Thursday, 03 February 2011

Mark Knopfler

Name	Mark Knopfler
Landscape	no
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Mark Freuder Knopfler
Born	August 12, 1949 Glasgow, Scotland United Kingdom
Instrument	Vocals, Guitar
Genre	Roots rock, Celtic rock, country, blues rock
Occupation	Musician, songwriter, producer, film score composer
Years active	1965–present
Voice type	Baritone
Label	Vertigo, Mercury, Warner
Associated acts	Dire Straits, The Notting Hillbillies
Url	MarkKnopfler.com
Notable instruments	Mark Knopfler Stratocaster Fender Telecaster Gibson Les Paul Pensa Custom MKII

Mark Freuder Knopfler OBE (born 12 August 1949) is a British guitarist, singer, songwriter, record producer and film score composer.

Mark Knopfler is best known as the lead guitarist, vocalist and songwriter for the British rock band Dire Straits, which he co-founded in 1977 with his brother David. After Dire Straits disbanded in 1995, Knopfler continued to record and produce albums as a solo artist under his own name. Knopfler has played in other groups occasionally, such as The Notting Hillbillies, and has guested on works by other artists, including Joan Armatrading, Chet Atkins, the Chieftains, Eric Clapton, The Dandy Warhols, Bob Dylan, Bryan Ferry, John Fogerty, Emmylou Harris, Jeff Healey, Jools Holland, Sonny Landreth, Phil Lynott, Van Morrison, Gerry Rafferty and Steely Dan. He has also produced albums for such artists as Tina Turner, Bob Dylan, Willy DeVille, Randy Newman and even "Weird Al" Yankovic.

His musical scores include Metroland, Local Hero, Cal, Last Exit to Brooklyn, Wag the Dog, and Rob Reiner's classic, The Princess Bride.

He is one of the most respected fingerstyle guitarists of the modern rock era and was ranked #27 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time."

Mark Knopfler and Dire Straits have sold in excess of 120 million albums to date.

He holds three honorary Doctorates in music, in the U.K.

Life and career

(1949–1976) Childhood and early life

Knopfler was born in Glasgow, Scotland, to an English mother and a Hungarian Jewish father, an architect whose anti-fascist sympathies forced him to flee the regime of his native Hungary. The family first moved to Scotland, but then settled in Knopfler's mother's home town of Blyth, in the north-east of England, when he was around 7 years old. There, he and his younger brother David attended Gosforth Grammar School, where he was inspired by his uncle Kingsley's harmonica and boogie-woogie piano playing. Later, in his teens, he wanted to buy an expensive Fiesta Red Fender Stratocaster just like Hank Marvin's, but had to settle for a £50 twin-pick-up Höfner Super Solid. During the 1960s he formed and joined anonymous schoolboy bands, and listened to singers such as Elvis Presley and guitarists Chet Atkins, Scotty Moore, B.B King, Django Reinhardt, Hank Marvin and James Burton. At age 16, he made a local TV appearance as half of a harmony duo, along with a friend from school named Sue Hercombe. At the end of the course he secured a job in Leeds as a junior reporter on the Yorkshire Evening Post. Two years later, he decided to further his studies and eventually went on to graduate with a degree in English at the University of Leeds. He left his job as a reporter, and, hoping to pursue a career in music, performed with pub bands around town. He worked as a part-time lecturer at Loughton College and played with mates in a band called the Café Racers, during this period. He also played in a few bands such as Silver Heels and a duo with long-time associate UK bluesman Steve Phillips, who was later to be a member of The Notting Hillbillies. It was also in Harding's studio Bramley, Leeds, that in April 1970 Knopfler recorded a "demo" disk of an original (but unreleased) song: "Summer's Coming My Way".The song was written by Knopfler himself. Personnel on the recording were Mark Knopfler (guitar and vocals), Steve Phillips (second guitar), Dave Johnson (bass) and Paul Granger (percussion). Johnson and Granger were members of Knopfler's Silverheels group, which also included Mick Dewhirst on vocals.

