Information AboutMark Knopfler |
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Mark Freuder Knopfler, OBE (born August 12 , 1949 , Glasgow , Scotland ) is a British Guitar ist, Singer , and Songwriter . He is best-known as the lead guitarist and vocalist for the band Dire Straits , but has also made albums as a solo performer and played in other bands (such as the Notting Hillbillies ). He has also performed on work by other artists, such as Bob Dylan , Eric Clapton and Chet Atkins , and produced albums for artists such as Tina Turner , Randy Newman , and (again) Bob Dylan . In addition, he has scored the music to several films, including '' Local Hero '', '' The Princess Bride '', '' Cal '', '' Last Exit To Brooklyn '' and '' Wag The Dog ''. PERSONAL LIFE Early days Mark Knopfler is the son of a Jewish Architect whose Communist sympathies forced him to flee the Fascist regime in his native Hungary . When Mark was about nine years old, the family moved to Newcastle Upon Tyne in the North-East of England. There, he and his younger brother David (also a musician) attended Gosforth Grammar School. He was inspired by his uncle Kingsley's Harmonica and Boogie-woogie piano playing. Later, in his teens, he wished to buy the expensive flamingo-pink Fender Strat, just like Hank Marvin's , but had to settle for a £50 twin pick-up Hofner Super Solid. Like many other schoolboys of the 1960s, he served an early apprenticeship by forming and joining anonymous schoolboy bands and listening to guitarists such as Chet Atkins , Scotty Moore , Jimi Hendrix , Django Reinhardt and James Burton . At sixteen he made a local TV appearance as half of a harmony duo along with school-friend Sue Hercombe. At school Mark had demonstrated a flair for English and in 1967 he went to study Journalism for a year at Harlow Technical College. At the end of the course he secured a job in Leeds as a junior reporter on the '' Yorkshire Evening Post ''. After two years he decided to further his studies and commenced a degree in English at Leeds University . He also worked as a lecturer at Loughton College during this period. It was whilst Mark was living in Leeds that he met a local Blues singer/guitarist by the name of Steve Phillips. Soon he made his first record in a London studio, an unreleased demo of an original song, "Summer's Coming My Way" Dire Straits 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, '' Communiqué '', followed soon afterwards. The third album, '' Making Movies '' marked a move towards more complex arrangements and production which would continue with the follow up, '' Love Over Gold ''. The band's 1985 release '' Brothers In Arms '' became an international hit and spawned several singles including the number one hit " Money For Nothing ", which was the first video ever to be played on MTV in Britain. The band then went on a six year hiatus before releasing their final original studio album, '' On Every Street '' in 1991 . It was released to a mixed critical reaction, regarded by some as an underwhelming follow up to ''Brothers In Arms''. After ''On Every Street'' two live albums were released, the first of which documented Dire straits' final tour, '' On The Night '', in 1993 , was followed two years later by '' Live At The BBC ''. In 1995 Mark Knopfler quietly dissolved Dire Straits and launched his solo career. After Dire Straits In 1996 , the year after Dire Straits' official disbanding, Knopfler released his first solo album '' Golden Heart '', with most critics seemingly impressed. In this same year, in August, ''Brothers In Arms'' was certified 9x Platinum . In 1997 "Rolling Stone" magazine released a poll: "Rock N' Roll Hall Of Fame's 500 Songs That Shaped Rock And Roll", which included "Sultans Of Swing", Dire Straits' first hit, which remained significant throughout their entire career as a band. In 1998 Knopfler recorded the soundtrack for the movie ''Wag The Dog''. In October a hits collection of Dire Straits was released: ''''. Knopfler has also released three other solo albums since the dissolution of Dire Straits: '' Sailing To Philadelphia '' ( 2000 ), '' The Ragpicker's Dream '' ( 2002 ), and '' Shangri-La '' ( 2004 ). In March 2003, Knopfler was involved in a motorbike crash, suffering from a broken collarbone and six broken ribs. He recovered however, returning to the stage in 2004 . In late 2005 a second compilation, '''' was released, and consisted of material from most of Dire Straits' studio albums and Knopfler's solo and soundtrack material. Knopfler has recently completed work on an album of duets with Country Music singer Emmylou Harris , entitled '' All The Roadrunning '', which was released on April 24 2006. MUSIC He is noted for being left-handed, but playing right-handed, and for Fingerpicking instead of strumming or using a Plectrum (i.e., "pick"); fingerpicking is usually associated with the Acoustic Guitar , but Knopfler usually (though not always) plays an Electric Guitar , particularly the Fender Stratocaster (but sometimes using a Gibson Les Paul ). Although at present he has a signature guitar from Fender, he is also known for his signature Pensa-Suhr MK series (now known as Pensa). Knopfler and his associated bands have sold over 100 million albums, and performed live to audiences totalling many millions. He has twin sons (Benji and Joseph, born 1987 ), and two daughters Isabella ( 1998 ) and Katya ( 2003 ). Mark holds a degree in English from Leeds University and, in May 2006, was created Doctor of Music (DMus) in the University Of Newcastle Upon Tyne . ALBUMS
TRIVIA
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