Mark Knopfler

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Career

In 1977, Dire Straits' first demos were recorded in three sessions, with David Knopfler as the rhythm guitarist, John Illsley as bass guitarist, and Pick Withers as drummer. They released "Wild West End," "Sultans of Swing," "Down to the Waterline," "Sacred Loving" (a David Knopfler song) and "Water of Love" on July 27, 1977. "Southbound Again" and "Six Blade Knife" were later recorded by BBC Radio London, and then "Reality Girl" and "Setting Me Up" were released on demo tapes on November 9th. Many of these songs resemble Knopfler's time in Newcastle, Leeds, and London; "In The Gallery" was a tribute to a Leeds sculptor and painter named Harry Phillips (father of Steve Phillips); and "Eastbound Train" and "Down to the Waterline" were among Knopfler's early days in Newcastle; and "Life in the City" was a tribute to the city's early days.

The album Dire Straits gained little attention in the United Kingdom on its first release, but when "Sultans of Swing" was released as a single, it became a chart hit in the Netherlands, followed by Europe, then Canada, and eventually the United Kingdom, and eventually the United Kingdom. Communiqué, the group's second album, was released in 1979 by Jerry Wexler and Barry Beckett, who later followed it in 1979.

Making Movies, the group's third album, was released in 1980, and it went on to more complicated arrangements and production, which continued for the remainder of the company's career. Many of Mark Knopfler's most personal creations were included in the album, including "Romeo and Juliet" and "Tunnel of Love," two of which included "Romeo and Juliet."

After Making Movies, Dire Straits' personnel were subjected to frequent turnover, with Mark Knopfler, Illsley, and keyboard player Alan Clark as the only regular participants.

Love Over Gold, the studio album that followed, was released in 1982. The album's title track, "Private Investigations," "Industrial Disease," "It Never Rains," "Industrial Disease," "It Never Rains," and "Love Over Gold" were two of the tracks.

The band launched ExtendedancEPlay in early 1983, with Love Over Gold still on the charts. "Twisting by the Pool," the band's first recording (formerly of Rockpile and Man) appeared, this was the first effort by Terry Williams, who had replaced Pick Withers in November 1982. Love over Gold Tour, an eight-month tour, culminated in two sold-out concerts at Hammersmith Odeon in London on July 22 and 23. The double album Alchemy Live was released in March 1984, chronicling these last two live shows. It was also released in VHS video and ranked third in the UK Albums Chart, and in 2010 it was reissued in DVD and Blu-ray formats.

Knopfler was involved with other projects as well, including writing and directing the music score to the film Local Hero, which was a huge success, and his scores for the films Cal and Comfort and Joy were followed in 1984. During this period, Knopfler created Bob Dylan's Infidels album, as well as Knife by Aztec Camera. He also wrote the song "Private Dancer" for Tina Turner's comeback album of the same name. He appears on the album "Phil Everly" in 1983 and Cliff Richard's "She Means Nothing To Me."

Brothers in Arms, Dire Straits' fifth album, was released in May 1985 at Air Studios Montserrat. It's now a top-selling album in the United Kingdom, and has sold more than 30 million copies around the world. Several chart singles were born by Brothers in Arms, including the US # 1 hit "Money for Nothing," which was the first video seen on MTV in the United Kingdom. It was also one of the first DDD CDs to be released, and it was also credited for the introduction of the CD format. "So Far Away" and "Walk of Life" were among the album's hit songs. The band began performing in 1985-1986 on a worldwide tour of over 230 shows, which was extremely lucrative.

Dire Straits of the Brothers in Arms ceased to work together for a while, Knopfler's focus was mainly on film soundtracks. In the aftermath of the Zeebrugge ferry tragedy, Knopfler joined the charity group Ferry Aid on "Let It Be." The album reached No. 1 in the United States. In March 1987, no. 1 appeared on the UK singles chart. Knopfler produced the music score for the film The Princess Bride, which was released at the end of 1987.