Knopfler later moved to London and joined a High Wycombe-based band called Brewers Droop, appearing on the album The Booze Brothers. One night while spending some time with friends, the only guitar available was an old acoustic with a badly warped neck that had been strung with extra-light strings to make it playable. Even so, he found it impossible to play unless he finger-picked it. He said in a later interview, "That was where I found my 'voice' on guitar." Mark joined brother David in a band under the name Café Racers but also found himself another musical partner in David's flatmate, John Illsley, initially a guitarist who changed over to bass guitar and became the only other member of Dire Straits to figure throughout the band's career.

(1977–1995) The Dire Straits years

Dire Straits' first demos were done in three sessions during 1977, with Pick Withers as drummer, David Knopfler as rhythm guitarist and John Illsley on bass guitar. On 27 July 1977 they recorded the now famous 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". In what was probably October they recorded "Southbound Again", "In The Gallery" and "Six Blade Knife" for BBC Radio London and, finally, on the 9th of November demo tapes were made of "Setting Me Up", "Eastbound Train" and "Real Girl". Many of these songs reflected Mark's experiences in Newcastle, Leeds and London, and were to be featured on their first album, the self-titled Dire Straits which was released in the following year: "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); and "Lions", "Wild West End" and "Eastbound Train" were all drawn from Mark's early days in the capital.

Initially on its release, Dire Straits received little fanfare in the UK, but when "Sultans of Swing" was released as a single it became a chart hit in The Netherlands and album sales took off 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 1979, reaching number one in France while the first album was still at number three.

There were frequent personnel changes within Dire Straits after the release of their third album Making Movies, with Mark Knopfler increasingly the driving force behind the group. Released in 1980, Making Movies marked a move towards more complex arrangements and production which continued for the remainder of the group's career. The album contained many of Mark Knopfler's most personal compositions, with the song "Romeo and Juliet", about a failed love affair becoming what critics call his best-loved song; with a trademark he developed keeping personal songs under fictitious names., and it was followed in 1984 by his scores for the films Cal and Comfort and Joy. Also during this time Knopfler produced Bob Dylan's Infidels album, as well as Aztec Camera and Willy DeVille; he also wrote Private Dancer for Tina Turner's comeback album of the same name.

Dire Straits' biggest studio album by far was their fifth, Brothers in Arms, recorded at Air Studios Montserrat and released in May 1985. It became an international blockbuster and spawned several chart singles including the US # 1 hit "Money for Nothing", which was the first video ever to be played on MTV in Britain. It was also the first compact disc to sell a million copies and is largely credited for launching the CD format as it was also one of the first DDD CDs ever released. Other successful singles were "So Far Away", "Walk of Life", and the album's title track. The band's 1985–86 world tour of over 230

Dire Straits regrouped in 1988 for the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute concert at Wembley Stadium, in which they were the headline act, and were accompanied by Elton John and Eric Clapton, who by this time had developed a strong friendship with Knopfler. Shortly after this, drummer Terry Williams left the band. In October 1988, a "best of" album, Money for Nothing, was released in October 1988 and reached number one in the United Kingdom.

Two live albums were released after On Every Street. Released in 1993, On the Night documented Dire Straits' final world tour. In 1995, following the release of Live at the BBC, Mark Knopfler quietly laid Dire Straits to rest and launched his solo career.

Since the break up of Dire Straits, Mark Knopfler has shown no interest in reforming the group. However, keyboardist Guy Fletcher has been associated with almost every piece of Knopfler's solo material to date, and Danny Cummings has made frequent appearances, including one on Knopfler's 2007 solo album, Kill to Get Crimson. In October 2008 Knopfler declined a suggestion by John Illsley that they should reform. Illsley said that a reunion would be "entirely up to Mark", while Knopfler is quoted as saying "Oh, I don't know whether to start getting all that stuff back together again", and that the global fame that came his way in the 1980s "just got too big".

