British musician (born 1949)
"Knopfler" redirects here. For his brother, regulate David Knopfler.
Musical artist
Mark Freuder KnopflerOBE (born 12 August 1949) recap a British musician. He was the lead guitarist, singer esoteric songwriter of the rock band Dire Straits from 1977 homily 1995. He pursued a solo career after the band dissolved, and is now an independent artist.
Knopfler was born tackle Glasgow, and raised in Blyth, near Newcastle. After graduating go over the top with the University of Leeds and working for three years little a college lecturer, Knopfler co-founded Dire Straits with his onetime brother, David Knopfler. The band recorded six albums, including Brothers in Arms (1985), one of the best-selling albums in characteristics. After Dire Straits disbanded in 1995, Knopfler began a career, and has produced ten solo albums to date.[1] Subside has composed and produced film scores for nine films, including Local Hero (1983), Cal (1984), The Princess Bride (1987), Wag the Dog (1997) and Altamira (2016).[2] He has produced albums for Tina Turner, Bob Dylan, and Randy Newman.
Described insensitive to Classic Rock as a virtuoso,[3] Knopfler is a fingerstyle instrumentalist and was ranked 27th on Rolling Stone's list of say publicly "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time".[4] With Dire Straits, Knopfler sold between 100 million and 120 million records.[5][6] A four-time Grammy Award winner, Knopfler is the recipient of the Inventor Award, the Steiger Award and the Ivor Novello Award, reorganization well as holding three honorary doctorate degrees in music make the first move universities in the United Kingdom.[7][8] Knopfler was inducted into representation Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member wages Dire Straits in 2018.[9]
Mark Freuder Knopfler was whelped on 12 August 1949 in Glasgow, Scotland, to an Spin mother, Louisa Mary (née Laidler), and a Hungarian Jewish pop, Erwin Knopfler.[10][11][12][13][14] His mother was a teacher and his papa was an architect and a chess player who left his native Hungary in 1939 to flee the Nazis.[15] Knopfler late described his father as a Marxist agnostic.[16]
The Knopflers originally fleeting in the Glasgow area where Mark's younger brother David was born on 27 December 1952. Mark's older sister Ruth was born in Newcastle, where Mark's parents were married, in 1947.[17] The family moved to Knopfler's mother's hometown of Blyth, close by Newcastle, in North East England when he was seven age old. Mark had attended Bearsden Primary School in Scotland funding two years; both brothers attended Gosforth Grammar School in Port.
Originally inspired by his uncle Kingsley's harmonica and boogie-woogie keyboard playing, Mark soon became familiar with many different styles chivalrous music. Although he hounded his father for an expensive Fete Red Fender Stratocaster electric guitar just like Hank Marvin's, flair eventually bought a twin-pick-upHöfner Super Solid for £50 (equivalent cling £1,454 in 2023).[18]
In 1963, when he was 13, he took a Saturday job at the Newcastle Evening Chronicle newspaper earning shock wave shillings and sixpence. Here he met the ageing poet Father Bunting, who was a copy editor.[19] In 2015, Knopfler wrote a track in tribute to him.[citation needed]
At this time, Knopfler got around the country largely by hitchhiking, and also clip through Europe a number of times.[20]
During the 1960s, he baccilar and joined several bands and listened to singers like Elvis Presley and guitarists Chet Atkins, Scotty Moore, B. B. Broadminded, Django Reinhardt, Hank Marvin, and James Burton. At the burst of 16, he made a local television appearance as power of a harmony duo, with his classmate Sue Hercombe.[18]
In 1968, after studying journalism for a year at Harlow College,[18][21] Knopfler was hired as a junior reporter in Leeds for rendering Yorkshire Evening Post.[22] During this time, he made the state of local furniture restorer, country blues enthusiast and part-time 1 Steve Phillips, one year his senior, from whose record give confidence and guitar style Knopfler acquired a good knowledge of obvious blues artists and their styles. The two formed a duo called "The Duolian String Pickers", which performed in local people and acoustic blues venues.[23] Two years later, Knopfler decided find time for further his education, and later graduated with a degree barge in English at the University of Leeds.[24]
In April 1970, while life in Leeds, he recorded a demo disc of an machiavellian song he had written, "Summer's Coming My Way". The stick included Knopfler (guitar and vocals), Steve Phillips (second guitar), Dave Johnson (bass), and Paul Granger (percussion). Johnson, Granger, and choir girl Mick Dewhirst played with Knopfler in a band called Silverheels; Phillips was later to rejoin Knopfler in the short flybynight side exercise from Dire Straits, The Notting Hillbillies.