Mark Knopfler appeared in The Easy Guitar Book Sketch with comedian Rowland Rivron and fellow British singers David Gilmour, Lemmy from Level 42 and Gary Moore, who appeared on the French and Saunders show. In an interview, Phil Taylor discussed Knopfler's guitar rig and managed to look like himself when performing in the skit.

Dire Straits returned to Wembley Stadium on June 11, 1988, in which they were the headline act, and Elton John and Eric Clapton were accompanied by Elton John and Eric Clapton, who by this time had established a strong relationship with Knopfler. Terry Williams, a drummer, left the band shortly after this. Mark Knopfler declared the official dissolution of Dire Straits in September 1988, saying he "needed a rest." Money for Nothing, a compilation album, was released in October 1988 and landed at number one in the United Kingdom.

Knopfler formed the Notting Hillbillies in 1989, a band at the other end of the commercial spectrum. It leaned heavily on American roots music – folk, blues, and country music. Guy Fletcher, a keyboardist, was among the band's members, as well as Brendan Croker and Steve Phillips. Paul Franklin was added to the pedal steel line-up for both the album and the tour. The Notting Hillbillies' sole studio album, Missing...Presumed Having a Good Time was released in 1990, and Knopfler followed the Notting Hillbillies for the remainder of the year. With his 1990s collaboration with Chet Atkins, Neck and Neck, which received three Grammy awards, he underlined his country music influences. With a small number of shows, the Hillbillies toured the United Kingdom in early 1990. In this low-key tour, the band packed out smaller venues such as Newcastle University.

Knopfler, John Illsley, and Alan Clark performed as Dire Straits at Knebworth in 1990, assisted by Eric Clapton, Ray Cooper, and guitarist Phil Palmer (who was at the time part of Eric Clapton's touring band) and manager Ed Bicknell decided to rename Dire Straits. Knopfler, Illsley, Alan Clark, and Guy Fletcher set about recording what would be their last studio album, alongside sidemen Phil Palmer, pedal steel guitarist Paul Franklin, percussionist Danny Cummings, and Toto drummer Jeff Poro.

In September 1991, Brothers in Arms' sequel was finally published. Any street was nowhere near as popular as its predecessor, and it came with mixed mixed feedback, with some commentators referring to the album as an underwhelming comeback after a six-year absence. Despite this, the album did well and debuted at No. 1 on the charts, with a top of the charts. In the United Kingdom, there is one on the nation's first. Session drummer Chris Whitten joined Dire Straits as they embarked on a grueling world tour with 300 shows in front of over 7.1 million ticket-buying supporters. This was supposed to be Dire Straits' last world tour; it was not as well received as the previous Brothers in Arms tour, and by this time, Mark Knopfler had enough of such large operations. "The last tour was absolute misery," Boss Ed Bicknell's manager said. It had passed, regardless of the fact that we had been part of it. "Personal relationships were in danger, and it put a tremendous strain on everybody, mentally and physically," John Illsley explained. We were changed by it." This brought the band's demise in 1995, which eventually resulted in the band's dissolution.

Knopfler took some time away from the music industry after the tour. He received an honorary music doctorate from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne in 1993. Two more Dire Straits albums were released, both live albums. Dire Straits' last world tour was chronicled on the Night, which was released in May 1993. Mark Knopfler dissolved Dire Straits and launched his career as a solo artist in 1995, shortly after the introduction of Live at the BBC (a contractual license to Vertigo Records). Later, Knopfler reported, "I put the thing to bed because I wanted to get back to some sort of reality." It's self-protection, not a survival thing. That kind of scale is dehumanizing." Knopfler would recover from the experience, which had an effect on his professional and personal life.