(1996–present) As a solo artist

Mark Knopfler's first solo album, Golden Heart, featuring the UK single "Darling Pretty", was released in March 1996. During the recording sessions for the album the main line-up of Knopfler's backing band, also known as "The 96ers," was formed, featuring Knopfler's old bandmate Guy Fletcher on keyboards, and has lasted much longer than any Dire Straits line-up.

Also in 1996, Mark Knopfler recorded guitar for Ted Christopher's Dunblane massacre tribute cover of Knocking on Heaven's Door

In 1997 Knopfler recorded the soundtrack for the movie Wag the Dog. During that same year Rolling Stone magazine listed "Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll", which included "Sultans of Swing", Dire Straits' first hit. 2000 saw the release of Knopfler's next solo album, Sailing to Philadelphia. This has been his most successful to date, possibly helped by the number of collaborators to the album like Van Morrison.

In 2002 Mark Knopfler gave four charity concerts with former Dire Straits members John Illsley, Chris White, Danny Cummings and Guy Fletcher, playing old material from the Dire Straits years. The concerts also featured The Notting Hillbillies with Brendan Croker and Steve Phillips. At these four concerts (three of the four were at the 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. However, in March 2003 he was involved in a motorbike crash in Grosvenor Road, Belgravia and suffered a broken collarbone, broken shoulder blade and seven broken ribs. The planned Ragpicker's Dream tour was subsequently cancelled, but Knopfler recovered and was able to return to the stage in 2004 for his fourth album, Shangri-La.

Shangri-La was recorded at the Shangri-La Studio in Malibu, California in 2004, where The Band made recordings years before for their documentary/movie, The Last Waltz. In the promo for "Shangri-La" on his official website he said that 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 than Dire Straits did." The "Shangri-La" tour took Mark to countries like India and the United Arab Emirates for the first time. In India, his concerts at The Curry Inn and Bangalore were very well received, with over 20,000 fans gathering at each concert to listen to a legend many thought would never visit their country.

In November 2005 a compilation, was released, consisting of material from most of Dire Straits' studio albums and Mark Knopfler's solo and soundtrack material. The album was made available in two editions: a single CD (with a grey cover) and also as double CD (with the cover in blue), and was well-received. The only previously unreleased track on the album is "All the Roadrunning", a duet with country music singer Emmylou Harris, which was followed in 2006 by an album of duets of the same name.

Released in April 2006, All the Roadrunning reached #1 in Denmark and Switzerland, #2 in Norway and Sweden, #3 in Germany, Holland and Italy, #8 in Austria and UK, #9 in Spain, #17 in the United States (Billboard Top 200 Chart), #25 in Ireland and #41 in Australia. All the Roadrunning was nominated for "Best Folk Rock/Americana Album" at the 49th Grammy Awards (11 February 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 gigs in Europe, 1 in Canada and 8 in the USA – but highly successful tour of Europe and N America. Selections from the duo's 28 June performance at the Gibson Amphitheatre, Universal City, California, were released as a DVD entitled Real Live Roadrunning on 14 November 2006. In addition to several of the compositions that Harris and Knopfler recorded together in the studio, Real Live Roadrunning features solo hits from both members of the duo, as well as three tracks from Knopfler's days with Dire Straits.

A charity event in 2007 went wrong. A Fender Stratocaster guitar signed by Knopfler, Clapton, Brian May, and Jimmy Page was to be auctioned for £20,000 (or $40,000) to raise the 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, has agreed to pay $30,000 for its loss.

Knopfler released his fifth solo studio-album Kill to Get Crimson on 14 September 2007 in Germany, 17 September in the UK and 18 September in the United States. During the autumn of 2007 he played a series of intimate 'showcases' in various European cities to promote the album. A tour of Europe and North America followed in 2008. Many older songs from the early solo days, such as Cannibals (from Golden Heart), were brought back to life. Cannibals opened up shows throughout Europe. Cannibals was received extremely well particularly in Ireland as it was released by an Irish Country Artist David Maguire in 2007. The new version of Cannibals that David Maguire and his Band released was the 7th most requested song on Irish radio that year.

