2: The man known as "the King of the Surf Guitar," DICK DALE. He launched surf rock in 1960 with his band, the Deltones. He described the surf sound in a 1963 article as "a heavy staccato sound on the lowkey guitar strings, with a heavy throbbing beat--like thunder, or waves breaking over you." It's also played loud and with plenty of reverb. DALE defined the California sound, and influenced The Ventures, The Beachboys, and Jan and Dean. He also influenced later groups like Sonic Youth. Now DALE has a new release with a scaled down Deltones, "Tribal Thunder," (Hightone Records).
Copyright 1993 Fresh Air