Knopfler has shown no interest in resurrecting the company after it was broken up of Dire Straits. However, keyboardist Guy Fletcher has been involved with almost every piece of Knopfler's solo work to date, while Danny Cummings has also performed on three of Knopfler's solo albums All the Roadrunning (with Emmylou Harris), Kill to Get Crimson, and Get Lucky. Knopfler rejected John Illsley's suggestion that the band should reform in October 2008. A reunion would be "fully up to Mark," Illsley said, although Knopfler was clearly enjoying his success as a solo artist. Knopfler replied, "Oh, I don't know if I should start getting all the stuff back together," and that Dire Straits' international fame in the 1980s "just got too big."

In 2018, the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Knopfler did not attend the induction ceremony, but remaining members John Illsley, Guy Fletcher, and Alan Clark were on hand to accept the award on behalf of the band. In November 2021, John Illsley wrote his autobiography My Life in Dire Straits, in which he says Knopfler has no interest in restoring Dire Straits. Knopfler appears on Cliff Richard's "Ps Please" on the Richard album Music by that time... In 2020, The Air That I Breathe was released.

Dire Straits is one of the world's most well-known rock bands, as well as one of the world's most commercially successful bands, with worldwide album sales of more than 120 million.

Golden Heart, Knopfler's first solo album, was released in March 1996. It featured "Darling Pretty," a British song. Knopfler's backing band, also known as The 96ers, were aided by the album's recording sessions. Guy Fletcher, Knopfler's old bandmate, appears on the keyboards. This band's main line-up has been around for much longer than any Dire Straits line-up. Knopfler played guitar on Ted Christopher's Dunblane massacre tribute album, Knockin' on Heaven's Door.

Knopfler made his first film score for Local Hero in 1983. Knopfler produced the soundtrack for the film Wag the Dog in 1997. The Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs That Changed Rock and Roll, which included "Sultans of Swing," Dire Straits' first hit, in the same year. Knopfler's next solo album, Sailing to Philadelphia, was released in 2000. This has been his best to date, perhaps due to the number of key contributors to the album, such as Van Morrison. Knopfler appeared at the Music for Montserrat festival in London on September 15, 1997, alongside artists including Sting, Phil Collins, Elton John, Eric Clapton, and Paul McCartney.

In 2002, Knopfler performed four charity concerts with former Dire Straits members John Illsley, Chris White, Danny Cummings, and Guy Fletcher, all performing old Dire Straits songs from the Dire Straits years. Brendan Croker and Steve Phillips appeared on both The Notting Hillbillies. They were joined by Jimmy Nail, who sang of Knopfler's 2002 album Why Aye Man, at these four concerts (three of the four were at the Shepherd's Bush, the fourth at Beaulieu on the south coast) on the south coast.

Knopfler's Dream, a 2002 compilation, was also released in 2002. He was involved in a motorbike accident in Grosvenor Road, Belgravia, in March 2003, and sustained a fractured collarbone, broken shoulder blade, and seven fractured ribs. The planned Ragpicker's Dream tour was postponed, but Knopfler recovered and returned to the stage in 2004 for his fourth album, Shangri-La.

Shangri-La was shot at the Shangri-La Studio in Malibu, California, in 2004, where the band had recorded years before for their documentary/movie, The Last Waltz. Glenn Worf (bass), Guy Fletcher (keyboards), Chad Cromwell (guitar), and Matt Rollings (piano) "play Dire Straits songs better than Dire Straits did," he said on his official website. For the first time, Knopfler was taken on by the Shangri-La tour to countries such as India and the UAE. His shows in Mumbai and Bangalore were well attended, with over 20,000 fans attending each performance.

Private Investigations: The Best of Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler Collection, 2005, was published in November, 2005, containing excerpts from most of Dire Straits' studio albums and Knopfler's solo and soundtrack recordings. The album came in two versions, as a single CD (with a grey front) and as a double CD (with the cover in blue), and it was well-received. All the Roadrunning, a duet with country music singer Emmylou Harris that was followed in 2006 by an album of duets of the same name, is the only currently unveiled track on the album.

