music genre. The song begins by urging the listener to “Listen to the king of the surf guitar,” and repeats this line multiple times throughout the song. The singer marvels at how skillfully Dick Dale can “pluck those strings” and make his audience “sing.”

The second half of the song lists various cities and counties in Southern California, from Balboa to Riverside, where fans of surf music come to hear Dick Dale play. By naming specific locales, the song emphasizes the geographic reach of Dale’s influence and establishes his place as the reigning champion of surf guitar in the region. Overall, the lyrics underscore the strong connection between Dick Dale and the Southern California community that he belongs to and represents, as well as the power of music to bring people together.

Line by Line Meaning

Listen to the king of the surf guitar
Take heed of the great Dick Dale's expertise on the surf guitar

Oh how he can pluck those strings
Oh how masterfully he plucks the strings on his guitar

Oh how he makes you sing
Oh how his playing makes you want to sing along

From Balboa to Anaheim
From the Balboa Peninsula in Newport Beach, California, to Anaheim, a city inland

San Bernardino to Riverside
From San Bernardino, a city in the Inland Empire, to Riverside, California

All the kids in all L.A.
All the young people from across Los Angeles

Come to hear Dick Dale play
Come to listen to Dick Dale's incredible music

Come on and listen
Encourages the listener to join in and give attention to the king of the surf guitar

Contributed by Scarlett D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

Eugène de Rastignac

31w↑7

0:00 - Misirlou
2:15 - King of the Surf Guitar
4:20 - Let's Go Trippin'
6:33 - Surf Beat
9:33 - Summer Surf
12:11 - Shake 'n' Stomp
14:23 - Riders In the Sky
16:42 - Hava Nagila
18:49 - Secret Surfin' Spot
20:52 - The Wedge
22:52 - Tidal Wave
24:54 - Peppermint Man
27:18 - Surfing Drums
32:12 - Spanish Kiss
35:18 - Banzai Washout
37:34 - Jungle Fever
39:48 - A Run For Life
41:57 - Death of a Gremmie
44:43 - Surfin' Rebel
46:45 - Break Time