Artist Profile: Mark Knopfler

"I just want to be able to play and make people feel good with that I do. When you're thinking that way, anything can happen. And usually, what happens is good".

Mark Knopfler



The lanky, nimble fingered guitarist, Mark Knopfler, is a paradox. A humble and almost painfully shy family man also fronted one of the most popular rock and roll bands of the 1980's. With his sly, languid and fluid finger picking style, sharp lyrics and easily identifiable compositions, Knopfler fronted Dire Straits from their earliest form as the Café Racers playing the clubs in South London through their powerhouse period of the late Seventies, through the Eighties and to their eventual demise in 1995.

Born in Glasgow in 1949, Knopfler's family relocated to his mothers' native England six years later. He and his brother David grew up in Newcastle on Tyne in the north east of England where both were drawn early to music. Mark was quite fond of his uncle's harmonica and boogie piano playing and as a teenager set his sights on a flamingo pink stratocaster eventually settling for the more affordable twin pick up Hofner Super Solid.

Like most schoolboys with a guitar, he joined a variety of student bands but was learning all the time. In various interviews, Knopfler cites Elvis, Scotty Moore, Jimi Hendrix, Django Reinhardt and James Burton as influences on his playing style.

Early on in his academic career he had demonstrated a gift for English and he pursued studies in journalism. Following his course in journalism, he found himself working as a junior reported for the Yorkshire English Post. He continued on with college and graduated with a degree in English from the University of Leeds which allowed him to work as a lecturer at Loughton College while still writing rock criticism at the local paper, jamming with various local bands and giving the occasional lesson.

Eventually Knopfler moved in with his brother and his roommate in London where the second incarnation of the Café Racers was born. (The original Café Racers were a band that Mark had formed while working at Loughton College but disbanded before leaving for London). David's roommate was bassist David Issley and between the three of them, the foundation for Dire Straits was in place. Adding an old friend and former drummer for the band Brewers Droop, Pick Withers, Dire Straits began to play the London music scene. In 1977, Dire Straits recorded a five-track demo tape that included "Sultans of Swing", "Down to the Waterline", "Sacred Loving", "Water of Love" and "Wild West End". In October, 1977, Radio 1 DJ Charlie Gillett played the bands demo on his show "Honky Tonkin" and the public responded. Shortly after this airing, the band was signed to Vertigo records.

After a brief stint opening for The Talking Heads tour through Europe, the band returned to England and in twelve days and for $25,000, the band recorded the celebrated "Dire Straits" which sold a remarkable two million copies worldwide. With the track "Sultans of Swing" paving the way (it became a #4 hit for the band in the U.S.), Dire Straits launched into a star mode. Over the next six years the band toured heavily while still spending time in the studio writing and producing very solid follow ups to their powerful debut album. "Communiqué" followed in 1979, "Making Movies" in 1980, "Love Over Gold" in 1982 and the double live LP "Alchemy – Live" in 1984. However their most successful album was "Brothers In Arms" which was recorded and released in 1985. The album was a major hit for the band especially in their native England where it became the best selling album in England's history when it hit the three million mark. The album eventually sold six million copies worldwide. With singles like "So Far Away", "Walk Of Life" and the defacto MTV anthem, "Money For Nothing", "Brothers In Arms" solidified Dire Straits as one of rock and rolls legendary bands and raised rock fans consciousness about it's lead guitarist, Mark Knopfler.

The tour to promote "Brothers In Arms" was exhaustive, playing 234 shows in a 12-month period. Estimates show that the band played to approximately 2.5 million people during the tour. When they returned home, the band was essentially retired as they were burnt out from the tour and Knopfler had made it known of his growing interest in other musical avenues.

By this time, Knopfler had his hands in several other projects including producing "Infidels" for Bob Dylan and penning the comeback hit "Private Dancer" for Tina Turner as well as showing up playing on several other bands works in a guest slot. He also expanded his professional life into scoring films like "Local Hero", "Cal" and interestingly enough, "The Princess Bride".

After Dire Straits had been sidelined, Knopfler hooked up with old mates Ed Brickell and Steve Phillips to form the Notting Hillbillies. A little later on, they added accomplished drummer Ed Bicknell (former manager of Dire Straits), Paul Franklin to play pedal steel and Marcus Cliff on bass. They released 'Missing … Presumed having a good time" in 1990 and supported it with an extensive tour through the U.K. The Notting Hillbillies one disc went multi-platinum.

Knopfler may be one of the only rock musicians who happen to have a dinosauer named after him; the Masiakasaurus knopfleri. According to University of Utah paleontologist Scott Sampson, the 5-6 foot long, 80-pound German Shepherd sized carnivorous dinosaur was discovered during a dig as the team was listening to a Dire Straits disc. "As a result of that we decided what better way to honor Knopfler than to name a dinosaur after him. If it weren't for his music we might not have found the animal in the first place," Sampson once told an AP reporter in a telephone interview.

When asked, Knopfler responded "I'm really delighted. The fact that it's a dinosaur is certainly apt, but I'm happy to report that I'm not in the least bit vicious."
Both Dire Straits and The Notting Hillbillies have been reunited off and on several times for various charity events, Knopfler has been spending most of his working time on solo projects (including an incredible release "Neck and Neck" he cut with Chet Atkins), guest appearances on other artists projects and various aspects of production. However he seems most content to spend time at home with his wife and children.