Dire Straits were a Britishrock band formed inLondon in 1977 byMark Knopfler (lead vocals, lead guitar),David Knopfler (rhythm guitar, backing vocals),John Illsley (bass guitar, backing vocals), andPick Withers (drums, percussion). The band was active from 1977 to 1988 and again from 1990 to 1995.[2]
Dire Straits drew from influences includingcountry,folk, theblues rock ofJ. J. Cale, andjazz.[7] Their stripped-down sound contrasted withpunk rock and demonstrated aroots rock influence which emerged frompub rock. The band experienced several changes in personnel, with Mark Knopfler and Illsley being the only members who remained with the band for its entire history.[8] After their first breakup in 1988, Knopfler toldRolling Stone: "A lot of press reports were saying we were the biggest band in the world. There's not an accent then on the music, there's an accent on popularity. I needed a rest."[9] They regrouped in 1990 and disbanded permanently in June 1995, after which Knopfler launched a solo career full-time. He has declined numerous reunion offers,[10] and confirmed in April 2024 that he would never play as part of the group again.[11]
BrothersMark andDavid Knopfler were born inGlasgow, Scotland[17] and grew up inBlyth in the northeast of England. WithJohn Illsley andPick Withers, fromLeicester in the East Midlands, they formed Dire Straits inDeptford, south east London,[17] in 1977.[18] Withers was already a 10-year music business veteran, having been a session drummer forDave Edmunds,Gerry Rafferty,Magna Carta and others through the 1970s. He was the house drummer at Rockfield Studios inMonmouthshire[17] and was part of the group Spring, which recorded an album forRCA Records in 1971. At the time of the band's formation, Mark was working as anEnglish teacher,[19] Illsley was studying at Goldsmiths' College, and David was a social worker.[20] Mark and Withers had both been part of the pub rock groupBrewers Droop around 1973.[21]
The new band was initially known as the Café Racers. The name Dire Straits was coined by a musicianflatmate of Withers, allegedly thought up while they were rehearsing in the kitchen of a friend, Simon Cowe, ofLindisfarne. In 1977, the group recorded a five-song demo tape which included their future hit single, "Sultans of Swing", as well as "Water of Love" and "Down to the Waterline".[22][23] After a performance at the Rock Garden in 1977, they took a demo tape to MCA in Soho but were turned down. They sent a tape to DJCharlie Gillett, presenter ofHonky Tonk onBBC Radio London.[24] 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 theVertigo Records division ofPhonogram Inc. 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".[24]
The original Dire Straits line-up in Hamburg, Germany (1978); L to R: John Illsley, Mark Knopfler, Pick Withers, and David Knopfler
The group's first album,Dire Straits, was recorded atBasing Street studios inNotting Hill, London in February 1978, at a cost of £12,500.[25] Produced byMuff Winwood, it was first released in the United Kingdom on Vertigo Records, then a division of Phonogram Inc. It came to the attention ofA&R representativeKarin Berg, working atWarner 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.[25] Many of the songs on the album reflected Mark Knopfler's experiences inNewcastle,Leeds and London. "Down to the Waterline" recalled images of life in Newcastle; "In the Gallery" is a tribute to Leeds sculptor/artist Harry Phillips (father ofSteve Phillips); "Wild West End" and "Lions" were drawn from Knopfler's early days in the capital.[26][27]
That year, Dire Straits began a tour as opening band forTalking Heads, after the re-released "Sultans of Swing" finally started to climb the UK charts.[28] This led to a United States recording contract withWarner Bros. Records; before the end of 1978, Dire Straits had released their self-titled debut worldwide. They received more attention in the US, but also arrived at the top of the charts in Canada, Australia and New Zealand.Dire Straits eventually wenttop 10 in every European country.
The following year, Dire Straits embarked on their first North American tour. They played 51 sold-out concerts over a 38-day period.[29] "Sultans of Swing" scaled the charts to No. 4 in the US and No. 8 in the United Kingdom.[28][30] The song was one of Dire Straits' biggest hits and became a fixture in the band's live performances.Bob Dylan, who had seen the band play in Los Angeles, was so impressed that he invited Mark Knopfler and drummer Pick Withers to play on his next album,Slow Train Coming.[31]
Recording sessions for the group's second album,Communiqué, took place in December 1978 atCompass Point Studios inNassau, Bahamas. Released in June 1979,Communiqué was produced byJerry Wexler andBarry Beckett and went to No. 1 on the German album charts, with the debut albumDire Straits simultaneously at No. 3. In the United Kingdom, the album peaked at No. 5 in the album charts. Featuring the single "Lady Writer", the second album continued in a similar vein to the first and displayed the expanding scope of Knopfler's lyricism on the opening track, "Once Upon a Time in the West".[32] In the coming year, however, this approach began to change, along with the group's line-up.