Continuing a pattern of high productivity through his solo career, Knopfler began work on his next studio album, entitled Get Lucky, in September 2008 with long-time band mate Guy Fletcher, who again compiled a pictorial diary of the making of the album on his website. The album was released on September 14 the following year and Knopfler is currently on an extensive tour across Europe and America. The album met with moderate success on the charts (much of it in Europe) reaching #1 only in Norway but peaking in the Top 5 in most major European countries (Germany, Italy, Holland). The album peaked at #2 on the Billboard European Album chart and at #5 on the Billboard Rock Album chart.

Knopfler is a member of the Garrick Club in London and played an intimate solo gig there in February 2009.

In 2010, Knopfler appeared on the newest Thomas Dolby release, the EP "Amerikana". Knopfler performed on the track "17 Hills."

Country music

In addition to his work in Dire Straits and solo, Mark Knopfler has made several contributions to country music. In 1988 he formed country-focused band The Notting Hillbillies, and has given him two daughters Isabella (born 1998) and Katya Ruby Rose (born 2003). The family currently lives in Chelsea.

Musical style and equipment

Mark Knopfler is left-handed, but plays right-handed, and fingerpicks (using a personal variant of the clawhammer style) instead of using a plectrum (i.e., "pick"). Fingerpicking is usually associated with the acoustic guitar, but Knopfler usually (though not always) plays an electric guitar. Knopfler revealed during a French interview that he uses a pick for his rhythm work during recording sessions. Knopfler surprised the interviewer by pulling a pick out of his pocket and saying that he usually carries one. Knopfler has long favoured Fender Telecaster and Stratocaster style guitars and his Artist Series Stratocaster can be viewed on the Fender website. During the 1980s he came to appreciate the tone of the Gibson Les Paul and his original 1958 has been used regularly in the studio and on stage.

Guitars

Knopfler has approximated that he now owns "around 70 guitars". They include:

*Pensa Custom MKII A custom Pensa Guitar given to Knopfler by his friend, Rudy Pensa, in 2005. Pensa custom-built solid body guitars, the model MK-1 MK-2 & MK-80, are named in honour of Knopfler. Red-painted (Stratocaster style) Melancon Pro Artist.

Hofner V-2 (Mark's first guitar)

Fender Stratocasters including a Fiesta Red '62 and a 1954 sunburst (one of the first ever produced) which he has named "Jurassic Strat"

Gibson Les Paul Special (used in the 1970s)

National Tricone, from 1928

National Style O Resonator guitar, from 1937 as used on "Romeo and Juliet". A replica of which is now available from National Resophonic Guitars.

Fender 1952 Telecaster.

Burns Baldwin, 12-strings (Angel of Mercy, later used on the Get Lucky-album)

Ovation Acoustic

Schecter Telecaster and Stratocaster models. (Used 1980-)

Rickenbacker (?) (Used on Portobello Belle, later on the ragpicker's dream session)

Fernandes Stratocaster

Ovation Adams (Love Over Gold-session, later used on the Brothers in Arms-tour)

Gibson Chet Atkins (Love Over Gold album)

Erlewine Automatic (Industrial Disease)

C. F. Martin & Company Martin Acoustics, Model HD-40MK and 000-40S Mark Knopfler, he also used a Martin 00028 on "Brothers in Arms".

Gibson SG (Two Young Lovers, Alchemy-tour)

Gibson Les Pauls 3 models: 1984, 1958, 1959

Pensa-Suhr R Custom, Knopfler's first Pensa. Used on the Brothers in Arms album (Ride Across the River and So far Away)

Gretsch (2 or 3 models): Super Chet and 6120 (Bought during 80's, used on Knopfler's solo album)

Steinberger GL2 (Brothers in Arms-tour)

Beltona Electro Resonator

Flamed Pensa: 3 models, used the first in late 80's

Gibson J45 (On Every Street-album)

Gibson Super 400 (Used on the on Every Street session and tour)

Godin L.R. Baggs (Used by Phil Palmer and Mark Knpofler on the last DS-tour)