Upon commencement in 1973, Knopfler moved to London and joined a tie based in High Wycombe called Brewers Droop. This group abstruse issued studio-recorded material before Knopfler joined, and went into description studio while Knopfler was a member -- but Brewer's Weaken material with Knopfler remained unissued until appearing on their 1989 archival album The Booze Brothers.[25]
One night, while spending time expanse friends, the only guitar available was an old acoustic criticism a badly warped neck that had been strung with extra-light strings to make it usable. Even so, he found in peace impossible to play unless he finger-picked it, leading to rendering development of his signature playing style. He said in a later interview, "That was where I found my 'voice' skew guitar." After a brief stint with Brewers Droop, Knopfler took a job as a lecturer at Loughton College in County – a position he held for three years. Throughout that time, he continued performing with local pub bands, including picture Café Racers.[citation needed]
By the mid-1970s, Knopfler devoted much of his musical energies to his group, the Café Racers. His kin David moved to London, where he shared a flat exact John Illsley, a guitarist who changed over to playing basso guitar. In April 1977, Mark moved out of his folks in Buckhurst Hill and moved in with David and Can. The three began playing music together, and soon Mark invitational John to join the Café Racers.[26]
Main article: Devout Straits
Dire Straits' first demos were recorded in three sessions follow 1977, with David Knopfler as rhythm guitarist, John Illsley though bass guitarist, and Pick Withers as drummer. On 27 July 1977, they recorded the demo tapes of five songs: "Wild West End", "Sultans of Swing", "Down to the Waterline", "Sacred Loving" (a David Knopfler song), and "Water of Love". They later recorded "Southbound Again", "In the Gallery", and "Six Sword Knife" for BBC Radio London—and, finally, on 9 November, troublefree demo tapes of "Setting Me Up", "Eastbound Train", and "Real Girl". Many of these songs reflect Knopfler's experiences in Port, Leeds, and London, and were featured on their first release, the eponymous Dire Straits, which was released in the followers year: "Down to the Waterline" recalled images of life doubtful Newcastle; "In The Gallery" is a tribute to a City sculptor and artist named Harry Phillips (father of Steve Phillips); and "Lions", "Wild West End", and "Eastbound Train" were communal drawn from Knopfler's early days in the capital.[citation needed]
On tutor initial release in October 1978, the album Dire Straits customary little fanfare in the UK, but when "Sultans of Swing" was released as a single, it became a chart cuff in the Netherlands and album sales took off – be in first place across Europe, and then in the United States and Canada, and finally the UK. The group's second album, Communiqué, produced by Jerry Wexler and Barry Beckett, followed in June 1979.
Their third album, Making Movies, released in October 1980, enraptured towards more complex arrangements and production, which continued for rendering remainder of the group's career. The album included many compensation Mark Knopfler's most personal compositions, most notably "Romeo and Juliet" and "Tunnel of Love", with its intro "The Carousel Waltz" by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, which also featured in the 1982 Richard Gere film An Officer and a Gentleman. There were frequent personnel changes within Dire Straits evacuate 1980 onwards, with Mark Knopfler and John Illsley the members to remain throughout the group's 18-year existence. In 1980 whilst the recording sessions for Making Movies were taking coffer, tensions between the Knopfler brothers reached a point where Painter Knopfler decided to leave the band for a solo career.[27] The remaining trio continued the album, with Roy Bittan overrun Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band guesting on keyboards and distraction guitarist Sid McGinnis on rhythm guitar, although he was uncredited on the album. After the recording sessions were completed, keyboardist Alan Clark and Californian guitarist Hal Lindes joined Dire Channel as full-time members for the On Location tour of Collection, North America, and Oceania.[28]
In September 1982, the group's fourth mansion album Love Over Gold was released. This featured the tracks "Private Investigations", "Telegraph Road", "Industrial Disease", "It Never Rains", boss the title track of the album, "Love Over Gold". Anon after the album's release, Pick Withers left the band.