All the Roadrunning reached No. 1 in April 2006. No. 1 in Denmark and Switzerland, No. 1. No. 2 in Norway and Sweden. No. 3 in Germany, The Netherlands, and Italy. No. 8 in Austria and the United Kingdom. No. 9 in Spain, No. 0 says No. No. 17 in the United States (Billboard Top 200 Chart) No. 179. In Ireland, there are 25 people, and no. In Australia, there are 41 people. At the 49th Grammy Awards (11 February 2007), the Roadrunning was nominated for "Best Folk Rock/Americana Album," but unfortunately, in defeat to Bob Dylan's nomination for Modern Times.

Emmylou Harris, Knopfler, was a tour guide on All the Roadrunning in Europe, 1 in Canada, and 8 in the United States, but a very popular tour of Europe and North America. On November 14, 2006, the pair's selections from the duo's appearance at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, California, were released on a DVD called Real Live Roadrunning. Real Live Roadrunning features solo hits from both members of the duo as well as three tracks from Knopfler's days as Dire Straits.

A charity fundraiser in 2007 went wrong: a Fender Stratocaster guitar signed by Knopfler, Clapton, Brian May, and Jimmy Page, which was supposed to be auctioned for £20,000 to raise funds for a children's hospice, was missing as a result. After being posted from London to Leicestershire, England, it vanished." Parcelforce, the company that was responsible, has decided to pay £15,000 for its loss.

On September 14, 2007 in Germany, 17 September in the United Kingdom, and 18 September in the United States, Knopfler's fifth solo studio album Kill to Get Crimson. To market the album, he appeared in a series of personal'showcases' in various European cities during the fall of 2007. In 2008, there was a tour of Europe and North America.

Knopfler started working on his upcoming studio album, titled Get Lucky, in September 2008, with longtime bandmate Guy Fletcher, who also created a photographic diary of the album's making. Knopfler subsequently undertook a lengthy tour through Europe and America, with the album launching on September 14th. The album had marginal success on the charts (much of it in Europe), peaking at No. 58. 1st in Norway, but in most European countries (Germany, Italy, The Netherlands) it is the most popular European countries. The album debuted at No. 1 in the United States. 2 on the Billboard European Album chart and at No. 2 and No. 1. Billboard's Billboard Rock Album chart ranks 5 on the Billboard Rock Album chart.

Knopfler's solo live shows can be described as relaxed—almost workmanlike. He uses very little stagecraft other than some lighting effects to enhance the music's dynamic. During live performances, he has been known to sip tea on stage. Richard Bennett, who has been on tour since 1996, has also participated in consuming tea with him on stage. The tea was rescheduled with whisky at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Vancouver, BC, on July 31 as a "last show of tour" kind of prank.

Knopfler gave an intimate solo performance at the Garrick Club in London in February 2009. Knopfler had recently joined the exclusive gentlemen's club for letters. Knopfler appeared on the EP Amerikana, Thomas Dolby's newest Thomas Dolby film in 2010. Knopfler performed on the track 17 Hills. Knopfler began working on his next solo album, Privateering, with Guy Fletcher in February 2011. Knopfler will take time out from recording his latest album to appear on a European tour with Bob Dylan between October and November, according to the artist's statement in July 2011. For an Amnesty International 50th Anniversary celebration record, Knopfler covered "Restless Farewell" by Bob Dylan.

Privateering, Knopfler's seventh solo album, was released on September 3, 2012. This was Knopfler's first double album solo release and featured 20 new songs. The Privateering tour of Europe followed in Spring/Summer 2013 after a second tour with Bob Dylan in the United States between October and November. In the United States, a short run of five shows were held. In September 2013, Knopfler co-produced his second studio album, this time in London's British Grove Studios. It was announced on September 16, 2014, that this new album would be called Tracker, and that it would be released in early 2015. For Spring/Summer 2015, European tour dates were also confirmed. In 2016, he collaborated with the Italian bluesman Zucchero Fornaciari, who appeared in Ci si arrende and Streets of Surrender (S.O.S.) (S.O.S. Black Cat is included in the collection.

