#34- MARK KNOPFLER

Mark Freuder Knopfler, OBE (born August 12, 1949, Glasgow, Scotland) is a British guitarist, singer, and songwriter. His vocal style is best described by the German phrase, Sprechgesang – not quite singing, not quite speaking. His use of guitar has been compared to adding another 'voice' to his songs.

He is best-known as the lead guitarist and vocalist for the band Dire Straits, but has also made albums as a solo performer and played in other bands (such as The Notting Hillbillies, Thin Lizzy). He has also performed on the work of other artists, including Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Steely Dan and the late Chet Atkins. He has produced albums for artists such as Tina Turner, Randy Newman, Bob Dylan and Emmylou Harris. In addition, he has scored the music to several films, including "Local Hero", "The Princess Bride", "Cal", "Last Exit to Brooklyn" and "Wag the Dog".

He is widely regarded as one of the best fingerstyle guitarists of the modern era. Knopfler was ranked #27 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time."

Early days
Mark Knopfler is the son of a Jewish architect whose communist sympathies forced him to flee the fascist regime in his native Hungary. When Mark was about nine years old, the family moved to Newcastle upon Tyne in the North-East of England. There, he and his younger brother David (also a musician) attended Gosforth Grammar School. He was inspired by his uncle Kingsley's harmonica and boogie-woogie piano playing. Later, in his teens, he wished to buy the expensive flamingo-pink Fender Stratocaster just like Hank Marvin's, but had to settle for a £50 twin pickup Höfner Super Solid. Like many other schoolboys of the 1960s, he served an early apprenticeship by forming and joining anonymous schoolboy bands and listening to guitarists such as Chet Atkins, Scotty Moore, Jimi Hendrix, Django Reinhardt and James Burton. At sixteen he made a local TV appearance as half of a harmony duo along with school-friend Sue Hercombe.

At school Knopfler had demonstrated a flair for English and in 1967 he studied journalism for a year at Harlow Technical College. At the end of the course he secured a job in Leeds as a junior reporter on the Yorkshire Evening Post. After two years he decided to further his studies and commenced a degree in English at Leeds University. He also worked as a lecturer at Loughton College during this period. It was whilst Knopfler was living in Leeds that he met a local blues singer/guitarist by the name of Steve Phillips.

He then moved (alone) to London and joined a band called "Brewer's Droop". One night while spending some time with friends, the only guitar available was an old acoustic with a badly warped neck that had been strung with extra-light strings to make it playable. Even with that, he found it impossible to play unless he finger-picked it. He said in a later interview: "That was where I found my 'voice' on guitar." Soon after he made his first record in a London studio: an unreleased demo of an original song, "Summer's Coming My Way."

Dire Straits

Dire Straits' first sessions were done with the name of Mark's earlier band called "Cafe Racers", but after a short time, with a new drummer and bass player they changed their name to Dire Straits, due to their poor financial situation at the time.

Dire Straits recorded and released their first, self-titled album in 1978 to little fanfare but five months later a single release, "Sultans of Swing" became a chart hit and album sales took off. The second album, "Communiqué", followed in 1979. The band's third album, "Making Movies" was released in 1980 and marked a move towards more complex arrangements and production which would continue for the remainder of the band's career.

In 1982 Dire Straits released their fourth album, "Love Over Gold". Around this time Mark Knopfler was also concentrating on other things, writing the music score for the film "Local Hero", released in 1983. This was followed by "Cal" in 1984. With the release of the "Love Over Gold" album there was a world tour called "Alchemy". A double LP of the recordings of two live shows in Hammersmith Odeon in London sold over 500,000 albums. Dire Straits' biggest hit was the band's fifth album, "Brothers in Arms", which became an international hit on its release in 1985, and spawned several chart singles including the number one hit "Money for Nothing", which was the first video ever to be played on MTV in Britain. The band's 1985-86 world tour was immensely successful.

After the Brothers In Arms tour Dire Straits went on a lengthy hiatus, with Knopfler concentrating on solo work, film soundtracks and work with The Notting Hillbillies. Dire Straits regrouped in 1990 for the release of their final original studio album, "On Every Street" in 1991. The album was released to a mixed critical reaction, regarded by some as an underwhelming follow up to "Brothers In Arms".