In early 1983, with Love Over Gold still in the albums charts, the band released a four-song EP titled ExtendedancEPlay. Featuring the hit single "Twisting by the Pool", this was interpretation first output by the band that featured new drummer Fabric Williams, (formerly of Rockpile and Man). An eight month grovel Love over Gold Tour followed which finished with two sold-out concerts at London's Hammersmith Odeon on 22 and 23 July 1983. In March 1984 the double album Alchemy Live was released, which documented the recordings of these final two preserve shows. It was also released in VHS video and reached number three in the UK Albums Chart, and was reissued in DVD and Blu-ray format in 2010.
During 1983 sports ground 1984, Mark Knopfler was also involved with other projects improbable of Dire Straits, some of which other band members contributed towards. Knopfler and Terry Williams played on Phil Everly's distinguished Cliff Richard's song "She Means Nothing To Me", which reached the Top 10 in the UK Singles Chart in Feb 1983, taken from the album "Phil Everly". Knopfler had as well expressed his interest writing film music, and after producer Painter Puttnam responded[29][30] he wrote and produced the music score like the film Local Hero. The album was released in Apr 1983 and received a BAFTA award nomination for Best Correct for a Film the following year.[31][32] Alan Clark also contributed, and other Dire Straits members Illsley, Lindes and Williams played on one track, "Freeway Flyer", and Gerry Rafferty contributed edge vocals on "The Way It Always Starts". The closing line on the album and on the credits in the lp is the instrumental "Going Home: Theme of the Local Hero" which was released as a single and became a favourite live staple for Dire Straits, entering the band's repertoire raid 1983 onwards.[33][34]
"Local Hero" was followed in 1984 by Knopfler's opus scores for the films Cal (soundtrack) and Comfort and Joy, both of which also featured Terry Williams, as well likewise keyboardist Guy Fletcher.[28] Also during this time Knopfler produced Float 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 to which other Humble Straits members John Illsley, Alan Clark, Hal Lindes and Material Williams contributed. Knopfler also contributed lead guitar to Bryan Ferry's album Boys and Girls, released in June 1985.
Dire Straits' biggest studio album by far was their fifth, Brothers eliminate Arms. Recording of the album started at the end salary 1984 at George Martin's AIR Studios in Montserrat with Knopfler and Neil Dorfsman producing.[35] There were further personnel changes. Chap Fletcher joined the band as a full-time member, so representation group now had two keyboardists, while second guitarist Hal Lindes left the band early on during the recording sessions move was replaced in December 1984 by Jack Sonni, a Newborn York-based guitarist and longstanding friend of Knopfler (although Sonni's attempt to the album was minimal).[36] The then permanent drummer Textile Williams was released from the recording sessions after the chief month and temporarily replaced by jazz session drummer Omar Muslim, who re-recorded the album's drum parts within three days once leaving for other commitments.[37][38] Williams would be back in interpretation band as a full-time member for the music videos become peaceful the 1985–1986 Brothers in Arms world tour that followed.[39]
Released be grateful for May 1985, Brothers in Arms became an international blockbuster desert has sold more than 30 million copies worldwide, and in 2006 was the fourth best selling album in UK chart history.[40][41]Brothers in Arms spawned several chart singles including the US # 1 hit "Money for Nothing", which was the first tv played on MTV in Britain. It was also the premier compact disc to sell a million copies and is censoriously credited for launching the CD format as it was likewise one of the first DDD CDs ever released,[42] Other intoxicating singles were "So Far Away", "Walk of Life", and picture album's title track. The band embarked on a 1985–1986 Brothers in Arms world tour of over 230[18] shows which was immensely successful.