1980–1984:Making Movies,Love Over Gold and other side projects
In 1980, Dire Straits were nominated for twoGrammy Awards forBest New Artist andBest Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group for "Sultans of Swing".[33] In July 1980, the band started recording tracks for their third album. Produced byJimmy Iovine, with Mark Knopfler also sharing credit,Making Movies was released in October 1980. During the recording sessions, tensions between the Knopfler brothers reached a point where David Knopfler decided to leave the band for a solo career.[34] The remaining trio continued the album, with a session guitaristSid McGinnis on rhythm guitar, although he was uncredited on the album, andRoy Bittan fromBruce Springsteen'sE Street Band guesting on keyboards. After the recording sessions were completed, keyboardistAlan Clark and Californian guitaristHal Lindes joined Dire Straits as full-time members for theOn Location tour of Europe, North America, and Oceania.[25]
Making Movies received mostly positive reviews and featured longer songs with more complex arrangements, a style which would continue for the rest of the band's career. The album featured many of Mark Knopfler's most personal compositions. The most successful chart single was "Romeo and Juliet" (number 8 in theUK Singles Chart), a song about a failed love affair, with Knopfler's trademark in keeping personal songs under fictitious names.[35] Although never released as a hit single, "Solid Rock" was featured in all Dire Straits' live shows from this point on for the remainder of their career, while the album's lengthy opening track, "Tunnel of Love", with its intro "The Carousel Waltz" byRichard Rodgers andOscar Hammerstein II, was featured in the 1982Richard Gere filmAn Officer and a Gentleman. Although "Tunnel of Love" reached only no. 54 in the UK when released as a single in 1981, it remains one of Dire Straits' most famous and popular songs and immediately became a favourite live staple, entering the band’s concert repertoire from this point onwards.Making Movies stayed in theUK Albums Chart for five years, peaking at No. 4.[36]Rolling Stone rankedMaking Movies number 52 on its list of the "100 Best Albums of the Eighties".[37]
Knopfler and Lindes onstage inAmsterdam, June 1981
Dire Straits' fourth studio albumLove Over Gold, an album of songs filled with lengthy passages that featured Alan Clark's piano and keyboard work, was well received when it was released in September 1982, going gold in America and spending four weeks at number one in the United Kingdom. The title was inspired by graffiti seen from the window of Knopfler's old council flat in London. The phrase was taken from the sleeve of an album byCaptain Beefheart.Love Over Gold was the first Dire Straits album produced solely by Mark Knopfler, and its main chart hit, "Private Investigations", gave Dire Straits their first top 5 hit single in the United Kingdom, where it reached the number 2 position, despite its almost seven-minute length, and became another of the band's most popular live songs.[38]
In other parts of the world, "Industrial Disease", a song that looks at the decline of the Britishmanufacturing industry in the early 1980s, focusing on strikes, depression and dysfunctionality, was the main single from the album, particularly in Canada, where it became a top 10 hit. As well as thetitle track and "It Never Rains",Love Over Gold featured the 14-minute epic "Telegraph Road". Also written by Knopfler during this period was "Private Dancer", which did not appear on the album, but was eventually given toTina Turner for her comeback album ofthe same name.Love Over Gold reportedly sold two million copies during the first six weeks after its release. Shortly after the recording sessions ofLove Over Gold had been completed drummer Pick Withers left the band. His replacement wasTerry Williams, formerly ofRockpile and a range of other Welsh bands, includingMan.[39]
In January 1983, a four-songEP titledExtendedancEPlay was released whileLove Over Gold was still in the album charts. It featured the hit single "Twisting By the Pool", which reached the Top 20 in the UK and Canada. The band wonBest British Group at the1983Brit Awards.[40] Dire Straits embarked on an eight-month-long Love over Gold Tour, which finished with two concerts at London'sHammersmith Odeon on 22 and 23 July 1983.King Crimson saxophonistMel Collins and session keyboardistTommy Mandel, who had played withBryan Adams since 1981, joined the live line-up to help Clark cover his increasingly detailed keyboard parts and arrangements. The double albumAlchemy Live was a recording of excerpts from the final two concerts and was reportedly released without studiooverdubs. It was released in March 1984, reaching the Top 3 in the UK Albums Chart.[41]
