Mark Knopfler

August 12, 1949 in Glasgow, Scotland

red Hofner V-2 (in 1964)

Lonnie Donegan, Chet Atkins, B.B. King, Bob Dylan

Dire Straits, Notting Hillbillies, Music Producer, Film Scores

1985 - Dire Straits Brothers in Arms

1988 - Randy Newman Land of Dreams
1987 - Sting Nothing Like the Sun
1984 - Tina Turner Private Dancer
1984 - Steely Dan Gaucho
1979 - Bob Dylan Slow Train Coming
1979 - Mavis Staples Oh What a Feeling

1998 - Wag the Dog
1989 - Last Exit To Brooklyn
1987 - The Princess Bride

Mark Knopfler is certainly not your run-of-the-mill rock star. His personality, much like his guitar playing, is understated, yet his body of work commands a great deal of attention. Knopfler is certainly best known for fronting the pop band Dire Straits, who broke onto the UK music scene with a 1978 self-titled debut (featuring the classic "Sultans of Swing"). Knopfler instantly became a household name when Dire Straits' 1985 recording Brothers in Arms produced no less than four hit songs (with "Money for Nothing" reaching number one on Billboard). In typical Knopfler fashion, however, the musician quickly turned his attention to smaller, less mainstream projects, such as his work with The Notting Hillbillies. Since that time, Knopfler has concentrated on writing film scores, producing other artist's albums, recording with other guitarists like Chet Atkins and Buddy Guy, and writing material for his own solo projects.

Some Mark Knopfler Websites you might find helpful:

Dire Straits Guitar Info
Incredibly thorough website which details the guitars, effects, amps, strings, etc., of guitarists Mark Knopfler.

Mark Knopfler Mini-lesson
A video clip which illustrates how to play a particular riff from the "Sultans of Swing" solo. Just takes a few minutes to learn, and it's a neat riff, so this is worthwhile.

Dire Straits/Mark Knopfler Diary
Want to know what the day to day activities of Knopfler and crew were in 1987? This is a thorough documentation of all public appearances, and studio sessions.