Dick Dale, the pioneer of surf rock guitar who was best known for his 1962 hit “Misirlou,” has passed away at the age of 81.
He died on Saturday night, Dale’s live bassist, Sam Bolle, confirmed to the Guardian.
You’d be familiar with the song nowadays through the movie Pulp Fiction.
But it’s obvious his effect on popular guitar playing was felt far and wide and we’re fairly certain a lot of guitar players fell in love with his sound and will pay some proper tribute to a fallen hero.
Here’s what Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys had to say:
I’m sorry to hear about Dick Dale passing. Dick’s guitar playing was a big influence on all of us, and we covered “Misirlou” on our Surfin’ USA album in ‘63. Love & Mercy to Dick’s family. pic.twitter.com/QPd2wzo7zB
— Brian Wilson (@BrianWilsonLive) March 18, 2019
Here are some other tributes we’ve seen pouring in, too…
RIP Dick Dale. King Of The Surf Guitar.
— 🕉🇺🇦🟦Stevie Van Zandt☮️💙 (@StevieVanZandt) March 18, 2019
#DickDale died. He came to CA as a kid, impersonated Elvis in Hollywood, invented surf rock, played the electric guitar with a vigor no one had & played it louder than anyone (thx to L Fender). Lived w/ tigers, wrote killer songs, surfed good, rocked thru cancer. Helluva guy. pic.twitter.com/VFWiZuLPz1
— Ian S. Port (@iPORT) March 18, 2019