After "On Every Street" two live albums were released, the first of which, "On The Night", in 1993, documented Dire Straits' final tour. This was followed two years later by Live at the BBC.

Dire Straits' line-up changed over the band's career, and Knopfler was always the driving force behind the band. After expressing a desire to give up touring on a large scale, Mark Knopfler launched his solo career and quietly disbanded Dire Straits in 1995. The band's keyboardist, Guy Fletcher, has been associated with almost every piece of Knopfler's solo material following Dire Straits's dissolution.

However, in 2002 Mark Knopfler did four charity concerts with the band members John Illsley, Chris White, Danny Cummings and Guy Fletcher playing some old Dire Straits songs. The session also included The Notting Hillbillies.

After Dire Straits
In 1996, the year after Dire Straits officially disbanded, Knopfler released his first solo album "Golden Heart". Formed during the Golden Heart sessions, the main line-up of his solo band, also known as "The 96'ers", has lasted much longer than any Dire Straits line-up. In this same year, in August, "Brothers In Arms" was certified nine times platinum.

In 1997 Rolling Stone magazine released a poll: "Rock N' Roll Hall Of Fame's 500 Songs That Shaped Rock And Roll", which included "Sultans Of Swing", Dire Straits' first hit, which remained significant throughout their entire career as a band.

In 1997 Knopfler recorded the soundtrack for the movie "Wag The Dog". In October a hits collection of Dire Straits was released: "Sultans Of Swing: The Very Best Of Dire Straits".

Knopfler has also released four other solo albums since the dissolution of Dire Straits: "Golden Heart" (1996), "Sailing to Philadelphia" (2000), "The Ragpicker's Dream" (2002) and "Shangri-La", which was recorded at the Shangri-La Studio in Malibu, California in 2004 (the same place where The Band made recordings for "The Last Waltz"). In the promo for "Shangri-La" on his official website he said that his current line-up of Glenn Worf (bass), Guy Fletcher (keyboards), Chad Cromwell (drums), Richard Bennett (guitar) and Matt Rollings (piano) play Dire Straits songs better than Dire Straits did.

In late 2005 a third compilation, "The Best of Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler: Private Investigations" was released, and consisted of material from most of Dire Straits' studio albums and Knopfler's solo and soundtrack material.

Knopfler recorded an album of duets with country music singer Emmylou Harris, entitled "All the Roadrunning", which was released on April 24 2006. It reached #1 in Denmark and Switzerland, #2 in Norway and Sweden, #3 in Germany, Holland and Italy, #8 in Austria and UK, #9 in Spain, #17 in the United States (Billboard Top 200 Chart), #25 in Ireland and #41 in Australia.

Joined by Emmylou Harris, Knopfler supported All "the Roadrunning" with a successful world tour. Selections from the duo's June performance at the Gibson Ampitheatre were released as a CD/DVD package entitled Real Live Roadrunning on Nov. 14, 2006. In addition to several of the compositions that Harris and Knopfler recorded together in the studio, Real Live Roadrunning features solo hits from both members of the duo, as well as three tracks from Knopfler's days with Dire Straits.

Personal life
Knopfler used to live in the London district Notting Hill. During his time there, he formed a band named The Notting Hillbillies over a meal at a local wine bar.

Knopfler has been married three times. His second marriage gave him twin sons Benji and Joseph (born 1987); and his third marriage to actress Kitty Aldridge has given him daughters Isabella (born 1998) and Katya Rose (born 2003). The family currently lives in Chelsea, a neighborhood of London, England.

Knopfler's guitar classic "Going Home" from the soundtrack to Local Hero is used before kick off at Newcastle United's home matches at St. James' Park. Knopfler makes a few appearances at St. James's to watch his favourite side, and did a charity gig at Shearer's Bar at St. James' Park.

A keen motorcyclist, in March 2003 Knopfler was involved in a motorbike crash, suffering from a broken collarbone and six broken ribs. He recovered and was able to return to the stage in 2004.

Knopfler holds a degree in English from Leeds University, as well as an honorary music degree given to him by Newcastle University in 1993. In May 2006, Knopfler became a Doctor of Music (DMus) at Newcastle University.

Source: Wikipedia

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