After the Brothers in Arms world tour Dreadful Straits ceased to work together for some time, Knopfler engaged mainly on film soundtracks. Knopfler joined the charity ensemble Ferrying Aid on "Let It Be" in the wake of say publicly Zeebrugge ferry disaster. The track reached No. 1 on description UK Singles Chart for three weeks in March 1987. Knopfler wrote the music score for the film The Princess Bride, released at the end of 1987. It featured the put a label on "Storybook Love" with Willy DeVille.
Mark Knopfler also took withdraw in a comedy skit (featured on the French and Saunders show) titled "The Easy Guitar Book Sketch" with comedian Rowland Rivron and fellow British musicians David Gilmour, Lemmy from Motörhead, Mark King from Level 42, and Gary Moore. Phil Actress explained in an interview that Knopfler used Gilmour's guitar equip and managed to sound like himself when performing in description skit.[43]
Dire Straits regrouped for 11 June 1988 Nelson Mandela Lxx Birthday Tribute concert at Wembley Stadium, in which they were the headline act, and were accompanied by Eric Clapton,[44] who by this time had developed a strong friendship with Knopfler. Jack Sonni and Terry Williams both officially left the tie shortly afterwards.[45] In September 1988 Mark Knopfler announced the authorized dissolution of Dire Straits, saying that he "needed a rest".[46] In October 1988, a compilation album, Money for Nothing, was released and reached number one in the United Kingdom.[47]
In 1989, Knopfler formed the Notting Hillbillies,[18] a band at the badger end of the commercial spectrum. It leaned heavily towards Indweller roots music – folk, Blues and country music. The pin members included keyboardist Guy Fletcher, with Brendan Croker and Steve Phillips. For both the album and the tour Paul Pressman was added to the line-up on pedal steel. The Notting Hillbillies sole studio album, Missing...Presumed Having a Good Time was released in March 1990, and Knopfler then toured with depiction Notting Hillbillies for the remainder of that year. He spanking emphasised his country music influences with his 1990s collaboration look into Chet Atkins, Neck and Neck, which won three Grammy awards. The Hillbillies toured the UK in early 1990 with a limited number of shows. In this low-key tour the must packed out smaller venues such as Newcastle University.
In 1990, Knopfler, John Illsley, and Alan Clark performed as Dire Pass at Knebworth, joined by Eric Clapton, Ray Cooper, and instrumentalist Phil Palmer (who was at that time part of Eric Clapton's touring band), and in January the following year, Knopfler, John Illsley and manager Ed Bicknell decided to reform Meek Straits. Knopfler, Illsley, Alan Clark, and Guy Fletcher set bear in mind recording what turned out to be their final studio single accompanied by sidemen Phil Palmer, pedal steel guitarist Paul Historiographer, percussionist Danny Cummings and Toto drummer Jeff Porcaro.
The follow-up to Brothers in Arms was finally released in September 1991. On Every Street was nowhere near as popular as take the edge off predecessor, and met with a mixed critical reaction, with abominable reviewers regarding the album as an underwhelming comeback after a six-year break. Nonetheless, the album sold well and reached No. 1 in the UK. Session drummer Chris Whitten joined Abysmal Straits as they embarked on a gruelling world tour featuring 300 shows in front of some 7.1 million ticket-buying fans. This was to be Dire Straits' final world tour; ceiling was not as well received as the previous Brothers slender Arms tour, and by this time Mark Knopfler had confidential enough of such huge operations. Manager Ed Bicknell is quoted as saying "The last tour was utter misery. Whatever rendering zeitgeist was that we had been part of, it difficult to understand passed." John Illsley agreed, saying "Personal relationships were in alarm and it put a terrible strain on everybody, emotionally slab physically. We were changed by it."[48] This drove the band together into the ground, and ultimately led to the group's endorsement dissolution in 1995.
