Mark Knopfler

Mark Knopfler (born August 12, 1949, Glasgow, Scotland) is a Scottish guitarist and singer-songwriter, widely known as the front man of the British rock group Dire Straits and later as a successful writer of film soundtracks and as a solo artist. Knopfler is exceptionally skilled on the guitar, celebrated in particular for his trademark fingerstyle technique and distinctive sound. As a songwriter, he is regarded for his unique blend of folk, roots, pub rock, and country music.

Knopfler developed an interest in music at an early age and was especially influenced by his uncle, who played piano and harmonica. In the early 1960s, while living in Newcastle upon Tyne, he learned to play the guitar, and in 1965, as part of a duo, he performed on local television. In 1967 Knopfler went to Harlow College in Essex, England, to study journalism, and the following year he became a reporter for the Yorkshire Evening Post. While on an assignment, Knopfler met local country blues performer Steve Phillips; the two would later perform together as the Duolian String Pickers in the early 1970s, while Knopfler studied English at the University of Leeds, and as the country rock group the Notting Hillbillies in the late 1980s. In 1973, having graduated from Leeds, Knopfler performed with the band Brewers Droop in London and subsequently became a lecturer at Loughton College, Essex. He later turned his focus to the Café Racers, a band that eventually included his brother David and guitarist and bassist John Illsley.

In 1977—with Knopfler on lead guitar, David on rhythm guitar, Illsley on bass, and David (“Pick”) Withers on drums—the group renamed themselves Dire Straits and recorded demo tracks that subsequently were played on BBC Radio London. The band enjoyed almost immediate success, striking a record deal and, in 1978, leading their first headline tour. The band’s eponymous debut album, released in 1978, gained popularity in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. In the years that followed, Dire Straits enjoyed a run of commercially successful albums, culminating with the multimillion-selling Brothers in Arms (1985), which garnered various awards, including a Grammy Award (1986) for best rock performance by a vocal group for the album’s hit single “Money for Nothing.”

In the late 1980s, taking a break from Dire Straits, Knopfler turned to composing soundtracks for films; his first works included soundtracks for The Princess Bride (1987) and Last Exit To Brooklyn (1989). During this time he reunited with Phillips to form the Notting Hillbillies and collaborated with country musician Chet Atkins to create Neck and Neck (1990), a highly successful album that won three Grammy Awards. The following year Dire Straits reunited to release the group’s final album, On Every Street. In 1996 Knopfler released his first solo album, Golden Heart. Three years later he was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire.

Through the early 2000s and 2010s, Knopfler continued to write film soundtracks, released additional albums—including Get Lucky (2009) and Privateering (2012), which broke into the top-10 on charts in Europe—and went on multiple world tours. In 2018 Dire Straits was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. That same year Knopfler was recognized with a Living Legend Award from the Scottish Music Awards.