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SurfGuitar101 Forums » The Shallow End »

Permalink A Dick Dale remembrance....

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I just got back a finished shadow box with Dick Dale material I've been collecting for a few years. It includes one of his picks and a guitar strap that he and his bass player Sam Bolle signed after his show last fall in Denver.

I took a Fender strap and a silver Sharpie to the show, and when I walked in Sam was standing at the reception desk chatting with the host. I have met him a few times before, and asked for his signature right there. He was happy to sign. I asked him if Dick was going to sign anything after the show, since i knew that in recent years it has become unusual for him to do that. Sam said he wasn't sure, but if I got ahold of him after the show he'd make sure Dick signed it. In case you don't know, Sam is a freakin' awesome bass player. Check his website. Sam Bolle

Right after the show I scooted over to the backstage entrance and found one of Dick's guys - told him that Sam had said Dick would sign the strap after the show (essentially true, since Sam wasn't visible...). The gent took it back, but re-appeared in a moment with it unsigned. He said "I need your name, Dick doesn't just sign stuff, he signs it TO someone." I gave him my name, and he was back with the strap in a minute with the signature. I was DELIGHTED!

A few months later, Dick was gone. It was his last show in Denver. I also took a stereo pocket digital recorder to the show and I have a decent recording of it as well.

In this photo the angle is awkward to avoid lights in the room reflecting off the glass - but this is all stuff he signed for me over the years. The strap HAD to be a Fender strap, as that's all he played.

We have lost one of the true greats.

image

It's easy to go the extra mile when you miss the last exit.

Last edited: Aug 02, 2019 19:17:36

Yay! I’m so glad you came here and posted, thanks! That is so cool.

Dan Izen

Daniel Deathtide

I noticed that in the past couple of years, Dick would play fewer tunes completely, but he would jump from one tune from another without a pause or hitch. That meant Sam Bolle and the drummer had to really be on their toes all night long. It was always a masterful tour through surf music and Dick's favorite show tunes such as House of the Rising Sun and Hey Bo Diddley. He kept using the drumsticks to play tunes on the bass while Sam did the fingering, but he dropped the trumpet pieces and playing a duet with the drummer on the same drums at the same time. His back was pretty bad for the last few years.

It's easy to go the extra mile when you miss the last exit.

That's a great case. Dick signed a truss rod cover for me when he was last in London which I've been meaning to display. I remember him signing it really carefully as it was so small. I sold the guitar soon afterwards, but kept the plate, it's a treasured memento of a very down to earth guitar legend.

Sam is an awesome person as well - very friendly approachable and entertaining. I met him at a Slacktone show in Livorno and months later he came up and said hello at the Dick Dale gig in London. I love watching him play.

http://thewaterboarders.bandcamp.com/

da-ron wrote:

That's a great case. Dick signed a truss rod cover for me when he was last in London which I've been meaning to display. I remember him signing it really carefully as it was so small. I sold the guitar soon afterwards, but kept the plate, it's a treasured memento of a very down to earth guitar legend.

Sam is an awesome person as well - very friendly approachable and entertaining. I met him at a Slacktone show in Livorno and months later he came up and said hello at the Dick Dale gig in London. I love watching him play.

I agree, Sam is very approachable and friendly. I have had the chance to speak with him 3-4 times, and it was always a good experience. He is also a pretty incredible bass player.

It's easy to go the extra mile when you miss the last exit.

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