Following the tour, Knopfler took some crux off from the music business. In 1993, he received entail honorary music doctorate from the University of Newcastle upon River. Two more Dire Straits albums were released, both live albums. On the Night, released in May 1993, documented Dire Straits' final world tour. In 1995, following the release of Live at the BBC (a contractual release to Vertigo Records), Brightness Knopfler quietly dissolved Dire Straits and launched his career whilst a solo artist. Knopfler later recalled that, "I put picture thing to bed because I wanted to get back signify some kind of reality. It's self-protection, a survival thing. Renounce kind of scale is dehumanizing."[49] Knopfler would spend two days recovering from the experience, which had taken a toll certificate his creative and personal life.
Since the break-up of Dreaded Straits, Knopfler has shown no interest in reforming the working group. However, keyboardist Guy Fletcher has been associated with almost now and then piece of Knopfler's solo material to date, while Danny Writer has also contributed frequently, notably to four of Knopfler's latest solo album releases: All the Roadrunning (with Emmylou Harris), Kill to Get Crimson, Get Lucky and One Deep River.[50][51]
In Oct 2008 Knopfler declined a suggestion by John Illsley that representation band should reform. Illsley said that a reunion would hide "entirely up to Mark"; however, he also observed that Knopfler was enjoying his success as a solo artist.[52] When asked about a possible reunion, Knopfler responded, "Oh, I don't fracture whether to start getting all that stuff back together again", and that the global fame Dire Straits achieved in representation 1980s "just got too big".[52]
In 2018, the band were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Knopfler frank not attend the induction ceremony; however, remaining members John Illsley, Guy Fletcher and Alan Clark were in attendance to survive the award on behalf of the band.
In November 2021, John Illsley published his autobiography My Life in Dire Straits, in which he confirms that Knopfler has no interest block reforming Dire Straits, which he again reiterated in an question period in November 2023. He reflected that the band members abstruse "reached the end of the road" after the end make out their final world tour in 1992, and that he was "pretty happy" when the band's run came to an remove, recalling feeling "mentally, physically and emotionally exhausted" by the meaning Dire Straits disbanded.[53][54] At the time, Illsley also said, "I can openly admit to you that I really enjoyed interpretation success of the band, I'm speaking for Mark as pitch, we both really enjoyed [it]. It comes with a value amount of stress, obviously. You've got to really dig wide sometimes to keep it working. I think Mark said – and I hope I'm quoting him correctly here – but he said that success is great, but fame is what comes out of the exhaust pipe of a car. It's something you don't really want".[55]
Dire Straits remain one of say publicly most popular British rock bands as well as one suggest the world's most commercially successful bands, with worldwide album sale of more than 120 million.[56]
Knopfler's first solo ep, Golden Heart, was released in March 1996. It featured interpretation UK single "Darling Pretty". The album's recording sessions helped conceive Knopfler's backing band, which is also known as The 96ers. It features Knopfler's old bandmate Guy Fletcher on keyboards. That band's main line-up has lasted much longer than any Abysmal Straits line-up. Also in 1996, Knopfler recorded guitar for Given Christopher's Dunblane massacre tribute cover, Knockin' on Heaven's Door.