During 1983 and 1984, Mark Knopfler was also involved with other projects outside of Dire Straits, some of which other band members contributed towards. Knopfler and Terry Williams contributed toPhil Everly´s andCliff Richard´s UK hit single "She Means Nothing To Me", released in early 1983, and Knopfler had also expressed his interest writing film music, and after producerDavid Puttnam responded[42][43] he wrote and produced the music score to the filmLocal Hero. The album was released in April 1983[44] and received aBAFTA Award nomination forBest Original Film Music the following year.[45] Alan Clark contributed significantly, and other Dire Straits members Illsley, Lindes and Williams played on one track, "Freeway Flyer", whileGerry Rafferty sang lead vocals on "The Way It Always Starts".[46] The closing track on the album and played during the credits in the film is the instrumental "Going Home: Theme of the Local Hero" which was released as a single, and remains very popular among football fans, especially those of Knopfler’s home town club,Newcastle United, as it is played as the team runs out before every home game.[47] The track immediately became a popular live staple for Dire Straits, entering the band's repertoire from 1983 onwards.[48][49]
"Local Hero" was followed in 1984 byCal, which was also released on album and to which John Illsley and Terry Williams contributed, andComfort and Joy, which also featured contributions from Williams. Also, during this time Knopfler producedBob Dylan'sInfidels which also featured Alan Clark, as well as albums forAztec Camera andWilly DeVille. Also in 1984, John Illsley released his first solo album,Never Told a Soul, to which Knopfler, Clark and Williams all contributed.[50] Knopfler also teamed up withBryan Ferry to contribute lead guitar to one track from his solo albumBoys and Girls, released in June 1985.
1985–1986:Brothers in Arms and international success
Dire Straits returned to recording at the end of 1984 and began recording tracks atGeorge Martin'sAIR Studios inMontserrat for their upcoming fifth studio album, to be titledBrothers in Arms, with Mark Knopfler andNeil Dorfsman producing.[51] The recording sessions saw further personnel changes. Taking the place of Tommy Mandel,Guy Fletcher joined Dire Straits full time so that the band had a permanent second keyboardist.[25] Fletcher had previously worked as a session musician withRoxy Music and onAztec Camera’s second album (released in 1984 and produced by Knopfler), and he had also worked with Knopfler on theCal andComfort and Joy soundtracks. Hal Lindes left the band early on during the recording sessions and was replaced in December 1984 byJack Sonni, a New York-based guitarist and longstanding friend of Knopfler (although Sonni's contribution to the album was minimal).[52]
According to aSound on Sound magazine interview with Neil Dorfsman, the drumming style of Terry Williams was considered to be unsuitable for the desired sound of the album during the first month of the recording sessions at Montserrat.[53] Williams was released from the recording sessions and temporarily replaced by jazz session drummerOmar Hakim, who re-recorded the album's drum parts within three days before leaving for other commitments.[54] Both Hakim and Williams are credited on the album,[55] although Williams’ sole contribution on the finished album was the improvised crescendo at the beginning of "Money for Nothing" and the rockabilly track "Walk of Life". According to another interview with Dorfsman, Williams played toms and tom fills throughout "Money for Nothing" and "Walk of Life", while Omar Hakim played drums on all the remaining tracks on the album.[56] According to Williams, he recorded all his drum parts to a click track which he felt hindered his ability to channel the rhythmic feel he wanted. Around six weeks after the recording sessions started, Williams voiced his disappointment to Mark Knopfler over some of his playing so far after listening to a playback of what was recorded; shortly after this, he was dismissed from the sessions.[57] Williams would however be back in the band as a full time member for the music videos and the1985–1986 Brothers in Arms world tour that followed.[55]
Released in May 1985,Brothers in Arms entered theUK Albums Chart at number 1 and spent a total of 228 weeks in the charts[58] and sold over 4 million copies.[59] It went on to become thebest-selling album of 1985 in the UK.[28]Brothers in Arms was similarly successful in the US, peaking at No. 1 onBillboard 200 for nine weeks, going multi-platinum and selling nine million copies there.[33][60] The album spent 34 weeks at number 1 on the AustralianARIA Charts, and it remains the longest-running number one album in Australia.[61]
