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Two recent deaths of men with Boston roots
By adamg on Mon, 03/18/2019 - 4:37pm
Dick Dale, 81, the "King of the Surf Guitar" died Saturday in California, but he was a frequent performer at the Middle East in Cambridge (the above performance was from 2017).
Nicholas Agri recalls:
He would play the Middle East and joke about having to play shows to pay medical bills.
And as Vanyaland reports, he was born in Boston and grew up in Quincy before his father got a job in California and the family moved there.
Meanwhile, in Alaska, family and friends are mourning the loss of "Boston Dave," David Dzenawagis, 34, an avid snowboarder from Haines, Alaska, who died in an avalanche there on March 13.
Dzenawagis named his dog, Mickey, after his grandfather, a retired Boston police officer. Dzenawagis's mother, attended St. Mark's School in Dorchester, before moving to the Cape, where Dzenawagis grew up.
Mickey and Dave (source):
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Comments
He would play the Middle East
That wasn't a joke.
https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6663777/surf-guitar-legend-dick-...
RIP to a real Rock & Roll original.
PS: Still nothing about Asa Brebner on UHub?
WBCN use to announce a list
WBCN use to announce a list of bands playing in Boston every week and while the DJ would be reading the list of bands Dale’s guitar sounds would be playing as back up music.
Great Billboard article
Thanks for sharing it!
RIP
I heard he worked closely with Leo Fender on the first amplifiers Fender made. In addition to the man's own contribution to the-liberation-of-the-human-spirit-through jubilant sound that is rock, the former is also kinda a big deal.
Not sure about the first amps
Those were the Tweed amps like the Champ, Deluxe, and the Bassman. What Dale was responsible for, though, was asking for bigger and louder, with reverb. The Showman model amp is basically what Leo came up with for him. To the best of my knowledge, the Showman is essentially a Twin Reverb (85w, 4x6L6 power tubes, to be brief), just in a head, and the speaker cabs that came with it were either 1x15" or 2x15".
I never got the chance to see Dick Dale play, though I did, now regrettably, pass up some opportunities over the past several years. But the feedback, no pun intended, I'd always heard about his shows were, among other things, LOUD. The Showman is exactly that, especially if it's pushing as much air as a 2x15" cabinet would.
As you say, Dale's contribution here in his collaboration with Leo brought on the next generation of guitar amplification, which is truly a milestone in itself.
Sorry for the other guy
to, condolences
Dick Dale was a early snowboarder
They are probably having a great conversation about it, wherever they are.
D.D.
They share the same initials -- you can't get more Boston than those two letters!
How many of you young 'uns
How many of you young 'uns realize when you hear the original Misirlou it's Dick Dale? Probably all of u with Google. What an icon. Both Dale and the film.
First saw him in the early 90s
His first non-California gigs were at Johnny D's. He was just coming back and the gig was sponsored by a local "oldies" radio station. The crew cuts they sent were shrinking into their matching satin jackets as the room filled with black clad goths, black clad bikers, black clad hippies, black clad Berkeley School students and their black clad professors and a wide assortment of black clad metal headbangers and punks.
They had everyone get seated. Then came the Procession of Dick's Aunts, flanked by ushers, ears heavily protected. They were settled at the front of the stage.
Then Dick came out and blew the effing roof off!
His Spirit Soars with Eagles
Thank you for honoring the lives of these two great men with Boston roots.
Boston Dave's spirit soars with eagles over the mountainous terrain he loved so much. David loved life to the fullest, always positive and grateful. He loved nature and explored the wilderness with his loyal canine companion by his side. Being an avid splitboard enthusiast he is riding in heaven watching over his beloved Haine's Alaskan riding buddies. RIP
Great guy, great family, best supporters Dickheads!
I got to know Dick Dale in the late 1990's when the guitarist in our garage band introduced surf music into our repertoire.
Dick grew up in Quincy and was in Boston all the time. He was partially Lebanese and the traditional music of his ancestors came out in his music. The Boston City Council used to name it 'Dick Dale Day' when he would play concerts here, as noted above, usually at the middle east. He truly was amazing with the guitar, I think the best i've ever seen. He did work with Fender to try and get the huge, loud, in your face sound that he wanted. He played with Hendrix and others. He could play nearly every instrument, particularly the trumpet and drums.
I got to know his elderly aunt from Quincy who used to come and see him every time he played in the Boston area. Through her and just the friendliness of Dick we became acquaintances and we negotiated through 1999 to have him play our 'end of the millennium' house party in the South End. In the end I just didn't have the $25,000 that he wanted to play what would have been an epic night!
We stayed in touch and from time to time I would talk to him when he was on his ranch in California. He had exotic animals there like cougars or mountain lions. He would often talk and write songs about the plight of native Americans. He was a fixture in the Frankie and Annette Beach movies and even did a Vegas gig for awhile.
All in all an amazing person, incredibly approachable, and he just put on an amazing, amazing, show even in the basement of the middle east which was far superior to many big name acts I've seen at the Garden, Fenway, Foxboro, Great Woods, etc.
R.I.P.
Rest well, Dick and Dave
Got word of this from the Richmond County Archives (aka Andy from the Swirlies) Instagram.