- Born
- Died
- Birth nameRichard Anthony Monsour
- Nickname
- King of Surf Guitar
- Height6′ (1.83 m)
- Hailed as the "King of Surf Guitar, " Dick Dale virtually galvanized the surf rock sound in the 1950s. An avid surfer and accomplished musician, Dale and his band, 'Dick Dale and the Del-Tones', appeared in several of the ever-popular "Beach Party" teen flicks starring Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon during the 1960s. Although interest in surf rock waned in the 1970s, Dale has enjoyed a successful comeback during the 1990s, due in part to Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction (1994), which featured Dale's 1962 hit "Misirlou". Among his many awards and honors, Dale was inducted into the Hollywood Rock Walk of Fame in 1996 and was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by "L.A. Weekly" in June of 2000 for his contribution to music. Despite a heavy touring schedule that takes him through the US and around the world, Dale finds time to spend with his nine-year-old son, Jimmy, on the 80-acre family ranch in Twentynine Palms, California.
- IMDb mini biography by: Susan Marquez <smarq@pacbell.net>
- SpousesLana(? - March 16, 2019) (his death, 1 child)Jeannie Monsour (divorced, 1 child)
- His "Misirlou" instrumental cover version
- Fender Stratocaster guitar
- Fast, heavily Middle Eastern music influences in his guitar riffs
- In 2004 was on tour with his son Jimmy Dale, a 12 year old who can play some of his dad's lightning-fast guitar solos note for note
- Not to be confused with singer/saxophonist Dick Dale, a regular on The Lawrence Welk Show (1955) for many years.
- Voted #31 on Rolling Stones magazine's 2004 list of the top 100 greastest guitarists of all time.
- He was the son of Sophia "Fern" (Danksewicz) and James A. Monsour. His parents were born in Massachusetts, both of them to emigrant parents. His father's family was Lebanese/Syrian and his mother's Polish/Belarusian.
- Worked at Hughes Aircraft doing metallurgy.
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