5. Dale Pioneered Reverb
In addition to his amp innovations, Dale was one of the first to use reverb. At first, he implemented it into his arsenal to enhance his voice when performing live to add vibrato. But he eventually plugged his Strat into the reverb tank and found that it offered a “wetter” sound with more sustain. From that point forward, reverb became synonymous with surf music.
6. Dale Was Called the “Father of Heavy Metal”
Yes, Guitar Player once named Dale the progenitor of metal, with his breakneck speed and electric stage presence. The surf genre that Dale championed had a direct influence on another SoCal guitarist—Eddie Van Halen. The first song that Van Halen learned to play on electric guitar was “Walk Don’t Run” by surf legends the Ventures, and he was also known for hyper-fast picking like Dale. You can hear tinges of surf coursing through several Van Halen hits, like “Romeo Delight” and “Top Jimmy”, as well.
https://www.fender.com/articles/artists/the-father-of-surf-7-essential-dick-dale-facts/