Red Pensa (On Every Street-tour)

Ramirez Spanish Guitar, used during and after the last DS-tour

Black Pensa-Suhr (Golden Heart session and tour)

Acoustic 12-strings guitar (?) (Sailing to Philadelphia session-)

Gibson ES-335

National Triplate, from 1930 (Shangri-La session-)

Danelectro Silvertone

Gibson Southerner

Fender Jazzmaster

Eko 700

Teisco Spectrum, 2 models

Danelectro 59 DC

Fender Duo Sonic 11 (Kill to Get Crimson Session-)

Gibson Advanced Jumbo

Gibson ES-330

NS 14, Steve Phillips (Get Lucky session-)

Monteleone Isabella

Don Grosh Electrajet

Gibson Dove

Effects

Throughout his career Knopfler has used a wide selection of effect pedals in the studio and during live performances. Here is a list of some of his effects:

Alesis Quadraverb

BOSS BF-2 Flanger

BOSS CE-2 Chorus

BOSS CE-300 Chorus

BOSS CS-2 Compressor

BOSS DM-2 Delay

MXR Micro Amp

BOSS OC-2 Octaver

BOSS PH-2 Phaser

DeltaLab Digital Delay

Ibanez UE 303 Multi Effect

Roland Graphic Equalizer

Roland SRE 555 Chorus/Echo

Yamaha REV 5

Zoom Multieffect 9010

Amplifiers

Knopfler has often used many different combinations of amplifiers and cabinets to create his desired sounds.

Crate VC5212 amplifier

Gallien & Krueger amplifier

Jim Kelley combo

Jim Kelley heads

Komet amplifiers

Marshall JTM heads

Marshall 4x12 cabinet

On the "Get Lucky" tour in 2010, Knopfler is using a pair of custom built Reinhardt guitar amp heads with matching cabinets , and a Tone King combo in between that is used on some songs.

Live performance

Knopfler has been known to 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. photo On 31 July 2005, at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Vancouver, BC, the tea was replaced with whiskey as a "last show of tour" sort of joke.

Awards and acclaim

The Edison Award was awarded to Mark Knopfler for Outstanding Achievements in the Music Industry, the highest award for musicians in the Netherlands.

Grammy Awards 1986 – Best Country Instrumental Performance with Chet Atkins (for Cosmic Square Dance)

Grammy Awards 1991 – Best Country Vocal Collaboration with Chet Atkins (for Poor Boy Blues')

Grammy Awards 1991 – Best Country Instrumental Performance with Chet Atkins (for So Soft, Your Goodbye)

In 1993, Knopfler was made an honorary Doctor of Music at Newcastle University. In 1999, Knopfler was made an OBE.

In Summer 1995, Knopfler was made an honorary Doctor of Music at the University of Leeds.

In 2001, the Masiakasaurus knopfleri (a species of dinosaur) was named after him by scientists who had listened to his music while digging the fossils. On 11 July 2007, Knopfler was made an honorary Doctor of Music at Sunderland University.

Knopfler along with his band Dire Straits won the 1986 Grammy award for "Best rock performance by a duo or group with vocal" for their song "Money for Nothing."

In February 2009, Knopfler's British Grove Studios was the winner of the Music Producers Guild Award for 'Best Studio'.

Nominations

Grammy Awards 1986 – Song of the Year (songwriter) (for 'Money for Nothing')

Grammy Awards 1992 – Best Country Instrumental Performance with Chet Atkins (for 'Neck and Neck')

Grammy Awards 2007 – Best Contemporary Folk/Americana Album with Emmylou Harris (for 'All the Roadrunning')

Knopfler's influence

Played together with Dire Straits' drummer Pick Withers on Bob Dylan's studio album Slow Train Coming, which was recorded in May 1979 and released 20 August; providing Dylan with what Dylan considered his best guitar backing since the days of Mike Bloomfield and Robbie Robertson. Knopfler also played in and co-produced Dylan's 1983 album Infidels.

