Musician Dick Dale, known as the King of the Surf Guitar, died on Saturday, March 16, 2019. He was 81 years old.

Dale recorded the hit surf song “Misirlou” which achieved significant fame in the 1960s and was used in Pulp Fiction. A surfer and guitarist, he had a percussive style that produced thundering sound. His style was a blended influence of musical traditions from his mother’s Eastern European and father’s Lebanese heritages as well as big band drummer Gene Krupa.

Born Richard Monsour on May 4, 1937 in Boston, Dale moved to California when he was a teenager. He started learning musical instruments as a kid, picking up the piano, trumpet, ukulele, and drums. Once he bought a guitar, Dale started blending lead and rhythm styles so the guitar could also produce the drum’s percussion. His surf guitar was a musical expression of the ocean’s power, strength, and varying rhythm. Adding to the Middle Eastern influence from his parents, he experimented with reverberation, building a powerful sound.

Dale’s career started by playing in local country bars. His performances at the Rendezvous Ballroom in Balboa in 1961 are considered as the starting point of surf music. “Let’s Go Trippin’” was one of his earliest songs, followed by “Jungle Fever” and “Surf Beat.”

His fame exploded in 1963 after he played “Misirlou” on The Ed Sullivan Show. The song found a new generation of appreciators when it was used as the opening theme for Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 hit Pulp Fiction.

As part of the beach movie wave, Dale and the Del-Tones performed songs for the 1963 Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello movie, Beach Party. A year later he and the band performed on the Muscle Beach Party soundtrack and he appeared in Back to the Beach.

He also used his talents to help Fender produce custom made amplifiers, one of which was the first 100-watt guitar amplifier. The way he pushed electric amplification technology helped to develop new equipment that could produce louder guitar sound.

Dale had dealt with health issues for years, including fighting rectal cancer and renal failure, but despite his ailments, he continued to perform through pain and recovery.

Not only did he inspire his contemporaries like the Beach Boys, he also inspired music icons like Jimi Hendrix, The Cure, Eddie Van Halen, and later indie rockers.

He is survived by his wife and manager, Lana Dale, and son, Jimmy.