Dick Dale Remembered By Jack White, Beach Boys

Electric guitar pioneer Dick Dale died at the age of 81 over the weekend. Dale, who began developing his own styles of playing the guitar with a healthy amount of reverb in the 1960s, would go on to leave a legacy as a musician who certainly helped define the instrument which would lead the way in most pop music compositions over the next half-century.

As customary these days whenever someone famous moves on to the next stage of their journey, Dale’s fans and colleagues took to social media to share their thoughts on the legacy left by the ground-breaking guitarist. Rock guitarist Jack White and members of the Beach Boys were just a few high profile artists who shared thoughtful posts about the late guitarist in the days since his departure.

“It is saddening to hear of the passing of the incredible guitar player Dick Dale,” White shared in his personal post via Third Man Records‘ Instagram on Monday. “I spent many moments learning his massive reverbed guitar licks in my bedroom, and still enjoy playing his song ‘Nitro’ whenever I can. Sadly, I never got to meet him. A unique innovator of the guitar with pick melting style and swagger for miles. I can remember traveling up to Pontiac from Detroit by myself to watch him play when I was sixteen. That upside down gold sparkle Fender of his needs to be hung up some place special. Dick Dale, King Of The Surf Guitar.”

Former Beach Boys members Brian Wilson and Al Jardine also shared their thoughts and memories of their surf rock colleague.

“I’m sorry to hear about Dick Dale passing,” Wilson said in a statement posted to his Facebook on Sunday. “Dick’s guitar playing was a big influence on all of us, and we covered ‘Misirlou’ on our ‘Surfin’ USA’ album in ‘63.”

Jardine also added, “Dick Dale was an innovator. He helped Leo Fender develop a Fender amplifier with an 11 setting…lol. Carl and I enjoyed playing ‘Misirlou’, ‘Let’s Go Trippin” and other classics early in our career when we didn’t have enough songs to fill out a set. We played the Rendezvous Ballroom where Dick created the iconic surf sound that helped jump-start our career.”