* British author and humorist Douglas Adams said about Knopfler, in his book So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish: "Mark Knopfler has an extraordinary ability to make a Schecter Custom Stratocaster hoot and sing like angels on a Saturday night, exhausted from being good all week and needing a stiff drink."

* The dinosaur species Masiakasaurus knopfleri was named after Knopfler. The palaeontologists were listening to Dire Straits recordings when they discovered the species.

* On "Weird Al" Yankovic's parody of "Money for Nothing", "Money for Nothing/Beverly Hillbillies*", which merges the instrumentals of "Money For Nothing" with the lyrics to the theme song for the American television series The Beverly Hillbillies ("The Ballad of Jed Clampett"), Knopfler played guitar in the song, recreating the memorable guitar riff from the original song. He would only allow Yankovic to parody the song if he was allowed to play on the recording.

*Knopfler's song "Going Home" from the soundtrack to Local Hero is played before kick-off at Newcastle United's home matches at St James' Park.

*"Going Home" is also the theme music for John Stanley on Sydney radio station 2UE.

*According to director Rob Reiner, Knopfler agreed to write the music for Reiner's The Princess Bride on one condition: Reiner had to put the hat that he wore in This Is Spinal Tap in Princess Bride, "somewhere in evidence", as homage to the rock mockumentary. The hat makes its appearance in Princess Bride in the Grandson's (Fred Savage) bedroom.

*Indian cricket superstar Sachin Tendulkar is a fan of Mark Knopfler. They once had a joint interview on cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle's show Harsha Online.

* The 2008 stage production Celtic Thunder has covers of multiple Mark Knopfler songs. "Brothers in Arms", written by Mark Knopfler and performed originally by Dire Straits, is performed by Ryan Kelly. As well, the song "Irish Boy" (from Cal) and "Going Home" (from Local Hero) are performed together as an instrumental, entitled "Cal/Local Hero".

Discography

With Dire Straits

Solo albums

Type	studio
Name	Golden Heart
Cover	MK_Golden_Heart.jpg
Released	26 March 1996
Label	Vertigo Records, Warner Bros. Records (USA)
Producer	Mark Knopfler, Chuck Ainlay
Format	CD
Singles	"Darling Pretty", "Cannibals", "Rüdiger", "Golden Heart" (promo), "Imelda" (promo), "Don't You Get It" (promo)
From album
Writer
Tracks

Type	studio
Name	Sailing to Philadelphia
Cover	MK_Sailing_to_Philadelphia.jpg
Released	26 September 2000
Label	Mercury, Vertigo, Warner Bros.
Producer	Mark Knopfler, Chuck Ainlay
Format	CD
Singles	"What It Is", "Sailing to Philadelphia", "Silvertown Blues"
From album
Writer
Tracks

Type	studio
Name	The Ragpicker's Dream
Cover	MK_The_Ragpickers_Dream.jpg
Released	30 September 2002
Label	Mercury
Producer	Mark Knopfler, Chuck Ainlay
Format	CD & LP
Singles	"Why Aye Man", "Quality Shoe" (promo), "Devil Baby" (promo), "Hill Farmer Blues" (promo), "You Don't Know You're Born" (promo)
From album
Writer
Tracks

Type	studio
Name	Shangri-La
Cover	MK_Shangri-La.jpg
Released	28 September 2004
Label	Mercury
Producer	Mark Knopfler, Chuck Ainlay
Format	CD & LP
Singles	"Boom, Like That", "The Trawlerman's Song"
From album
Writer
Tracks

Type	live
Name	One Take Radio Sessions
Cover	One_Take_Radio_Sessions.jpg
Released	21 June 2005
Label	Warner Bros. Records
Producer	Mark Knopfler, Chuck Ainlay
Format	CD
From album
Writer
Tracks

Type	ep
Name	The Trawlerman's Song EP
Cover	The_Trawlerman's_Song_EP.jpg
Released	2005
Label	Mercury
Producer	Mark Knopfler
Format	CD
From album
Writer
Tracks	"The Trawlerman's Song", "Back to Tupelo", "Song for Sonny Liston", "Boom, Like That", "Donegan's Gone", "Stand Up Guy"

