Dire Straits

Members: Mark Knopfler, David Knopfler, John Illsley, Pick Withers, Hal Lindes, Alan Clark, Terry Williams, Guy Fletcher, Jack Sonni

Active: 1977-1995

HISTORY

Dire Straits recorded and released their first, self-titled album in 1978 to little fanfare but five months later a single release, "Sultans of Swing" became an unlikely chart hit and album sales took off. The second album, Communiqu?, followed soon afterwards; both albums are characterized by a stripped-down sound. The third album, Making Movies featured keyboardist Roy Bittan (from Bruce Springsteen's band) and marked a move towards more complex arrangements and production which would continue throughout the band's career. Making Movies also marked the departure of David Knopfler.

Keyboardist Alan Clark and Californian guitarist Hal Lindes joined the lineup of Dire Straits for their fourth studio album, 1982's Love Over Gold, which was produced by Knopfler alone. Shortly after its release drummer Pick Withers quit the band for a jazz career. His place was taken by the Welsh former Rockpile drummer Terry Williams.

The double live album Alchemy from 1984 preceded the group's next studio release, Brothers in Arms in 1985. This went on to become the biggest selling album in the UK of that year, and also became a hit internationally, spawning several singles including the number one hit "Money for Nothing", which was the first video ever to be played on MTV in Britain.

The commercial success of Brothers in Arms was greatly aided by being one of the first fully digitally recorded and produced albums available in the (then) new Compact Disc format, leading early adopters of the new technology to consider it a "must buy" album in a limited landscape of available music in CD format. Furthermore, the new format offered an excellent showcase for Knopfler's meticulous production values on the earlier albums, leading many existing fans to repurchase the whole back catalogue. Partly as a result of this as well as a successful appearance in Live Aid Dire Straits became the biggest selling band in the world by the mid 1980s. The popularity of the band extends beyond the UK and US: in many parts of the world including India, Southeast Asia and Africa, Dire Straits has remained one of the most well-known and admired Western bands.

While Dire Straits had enjoyed a nice fan base following the success of "Sultans of Swing", many people point to the Live Aid performance of "Money For Nothing" as the defining moment of Dire Straits' career. This was a rare time when Dire Straits performed this song with Sting. The performance was considered one of the highlights of Live Aid and helped launch both the song and band to international stardom.

After the Brothers In Arms tour which included ten very successful concerts at Wembley Arena, the band went on a lengthy hiatus, and Mark Knopfler concentrated on solo projects and work with the Notting Hillbillies. Dire Straits regrouped for the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Concert in 1988 where they were joined by Eric Clapton, before finally reconvening in 1990 to record tracks for a new album. The result was the band's final original studio album, On Every Street which was released 1991, six years after the release of Brothers In Arms, to mixed reviews and moderate success. It didn't sell as well as its predecessor and the tour that followed was not as successful as the previous 1985/86 tour. A live album On The Night was a documentation of that tour, released in 1993.

Following the release of Live at the BBC in 1995 Dire Straits quietly disbanded, after Knopfler expressed a desire to give up touring on a large scale and he immediately went onto work full time on solo material and film soundtracks, while the other members also pursued solo careers.

The band's line-up changed over the years, with only Mark Knopfler and John Illsley as consistent members. Hal Lindes had left the band in 1985 during the recording of Brothers in Arms and was replaced by Jack Sonni. By 1990 Dire Straits comprised four key members: Knopfler, Illsley, and keyboardists Alan Clark and Guy Fletcher. Terry Williams had left in 1988. The On Every Street lineup was largely made up of part-time/session musicians including the highly respected American drummer Jeff Porcaro from Toto (although Chris Whitten played drums on the On Every Street tour).

Knopfler was the primary force behind the band, and penned nearly all the songs. The best-of album Sultans of Swing, released in 1998, contains only two songs not credited to Knopfler alone: "Money for Nothing," which is credited as co-written with Sting, and "Tunnel of Love," which contains an instrumental section based on music from Carousel. The song "The Bug", from On Every Street, contains backing vocals by Vince Gill who turned down an invitation to join the band full time.

Dire Straits have to all intents and purposes disbanded. At the end of 2005 a second compilation Private Investigations: The Best of Dire Straits and Mark Knopfler was released, and consisted of material from most of Dire Straits' back catalogue and Knopfler's solo and soundtrack material.

Dire Straits and Mark Knopfler have sold in excess of 118 million albums to date.

DIRE STRAITS MEMBERS:

Mark Knopfler - lead vocals, guitar (1977-1995)

John Illsley - bass and background vocals (1977-1995)

Alan Clark - keyboards (1980-1995)

Guy Fletcher - keyboards and background vocals (1984-1995)

FORMER MEMBERS:

David Knopfler - guitar, keyboards and background vocals (1977-1980)

Pick Withers - drums and percussion (1977-1982)

Hal Lindes - guitar and background vocals (1980-1985)

Terry Williams - drums and percussion (1982-1988)

Jack Sonni - guitar (1985-1987)

ALBUMS/SINGLES:

1978 - Sultans of Swing

1978 - DIRE STRAITS

1979 - COMMUNIQUE

1979 - Lady Writer

1979 - Once Upon A Time In The West

1979 - WARNER BROS. MUSIC SHOW

1980 - MAKING MOVIES

1980 - Romeo And Juliet

1980 - Skateaway

1981 - Tunnel of Love (Part 1)

1982 - Private Investigations

1982 - LOVE OVER GOLD

1982 - Industrial Disease

1983 - Twisting By The Pool

1984 - Love Over Gold (live)

1984 - ALCHEMY

1984 - So Far Away

1985 - BROTHERS IN ARMS

1985 - Money For Nothing

1985 - Walk of Life

1985 - Brothers In Arms

1985 - Ride Across The River

1986 - Your Latest Trick

1987 - INTERVIEW DISC

1988 - MONEY FOR NOTHING

1991 - Calling Elvis

1991 - ON EVERY STREET

1991 - Heavy Fuel

1991 - DIRE STRAITS BOX SET (Japan)

1992 - On Every Street

1992 - The Bug

1993 - ON THE NIGHT

1993 - ENCORES (EP)

1993 - BROTHERS IN CONVERSATION

1995 - LIVE AT THE BBC

1998 - SULTANS OF SWING - THE VERY BEST OF DIRE STRAITS