The album featured a more lavish production and overall sound than Dire Straits' earlier work and spawned several big chart singles: "Money for Nothing", which reached number 1 on the USBillboard Hot 100, and number 4 in theUK Singles Chart, "So Far Away" (No. 20 UK, No. 19 US), "Brothers in Arms" (No. 16 UK), "Walk of Life" (No. 2 UK, No. 7 US), and "Your Latest Trick" (No. 26 UK).[33] "Money for Nothing" was the first video to be played onMTV in the UK and featured guest vocals bySting, who is credited with co-writing the song with Mark Knopfler, although it was the inclusion of the melody from "Don't Stand So Close To Me" that triggered the copyright credit, as no actual lyrics were written by Sting. It also won aGrammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal in February 1986.[62]
Some sources citeBrothers in Arms as the first album recorded entirely digitally,[63][64] but the history ofcommercially-released all-digital recordings goes back to the early 1970s, and multitrack digital recorders were used for popular music albums by the late 1970s.[65] Written during Britain's involvement in theFalklands War of 1982, the album's title track, "Brothers in Arms", deals with the senselessness of war.[51][66] In 2007, the 25th anniversary of the war, Knopfler recorded a new version of the song atAbbey Road Studios to raise funds for British veterans who he said "are still suffering from the effects of that conflict."[67] "Brothers in Arms" has become a favourite at military funerals.[68] Reported to be the world's first CD single, it was issued in the UK as a promotional item distinguished with a logo for the tour, Live in '85, while a second to commemorate the Australian leg of the tour marked Live in '86.[69] "Walk of Life", meanwhile, was nearly excluded from the album when co-producer Neil Dorfsman voted against its inclusion, but the band members out-voted him. The result was Dire Straits' most commercially successful hit single in the UK, peaking at number two.[28]
Dire Straits performing inBelgrade, Yugoslavia, (now Serbia) on 10 May 1985. Left to right: Mark Knopfler, Alan Clark, and Jack Sonni.
The album is listed in theGuinness Book of World Records as the first compact disc (CD) to sell a million copies,[70] and it has been credited with popularising the CD format.[63][71]The Guardian ranked theBrothers in Arms CD number 38 in their list of the 50 key events in rock music history.[63] The album featured the full version of the "Money for Nothing" cut, rather than the LP version, and it also includes extended versions of all tracks on the first side of the LP, with the exception of "Walk of Life".[72]
The1985–1986 Brothers in Arms world tour which followed the album's release was phenomenally successful, with over 2.5 million tickets sold.[73] The tour included dates in Europe, Israel, North America, and Australia and New Zealand. The band, joined by saxophonistChris White, played 248 shows in over 100 different cities.[74] The tour began on 25 April 1985 inSplit, Croatia (then part of Yugoslavia). While playing a 13-night residency atWembley Arena in London, the band moved down the road toWembley Stadium on the afternoon of 13 July 1985, to appear in aLive Aid slot,[75] in which their set included "Money For Nothing" withSting as guest vocalist. John Illsley states, "It was a very special feeling to be part of something so unique. Live Aid was a unique privilege for all of us. It’s become a fabulous memory."[76] The tour ended at theSydney Entertainment Centre, Australia, on 26 April 1986, where Dire Straits still holds the record for consecutive appearances at 21 nights.[77] The band also made an impromptu attempt at the Australian folk song "Waltzing Matilda". With 900,000 tickets sold in Australia and New Zealand, it was the biggest concert tour in Australasian music history, until it was overtaken in 2017–2018 byEd Sheeran.[78]
Dire Straits performed at Live Aid at the oldWembley Stadium (exterior pictured) on 13 July 1985, in between 13 dates at the nearby Wembley Arena.
Additionally, in 1985, a group that set out from London toKhartoum to raise money for famine relief, led by John Abbey, was called "The Walk of Life". Dire Straits donated theBrothers in Arms Gold disc to the participants in recognition of what they were doing.
The band's concert of 10 July 1985 atWembley Arena, in which they were accompanied byNils Lofgren for "Solid Rock" andHank Marvin joined the band at the end to play "Going Home" (the theme fromLocal Hero), was partially televised in the United Kingdom onThe Tube onChannel 4 in January 1986.[79] (Although never officially released,bootleg recordings of the performance entitledWembley does the Walk (2005) have been circulated.)
