listen up all you young'ns

History can be unkind to the pioneers in any given field.?ÿ In our commercial society names get forgotten and those that paved the way for great things can fall into obscurity.?ÿ If I asked "who started surfer music" in the early '60s a lot of people would probably answer "Beach Boys".?ÿ But that's only vaguely half-correct.?ÿ

While the Beach Boys were still pondering puberty a young Californian surfer named Dick Dale was banging' on his electric guitar for party goers out on the sandy west coast beaches.?ÿ Dale forged a 'standard' with his unique style of music that was 100% American Surfer.?ÿ All those that followed (like the Beach Boys or Jan & Dean) were merely following suit. Don Wilson and Bob Bogle picked up on Dale's unique instrumental sound and made it big with their group "The Ventures".?ÿ?ÿBut make no mistake, Dick Dale was first...and he was King of the Surf Guitar.

This past weekend, at the age of 81, Dale slipped his earthly bonds. Let history be corrected and let's give credit where it's due.?ÿ Surfer music, its mystique and all the Beach Movies that followed were because of a crazy surfer guitarist named Dick Dale.?ÿ

Rest easy Dick, we won't let anybody forget who was really first.?ÿ