Dick Dale will bring “Miserlou” to the Marriott in downtown Riverside this weekend.
The “King of the Surf Guitar” is among more than a dozen performers at Rhythm Collision Weekend No. 6, an annual celebration of rockabilly and vintage cars.
According to organizer Alex Idzardi, the event harkens back to the heyday of surf music in the early ’60s, when Dick Dale & His Del-Tones frequently performed at weekend dances in the California National Guard armory in Riverside’s Fairmount Park.
It takes place Friday, Jan. 4, through Sunday, Jan. 6, in Marriott Riverside at the Convention Center.
Dale will perform at 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 5, according to his website.
Dale’s twangy instrumentals include “Miserlou,” the 1963 hit that gained new fame in 1994 on the soundtrack of the film “Pulp Fiction.”
Dale helped publicize the Fender Stratocaster, befriended guitar maker Leo Fender, and helped him perfect his amplifiers for a loud rock ‘n’ roll market. The electric guitar manufacturer has a factory in Corona.
Although Dale was a beach kid and is known for his gigs at Rendezvous Ballroom on the Balboa Peninsula, he had a big enough following in Riverside to open a nightclub there in 1969. He lives in Wonder Valley, near Twentynine Palms in San Bernardino County.
Idzardi hopes to revive the spirit with performers that include Vicky Tafoya & The Big Beat, the Rockin’ Rebels, the Rhythm Shakers, the Moon Dawgs, the Sun Demons, Eddie Clendening, Neil Morrow, the Moontones, Abby Girl, the Rayford Brothers, the Mighty Mojo Prophets and Joey and His Showmen.
Other highlights, according to Idzardi, include DJs spinning vinyl records, four halls filled with vendors selling vintage clothing and collectibles, giveaways of Gretsch electric guitars, and a car show on Saturday in the hotel’s parking structure.
Rhythm Collision coincides with the last weekend of the Festival of Lights at the nearby Mission Inn Hotel & Spa, meaning there will be a lot of activity around the Marriott.
Rhythm Collision Weekend No. 6
When: Friday through Sunday, Jan. 4-6
Where: Marriott Riverside at the Convention Center, 3400 Market St., Riverside
Tickets: $30, on sale at the event
Information: 951-784-8000