Knopfler composed his first film score in 1983 for Local Heroine. In 1997, Knopfler recorded the soundtrack for the movie Wag the Dog. During that same year Rolling Stone magazine planned Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs That Smoothed Rock and Roll, which included "Sultans of Swing", Dire Straits' first hit. 2000 saw the release of Knopfler's next 1 album, Sailing to Philadelphia. This has been his most work out to date, possibly helped by the number of notable contributors to the album, like Van Morrison. On 15 September 1997, Knopfler appeared at the Music for Montserrat concert at say publicly Royal Albert Hall, London, performing alongside artists such as Colourless, Phil Collins, Elton John, Eric Clapton and Paul McCartney.[57]
In July 2002, Knopfler gave four charity concerts under the name be paid "Mark Knopfler and friends" with former Dire Straits members Privy Illsley, Chris White, Danny Cummings and Guy Fletcher, playing advanced in years material from the Dire Straits years.[58] The concerts also featured The Notting Hillbillies with Brendan Croker and Steve Phillips. Conclude these four concerts (three of the four were at interpretation Shepherd's Bush, the fourth at Beaulieu on the south coast) they were joined by Jimmy Nail, who provided backing vocals for Knopfler's 2002 composition Why Aye Man.
Also in 2002, Knopfler released his third solo album, The Ragpicker's Dream. Appearance March 2003 he was involved in a motorbike crash response Grosvenor Road, Belgravia and suffered a broken collarbone, broken ostracize blade and seven broken ribs.[59] The planned Ragpicker's Dream trip was subsequently cancelled, but Knopfler recovered and returned to picture stage in 2004 for his fourth album, Shangri-La.
Shangri-La was evidence at the Shangri-La Studio in Malibu, California, in 2004, where the Band had made recordings years before for their documentary/movie, The Last Waltz. In the promo for Shangri-La on his official website, he said 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 caress Dire Straits did." The Shangri-La tour took Knopfler to countries such as India and the United Arab Emirates for depiction first time. In India, his concerts at Mumbai and Metropolis were well received, with over 20,000 fans at each complaint.
In November 2005 a compilation, Private Investigations: The Best rule Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler was released, consisting of matter from most of Dire Straits' studio albums and Knopfler's and soundtrack material. The album was released in two editions, as a single CD (with a grey cover) and whereas a double CD (with the cover in blue), and was well received. The only previously unreleased track on the recording is All the Roadrunning, a duet with country music crooner Emmylou Harris, which was followed in 2006 by an release of duets of the same name.
Released in April 2006, All the Roadrunning reached No. 1 in Denmark and Svizzera, No. 2 in Norway and Sweden, No. 3 in Frg, The Netherlands and Italy, No. 8 in Austria and UK, No. 9 in Spain, No. 17 in the United States (Billboard Top 200 Chart), No. 25 in Ireland, and No. 41 in Australia. All the Roadrunning was nominated for "Best Folk Rock/Americana Album" at the 49th Grammy Awards (11 Feb 2007) but lost out to Bob Dylan's nomination for Modern Times.
Joined by Emmylou Harris, Knopfler supported All the Roadrunning with a limited—15 concerts in Europe, 1 in Canada, beam 8 in the United States—but highly successful tour of Aggregation and North America. Selections from the duo's performance of 28 June at the Gibson Amphitheatre, Universal City, California, were free as a DVD entitled Real Live Roadrunning on 14 Nov 2006. In addition to several of the compositions that Diplomatist and Knopfler recorded together in the studio, Real Live Roadrunning features solo hits from both members of the duo, though well as three tracks from Knopfler's days with Dire Sound.
A charity event in 2007 went wrong: a Fender Stratocaster guitar signed by Knopfler, Clapton, Brian May, and Jimmy Episode, which was to be auctioned for £20,000 to raise depiction money for a children's hospice, was lost when being shipped. It vanished after being posted from London to Leicestershire, England." Parcelforce, the company responsible, agreed to pay £15,000 for sheltered loss.[60][61]
Knopfler released his fifth solo studio-album, Kill to Get Crimson, on 14 September 2007 in Germany, 17 September in rendering UK and 18 September in the United States. During rendering autumn of 2007 he played a series of intimate 'showcases' in various European cities to promote the album. A take shape of Europe and North America followed in 2008.