Type	greatest
Name
Cover	Private_Investigations_-_Warner.jpg
Released	2005
Label	Mercury
Format	CD & LP
Singles	"All The Roadrunning" (promo), "This Is Us" (promo), "Beachcombing" (promo)
From album
Writer
Tracks

Type	studio
Name	Kill to Get Crimson
Released	17 September 2007
Label	Mercury
Format	CD & LP
Singles	"True Love Will Never Fade", "Punish The Monkey"
From album
Writer
Tracks

Type	studio
Name	Get Lucky
Released	14 September 2009
Label	Mercury
Format	CD & LP
Singles	"Border Reiver", "Remembrance Day"
From album
Writer
Tracks

Soundtrack albums

Type	soundtrack
Name	Local Hero
Cover	Knopfler-Local hero.jpg
Released	March, 1983
Label	Warner Bros. Records
Producer	Mark Knopfler
From album
Writer
Tracks

Type	soundtrack
Name	Music from 'Cal'
Released	1984
From album
Writer
Tracks

Type	soundtrack
Name	Comfort and Joy
Released	1984
From album
Writer
Tracks

Type	soundtrack
Name	The Color of Money
Released	1986
Label	MCA Records (MK's only song is "Two Brothers And A Stranger")
From album
Writer
Tracks

Type	soundtrack
Name	The Princess Bride
Released	1987
From album
Writer
Tracks

Type	soundtrack
Name	Last Exit to Brooklyn
Released	1989
From album
Writer
Tracks

Type	compilation
Name	Screenplaying
Released	1993
Label	Phonogram
From album
Writer
Tracks

Type	soundtrack
Name	Wag the Dog
Released	1998
From album
Writer
Tracks

Type	soundtrack
Name	Metroland
Released	1999
From album
Writer
Tracks

Type	soundtrack
Name	A Shot at Glory
Cover	A Shot at Glory (album).jpg
Released	2001
From album
Writer
Tracks

Other albums

Missing...Presumed Having a Good Time (The Notting Hillbillies) (1990)

Neck and Neck (with Chet Atkins) (1990)

The Booze Brothers (with Brewers Droop) (1973/1989/1990)

All the Roadrunning (with Emmylou Harris, April 2006)

Real Live Roadrunning (with Emmylou Harris, November 2006)

Producer

Infidels (1983) by Bob Dylan. Although Mark disowned the reworked version of the album as released, his production is still noticeable. Left off the album, but later released on The Bootleg Series, is the critically acclaimed "Blind Willie McTell", featuring only Dylan, singing and playing piano, accompanied by Mark Knopfler on acoustic guitar.

Knife (1984) by Aztec Camera, a Scottish indie/new wave band, which was mostly a vehicle for the work of Roddy Frame, much as Dire Straits only ever recorded Mark Knopfler compositions.

Miracle (1987) by Willy DeVille, was dedicated to Mark and his wife 'for their support which was nothing short of a Miracle in a time of Dire Straits.' The album ends with the ballad "Storybook Love", the theme from The Princess Bride movie.

Land of Dreams (1988) by Randy Newman, includes the single "It's Money that Matters" which unabashedly revisits the Dire Straits song "Money for Nothing".

Mark has just started his first album as a producer for another artist since the mid 80's, he is producing and playing on the as yet untitled new album by Bap Kennedy.

References

External links

Official website

Webradio PrivateInvestigations dedicated to Dire Straits&Mark; Knopfler

Mark Knopfler Boom Like That

the long road – Mark Knopfler Sessions

Mark Knopfler News

Mark Knopfler "Old News"

Category:1949 births Category:Alumni of the University of Leeds Category:Anglo-Scots Category:British guitarists Category:British male singers Category:British singer-songwriters Category:Dire Straits members Category:Fingerstyle guitarists Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Lead guitarists Category:Living people Category:People from Glasgow Category:People from Newcastle upon Tyne Category:Religious skeptics Category:Resonator guitarists

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