A Mark Knopfler world tour in support of the new album was announced in November with the publication of Down the Road Wherever's Down the Road Wherever, 2018. Knopfler predicted that it would be his last one during interviews. On April 25, the tour began with a show in Barcelona, during which Knopfler announced to the live audience that this would be his last tour ever. However, this statement eased, implying that he will keep touring so much, boasting that he'd be unemployed and doesn't know what else to do.

Knopfler wrote the score for the musical adaptation of Local Hero, which featured new songs as well as adding lyrics to the original instrumental music, reuniting with Bill Forsyth.

Knopfler has made several contributions to country music in addition to his work in Dire Straits and solo. With Guy Fletcher, Brendan Croker, and Steve Phillips, he formed the Notting Hillbillies, a country-focused group formed in 1988. Missing The sole studio album of Notting Hillbillies has been missing since 1990, with the minor hit single "Your Own Sweet Way" appearing on the front page. Knopfler's relationship with Chet Atkins, Neck, and Neck, which was also published in 1990, underlined his country music influences. That collaboration, "Poor Boy Blues," peaked at No. 10. 92.

Knopfler's other contributions include writing and playing guitar on John Anderson's 1992 single "When It Comes to You" (from his album Seminole Wind). Mary Chapin Carpenter unveiled a back cover of the Dire Straits song The Bug in 1993. In 1996, Randy Travis released "Are We in Suffer Now," another one of Knopfler's hits, "Are We in Suffering Now." Knopfler's solo album "Darling Pretty" reached a peak of No. 58 in the same year. 87.

Knopfler appeared on George Jones' album "The Bradley Barn Sessions" in 1994, collaborating on the classic J.P. Richardson composition "White Lightnin." Kris Kristofferson's album The Austin Sessions (on the track "Please Don't Tell Me How The Story Ends) was released in 1999 by Atlantic Records.

Knopfler and Emmylou Harris created All the Roadrunning, a country album, as well as a live CD-DVD titled Real Live Roadrunning. Two singles from Knopfler also ranked on the Canadian country music singles chart. Knopfler contributed the song "Whoop De Doo" to Jimmy Buffett's Gulf and Western style album Taking the Weather with You in 2006. To Buffett's album Songs From St. Somewhere, he wrote and performed guitar on the song "Oldest Surfer on the Beach" in 2013.

Source

Honours and awards

• 1983 BRIT Award for Best British Group (with Dire Straits)
• 1986 Grammy Award for Best Rock Vocal Group (with Dire Straits) for "Money for Nothing"
• 1986 Grammy Award for Best Country Instrumental Performance (with Chet Atkins) for "Cosmic Square Dance"
• 1986 Juno Award for International Album of the Year (with Dire Straits) for Brothers in Arms
• 1986 BRIT Award for Best British Group (with Dire Straits)
• 1987 BRIT Award for Best British Album (with Dire Straits) for Brothers in Arms
• 1991 Grammy Award for Best Country Vocal Collaboration (with Chet Atkins) for "Poor Boy Blues"
• 1991 Grammy Award for Best Country Instrumental Performance (with Chet Atkins) for "So Soft, Your Goodbye"
• 1993 Honorary Doctor of Music from Newcastle University
• 1995 Honorary Doctor of Music from the University of Leeds
• 1999 OBE
• 2001 Masiakasaurus knopfleri, a species of dinosaur, was named in his honour
• 2003 Edison Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Music Industry
• 2007 Honorary Doctor of Music from the University of Sunderland
• 2009 Music Producers Guild Award for Best Studio for Knopfler's British Grove Studios
• 2009 ARPS Sound Fellowship
• 2009 PRS Music Heritage Award
• 2011 Steiger Award
• 2012 Ivor Novello Lifetime Achievement Award
• The asteroid 28151 Markknopfler is named after him.
• 2018 Dire Straits inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
• 2018 Living Legend Award Scottish Music Awards