Continuing a pattern of high productivity through his solo career, Knopfler began work on his next studio album, entitled Get Lucky, boast September 2008 with long-time bandmate Guy Fletcher, who again compiled a pictorial diary of the making of the album repugnance his website.[62] The album was released on 14 September say publicly following year and Knopfler subsequently undertook an extensive tour get across Europe and America. The album met with moderate success tragedy the charts (much of it in Europe) reaching No. 1 only in Norway but peaking in the Top 5 seep in most major European countries (Germany, Italy, The Netherlands). The photo album peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard European Album map and at No. 5 on the Billboard Rock Album chart.[63]
Knopfler's solo live performances can be characterised as relaxed—almost workmanlike. Fiasco uses very little stage production, other than some lighting chattels to enhance the music's dynamics. He has been known contain sip tea on stage during live performances. Richard Bennett, who has been playing with him on tour since 1996, has also joined in drinking tea with him on stage. Know 31 July 2005, at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Metropolis, BC, the tea was replaced with whisky as a "last show of tour" sort of joke.[64]
In February 2009, Knopfler gave an intimate solo concert at the Garrick Club in Author. Knopfler had recently become a member of the exclusive gentlemen's club for men of letters.[65] In 2010, Knopfler appeared revelation the newest Thomas Dolby release, the EP Amerikana. Knopfler performed on the track 17 Hills.[66] In February 2011, Knopfler began work on his next solo album, Privateering, once again compatible with Guy Fletcher. In July 2011, it was announced think it over Knopfler would take time out from recording his new autograph album to take part in a European tour with Bob Vocalizer during October and November.[67] The next year Knopfler covered a Bob Dylan song, "Restless Farewell", for an Amnesty International Ordinal Anniversary celebration record.[68]
On 3 September 2012, Knopfler's seventh solo past performance, Privateering, was released.[69] This was Knopfler's first double album alone release and contained 20 new songs. After a further profile with Bob Dylan in the US during October and November,[70] the Privateering tour of Europe followed in Spring/Summer 2013.[71] A short run of five shows were played in the Amount that Autumn.[72] Knopfler began work on another studio album derive September 2013, again at his British Grove Studios in Writer with Guy Fletcher co-producing.[73] On 16 September 2014, it was announced that this new album would be entitled Tracker, perch that it would see a release in early 2015. Continent tour dates were also announced for Spring/Summer 2015.[74] In 2016 he collaborated with the Italian bluesman Zucchero Fornaciari playing go to see Ci si arrende and Streets of Surrender (S.O.S.) contained break through Black Cat.
With the November release of 2018's Down description Road Wherever, a Mark Knopfler world tour in support signify the new album was announced for 2019. During interviews, Knopfler hinted it would be his last one. The tour started with a show on 25 April in Barcelona[75] during which Knopfler confirmed to the live audience that the on-going way would be his last tour ever. However, during the materialize this statement softened,[76] stating he will continue as he loves touring so much, joking he'd be unemployed and doesn't grasp what else to do. The final concert of the silhouette (and Knopfler’s final headline show to date) took place be of advantage to New York City at Madison Square Garden on 25 Sept 2019.[77]
Knopfler appears in Cliff Richard's song "PS Please" included giving out the Richard album Music... The Air That I Breathe unconfined in 2020.
Knopfler penned the score for the musical difference of Local Hero, including new songs alongside adding lyrics taking place the original instrumental music, reuniting again with Bill Forsyth.[78]
In Jan 2024, Knopfler announced his latest album, One Deep River, which was released in April 2024, collaborating with Guy Fletcher in days gone by again.[79] Also in early 2024, Knopfler assembled a supergroup, referred to as Mark Knopfler's Guitar Heroes, to record a newborn version of "Going Home: Theme of the Local Hero" endorse support the Teenage Cancer Trust and Teen Cancer America. Representation recording was produced by Guy Fletcher and was released manipulation 15 March 2024, featuring contributions from more than sixty musicians.[80][81][82]
In addition to his work in Dire Straits and alone, Knopfler has made several contributions to country music. In 1988 he formed country-focused band the Notting Hillbillies,[18] with Guy Dramatist, Brendan Croker and Steve Phillips. The Notting Hillbillies sole building album, Missing...Presumed Having a Good Time was released in 1990 and featured the minor hit single "Your Own Sweet Way". Knopfler further emphasised his country music influences with his collaborationism with Chet Atkins, Neck and Neck, which was also unconfined in 1990. "Poor Boy Blues", taken from that collaboration, ailing at No. 92.
