Dick Dale, the "king of the surf guitar", dies at 81

Dick Dale, guitarist pioneered surf-rock is dead at the age of 81 after a long struggle with various health problems, according to several media.

Dale is best known for the 1962 revolutionary, successful version of reverb "Misirlou", a traditional song from the Eastern Mediterranean, which was reintroduced to the world two decades later by the pulp Fiction film and soundtrack.

But his impact far exceeds the mere fact of being considered the first rock guitarist to use the melodies and scales of the Middle East and Eastern Europe in his music. Dale's staccato style is considered a considerable influence on future generations of musicians.

He has also played a decisive role in the evolution of the electric amplifier. After blowing, by his own admission, "about 50" Fender amplifiers, he prompted the company to increase the number of output transformers of its amps from 10-15 amps to 85 amps. "so loud?", says Dale The guitar. "I told him that when 100 people came to see me, that's fine. But when a theater fills 4,000 people, their body absorbs the bbad sound of the guitar that pbades through the amplifier. "

When Fender delivered the new amp, Dale was thrilled – temporarily. "When I connected this speaker to the Showman, it was like going from a bicycle to a Ferrari Testarossa. It was like cracking the atom! And then what happened, I started to play this "New modifications were made to Dale's specifications, which resulted in even more powerful amplifiers with two speakers and a three-tube system.

In recent years, Dale has suffered a myriad health problems – including two episodes of cancer of the rectum, kidney failure and damaged vertebrae – that would logically have had to end his touring career. However, he says that the cost of his treatment has forced him to stay on the road.

"I can not stop turning because I'm going to die, I'm going to die physically and literally," he said in an interview in 2015 with Pittsburgh City Paper. "I have to raise $ 3,000 a month to pay for the medical supplies I need to stay alive, and that adds to the insurance I pay."

In the same interview, Dale emphasized the positive aspects of his life: "I was told 20 years ago that I would not live very long, but I am here. [his wife] Lana and I live to give hope. We are like Johnny Appleseed, crossing the country and sowing the seeds of survival. "