Dick Dale, the father of surf music, just passed away. Know as the "king of the surf guitar", he pioneered and created what many call the surf music style, drawing on Middle-Eastern music scales and experimenting with reverberation. Dale worked closely with Fender to produce custom made amplifiers, including the first-ever 100-watt guitar amplifier. He pushed the limits of electric amplification technology, helping to develop new equipment that was capable of producing distorted, "thick, clearly defined tones" at "previously undreamed-of volumes." The "breakneck speed of his single-note staccato picking technique" and showmanship with the guitar is considered a precursor and influenced guitarists such as Jimi Hendrix and Eddie Van Halen.