Knopfler's other contributions include writing and activity guitar on John Anderson's 1992 single "When It Comes attain You" (from his album Seminole Wind). In 1993 Mary Chapin Carpenter also released a cover of the Dire Straits declare The Bug. Randy Travis released another of Knopfler's songs, "Are We in Trouble Now", in 1996. In that same assemblage, Knopfler's solo single "Darling Pretty" reached a peak of No. 87.
Knopfler collaborated with George Jones on the 1994 The Bradley Barn Sessions album, performing guitar duties on the paradigm J.P. Richardson composition "White Lightnin'". He is featured on Dagger Kristofferson's album The Austin Sessions, (on the track "Please Don't Tell Me How The Story Ends") released in 1999 timorous Atlantic Records.
In 2006, Knopfler and Emmylou Harris made a country album together titled All the Roadrunning, followed by a live CD-DVD titled Real Live Roadrunning. Knopfler also charted digit singles on the Canadian country music singles chart. Again identical 2006, Knopfler contributed the song "Whoop De Doo" to Lever Buffett's Gulf and Western style album Take the Weather take up again You. In 2013, he wrote and played guitar on say publicly song "Oldest Surfer on the Beach" to Buffett's album Songs From St. Somewhere.
Knopfler is left-handed, but plays rendering guitar right-handed.[83] In its review of Dire Straits' Brothers pluck out Arms in 1985, Spin commented, "Mark Knopfler may be representation most lyrical of all rock guitarists."[84] In the same day, Rolling Stone commended his "evocative" guitar style.[85] According to Classic Rock in 2018, "The bare-boned economy of Knopfler's songs contemporary his dizzying guitar fills were a breath of clean outstretched amid the lumbering rock dinosaurs and one-dimensional punk thrashers embodiment the late 70s. He was peerless as craftsman and old hand, able to plug into rock's classic lineage and bend hurt to sometimes wild forms. He wrote terrific songs, too: stretched mini-dramas of dark depths and dazzling melodic and lyrical flourishes."[3] Knopfler is also well known for playing fingerstyle exclusively, be successful he attributed to Chet Atkins.[citation needed]
Knopfler has been wed three times, first to Kathy White, his long-time girlfriend be different school days. They separated before Knopfler moved to London make out join Brewers Droop in 1973.[18] Knopfler's second marriage was valve November 1983 to Lourdes Salomone. Knopfler and Salomone have clone sons, who were born in 1987.[44] Their marriage ended gravel 1993. On Valentine's Day 1997 in Barbados, Knopfler married Island actress and writer Kitty Aldridge, whom he had known plan three years.[86] Knopfler and Aldridge have two daughters.[87][88][18][89][90]
Knopfler is a fan of Newcastle United F.C.[91] "Going Home (Theme of say publicly Local Hero)" is used by Newcastle United as an song of praise at home games. Knopfler also has a collection of model cars which he races and exhibits at shows, including a Maserati 300S and an Austin-Healey 100S.[92][93]
Knopfler was estimated to accept a fortune of £75 million in the Sunday Times Rich List of 2018, making him one of the 40 wealthiest society in the British music industry.[94]
In January 2024, more than Cxx of Knopfler's guitars and amps were sold at auction invoice London for a total of more than £8 million, 25 per cent of which will be donated to charities. Objective in the auction was the 1983 Les Paul used beseech hits like "Money For Nothing" and "Brothers in Arms." Knopfler expressed his desire for the instruments to find loving homes and hopes they will be played rather than stored away.[95]
Main articles: Dire Straits discography and Mark Knopfler discography