The ‘King of the Surf Guitar’

Gay Wassall-Kelly

Dick Dale, “King of the Surf Guitar,” was a self-taught guitarist --

a lefty playing a right-handed guitar upside down. He mastered almost

every instrument and he knew how to sing.

He moved to California in 1954, immediately finding the perfect

surfing spot, the tip of Balboa Peninsula -- the Wedge. By 1959, only

five years out of high school, he began performing locally and

drawing notoriety. With his growing popularity, he added a few

musicians and tagged them the “Del-Tones,” which by then attracted

standing-room only audiences. Dale asked the owners of Balboa’s

Rendezvous Ballroom (Oceanfront and Washington Street) if he could

use their building for dances.

Over in the Rendezvous, times were changing. The “Big Band Era”

that had filled the huge hardwood floor ballroom with twirling skirts

and leather shoes since the late ‘20s was experiencing a decline in

attendance. The Rendezvous was even closed in 1957 by the Newport

Beach City Council after a brief attempt to stage “dreadful” rock ‘n’

roll shows.

Dale wasn’t welcomed to the Rendezvous with open arms. The owners

wanted to make sure Dale and his band were not going to put on any of

that “horrible” rock ‘n’ roll. Dale had strict rules he was required

to follow: no alcohol sold or consumed on the premises, and a strict

dress code -- no short pants-boys or Capri slacks-girls.

Dale’s opening night -- July 1, 1961 -- brought only 17 of his

fellow surfer friends, but within months, he was playing to sellout

crowds. Dale’s left-handed guitar, heavy-strung Fender Stratocaster

was the big draw as he played with such intensity that guitar maker

Leo Fender once remarked, “Anything that will withstand Dick Dale is

good enough to put on the market!”

Accompanied by the Del-Tones, Dale led the “stomping” surfers

wildly through their fiery dances. During off months, he opened up

the Del-Tone Record Shop across from the Rendezvous. He sold records,

repaired phonographs and gave guitar lessons. In 1963, he appeared on

the “Ed Sullivan Show.”

Between the years 1962 and 1965, Dick Dale & The Del-Tones

recorded six albums. “Surfer’s Choice” was at the top of the list

with all of the top five numbers on Wallich’s Music City’s hit

parade. “Let’s go Tripping” and “Misirlou” exemplified the sound Dale

could legitimately call his own.

Rock ‘n’ Roll led by the Beatles in 1964 rushed in, sending “surf

music” out with the tide. By December 1961, Dale and his Del-Tones

were all but out of the Rendezvous, but that didn’t stop them. They

performed at clubs and played small towns for a few years, even

settling in Las Vegas to do nightclub work.

In 1976, the King Gillette -- inventor of the disposable razor

blade -- mansion sported a “For Sale” sign. Remember, this is the

1926 landmark mansion that Dale as a young kid had gazed at loads of

times while surfing the “Wedge.” He couldn’t act fast enough. Dale

sold some of his clubs and bought the house. He wanted to restore the

mansion like a “miniature Hearst Castle.” He loved animals and shared

the mansion with Bengal tigers, a jaguar and exotic birds.

Dwayne Kinsfather of Balboa and Costa Mesa laughingly said, “Dale

used to invite the sea lions into the house to play!”

Sadly, Dale lost his dream house in 1986.

Most never knew the severe health and money problems Dale endured

through the years. He always picked himself up, never complained and

by no means took “no” for an answer. Dale is a “living legend.” The

music he recorded was an expression of the surfing lifestyle of the

‘60s and became an anthem to the locals caught up in the craze.

Friends say Dale is living in Twentynine Palms, happily married

and boasting about being a daddy. He has never stopped performing and

continues to tour extensively throughout the U.S. and Europe.

If the Rendezvous were standing today, Dick Dale and the

Del-Tones’ surfing sounds would dominate.

* GAY WASSALL-KELLY is the editor of a Balboa newspaper and is

active in the community.