Dick Dale at Respectable Street 6/13

All the hale, hearty Southern California sun and sea must have done Dick Dale good. At age 74, the guitar legend continues to go strong and tour, spreading the gospel of the nimble-fingered surf-rock style he pretty much invented. To this day, nothing says "Surf's up!" like reverb-drenched, quavering scales...

By Arielle Castillo

June 16, 2011

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All the hale, hearty Southern California sun and sea must have done Dick Dale good. At age 74, the guitar legend continues to go strong and tour, spreading the gospel of the nimble-fingered surf-rock style he pretty much invented. To this day, nothing says "Surf's up!" like reverb-drenched, quavering scales played with sharp, staccato picking — a sound that is all Dale's. His composition "Let's Go Trippin'" is credited as the first surf-rock song per se, and his later version of the traditional Greek song "Misirlou" became a mainstream smash that lives on in pop culture today. Fans will likely hear both at his tour stop in West Palm Beach. There, he's supported by 30-year-old acolyte Laramie Dean, a onetime South Florida resident and probably the artist most devoted to keeping Dale's style alive today.

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