Dire Straits biography
Dire Straits were a British rock band, formed in 1977 by former journalist and teacher Mark Knopfler, initially composed of Knopfler (lead vocals and lead guitar), his younger brother David Knopfler (rhythm guitar and backing vocals), John Illsley (bass guitar and backing vocals), and Pick Withers (drums and percussion). The group split in 1995 when Mark Knopfler started his career as a solo artist.
Dire Straits' sound drew from a variety of musical influences, including jazz, folk, blues, and came closest to beat music within the context of rock and roll. Despite the prominence of punk rock during the band's early years, the band's stripped-down sound contrasted with punk, demonstrating a more "rootsy" influence that emerged out of pub rock. Many of Dire Straits' compositions were melancholic. Dire Straits became one of the world's most commercially successful bands, and sold over 120 million albums worldwide. The band's biggest selling album, Brothers in Arms, has sold over 30 million copies.
Dire Straits won numerous music awards during their career, including four Grammy Awards, three Brit Awards-winning Best British Group twice, and two MTV Video Music Awards. Dire Straits' most popular songs include "Sultans of Swing", "Romeo and Juliet", "Tunnel of Love", "Private Investigations", "Money for Nothing", "Walk of Life", "So Far Away" and "Brothers in Arms".
History
1977-1979: Early years and first two albums
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Mark Knopfler, his younger brother David Knopfler, John Illsley, and Pick Withers formed the band in 1977. In 1977, Dire Straits (a name given to the band by a musician flatmate of drummer Pick Withers), recorded a five-song demo tape which included their future hit single, "Sultans of Swing", as well as "Water of Love", "Down to the Waterline", "Wild West End" and David Knopfler's "Sacred Loving". They took the tape to DJ Charlie Gillett, who had a radio show called "Honky Tonkin" on BBC Radio London. The band simply wanted advice, but Gillett liked the music so much that he played "Sultans of Swing" on his show. Two months later, Dire Straits signed a recording contract with Phonogram Records. In October 1977, the band recorded demo tapes of "Southbound Again", "In the Gallery" and "Six Blade Knife" for BBC Radio London; in November demo tapes were made of "Setting Me Up", "Eastbound Train" and "Real Girl".
The group's first album, Dire Straits, was recorded at Basing Street studios in West London in February 1978, at a cost of £12,500. Produced by Muff Winwood, the album had little promotion when initially released in the United Kingdom on Vertigo Records, a division of Phonogram, and was not well received. However, the album came to the attention of A&R representative Karin Berg, working at Warner Bros. Records in New York City. She felt that it was the kind of music audiences were hungry for, but only one person in her department agreed at first. Many of the songs on the album reflected Mark Knopfler's experiences in Newcastle, Leeds and London. "Down to the Waterline" recalled images of life in Newcastle; "In the Gallery" is a tribute to a Leeds sculptor/artist named Harry Phillips (father of Steve Phillips); "Wild West End" and "Lions" were drawn from Knopfler's early days in the capital.
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