He liked to say that he, not the Beach Boys, invented surf music. Patriot Ledger rock critic Jay Miller remembers the music icon with Quincy roots as an independent and rebellious rocker who always put on a memorable show, despite health problems. "He was always no holds barred, a very fiery guitarist and quite a showman," Miller says.

QUINCY — Massachusetts native Dick Dale, known as the godfather of surf rock, has died, Dale’s agent confirmed on Sunday. He was 81.

The iconic guitar player, whose career bloomed in the early 1960s, gained widespread fame for his hit "Miserlou," which was later used by Quentin Tarantino as the opening song in his cult-classic movie "Pulp Fiction."

Dale was born Richard Anthony Monsour in May 1937 in South Boston. When he was young, his family moved to 58 Shea St. in Quincy Point, where he grew up. Dale attended Quincy public schools until switching coasts and moving to California in 1954. It was there, at the age of 17, that Dale learned to surf.

Dale was interested in music from an early age and was influenced by Middle Eastern music. Dale was part Lebanese and those musical influences were nurtured in Quincy, which had a large Lebanese community at the time.

He pioneered and created what many call the surf music style, drawing on Middle Eastern music scales and experimenting with reverberation for a signature "wet" sound. He became known as the King of the Surf Guitar. Dale was still playing concerts with dates scheduled this May.

Dale liked to say that he, not the Beach Boys, invented surf music. Some critics have said he was right.

An avid surfer, he began to build a devoted fan base across Los Angeles in the late 1950s and early 1960s with repeated appearances at Newport Beach's old Rendezvous Ballroom. It was there that he played "Miserlou" and other compositions at wall-rattling volume on a custom-made Fender Stratocaster guitar. Dale says he developed the style by trying to merge the sounds of crashing ocean waves with rockabilly melodies.

“When I die, it will not be in a rocking chair with a beer,” Dale told the Quincy Historical Society in 2004. “It will be onstage, with one big explosion and body parts.”

Dale didn't go out quite as he predicted. Scott Weiss of Atomic Music Group confirmed Dale died Saturday.

"A unique individual for sure. A sad day for rock 'n' roll," he said.

Patriot Ledger music writer Jay Miller, who interviewed Dale five or six times during his career, remembered Dale as an independent and rebellious musician who always put on a memorable show despite facing numerous health problems.

Dale had suffered from cancer at several points in his life including a colon cancer prognosis in 1964 at the height of his career that popped up again in 2008 and 2011.

"He was always no holds barred, a very guitarist and quite a showman," Miller said.

Every time Dale played the Boston area, his aunt and friend would bring a hometown cheering section, Miller said.

Chris Pahud, a folksinger with Quincy roots, had this to say on Facebook:

"He was proud to be from Quincy too! We had him come speak at the Quincy Historical Society back in May of 2005. He grew up in Quincy Point and told us he got the idea for his signature low E string descending staccato run from the sound of water dripping out of his ear after swimming at the beach there.

"He moved to California after his Junior year at Quincy High School. A real R&R original."

Dale shared many memories of growing up in Quincy. He told the historical society at the 2005 appearance that as a boy he was the third-chair trumpeter at Quincy Point Junior High – and he was rotten at it. He faked his way through band practice, mimicking the first-chair player’s fingers instead of learning the parts and practicing on his own.



Then one day he got caught.



“All of a sudden, I got a ruler in the side of my head,” Dale said.

In 2011, Dale told The Patriot Ledger that he had many fond memories of Quincy, including fishing for eels with his dad at the Fore River Bridge.

"I used to work at the old Thomas Bakery, and then as a pin-setter at the bowling alley. Good memories, lots of good memories," Dale said.

Material from The Associated Press was used in this report.