In 1986,Brothers in Arms won twoGrammy Awards and also won Best British Album at the1987Brit Awards.[62][80]Q magazine placed the album at number 51 in its list of the 100 Greatest British Albums Ever in 2000.[81] The album also ranked number 351 onRolling Stone magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time" in 2003.[82]Brothers in Arms is also ranked number 3 in the best albums of 1985 and number 31 in the best albums of the 1980s, and as of December 2017, the album was ranked theeighth-best-selling album in UK chart history, and is the 107th-best-selling album in the United States.[83] In August 1986,MTV Europe was launched with Dire Straits' "Money for Nothing".[84]
After theBrothers in Arms tour ended, Mark Knopfler took a break from Dire Straits, and, during 1987, he concentrated on solo projects and film soundtracks. Dire Straits regrouped in 1988 for theNelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute concert, staged on 11 June 1988 at Wembley Stadium, in which they were the headline act. Guitarist Jack Sonni was unable to play the show as it coincided with the birth of his twin daughters, soEric Clapton played rhythm guitar with the band, and during the set performed his hit "Wonderful Tonight" with them.[85][86] Sonni and Terry Williams both officially left the band shortly afterwards.[87]
A 1989 signed Knopfler guitar at the Blues bar in Chicago
Mark Knopfler announced the dissolution of Dire Straits in September 1988. He told Rob Tannenbaum inRolling Stone: "A lot of press reports were saying we were the biggest band in the world. There's not an accent then on the music, there's an accent on popularity. I needed a rest."[88] The tremendous success of theBrothers in Arms album and the tour that went with it left the band members under a significant amount of stress, and Knopfler announced that he wanted to work on more personal projects. A greatest hits compilation,Money for Nothing, was released in October 1988 and reached number one in the UK.[38] The group's first hit single "Sultans of Swing" was re-released as a single in the UK to promote the album.[89] Also in 1988, John Illsley released his second solo album,Glass, which featured Mark Knopfler, Alan Clark, Guy Fletcher and Chris White.[90] During this period, Alan Clark joined Eric Clapton's band for three years, during which time Knopfler also briefly joined.
In May 1989, Dire Straits reunited for a one off charity concert at the Mayfair Ballroom in Newcastle in honour of 11-year-old Joanne Gillespie – the National Children of Courage and North East Personality award winner who published the 1989 bookBrave Heart about her fight against cancer. The concert raised more than £35,000. This was the last ever appearance by Terry Williams as the band’s drummer, andBrendan Croker played rhythm guitar in place of Jack Sonni.[91][92][93] Also in 1989 over a meal at a Notting Hill wine bar,[85] Knopfler formedthe Notting Hillbillies, a country band featuring Guy Fletcher, Brendan Croker, andSteve Phillips, and their manager, Ed Bicknell on drums. The Notting Hillbillies' one album,Missing...Presumed Having a Good Time, with its single "Your Own Sweet Way", was released in March 1990. The Notting Hillbillies toured for the remainder of the year and appeared onSaturday Night Live. Knopfler further emphasised his country music influences on his 1990 collaboration with the guitaristChet Atkins,Neck and Neck.[94]
In 1990, Dire Straits (Knopfler, Illsley, Clark and Fletcher), performed alongside Eric Clapton and his band at theKnebworth Festival, playing "Solid Rock", "Money for Nothing" and "I Think I Love You Too Much". Knopfler explained that the latter was an experimental song and was unsure if they should record it on a following record.[95] The song, ablues rock track with solos by Knopfler and Clapton, also appeared on the 1990 albumHell To Pay as a gift[96] to Canadian blues/jazz artistJeff Healey from Knopfler. This was prior to the time that Knopfler, Illsley and manager Ed Bicknell decided to reform the band the following year.[97]
In 1990, Dire Straits reunited. Retaining Bicknell as their manager, Mark Knopfler, John Illsley, Alan Clark and Guy Fletcher were joined in the studio by saxophonist Chris White, steel guitaristPaul Franklin, percussionist Danny Cummings and guitaristPhil Palmer, with drums split betweenJeff Porcaro ofToto andManu Katché.[97][98] The new album was produced by Knopfler, Clark and Fletcher.
Dire Straits released their sixth studio album,On Every Street, in September 1991, which turned out to be their final studio release. It was met with more moderate success and mixed reviews, as well as a significantly reduced audience. Some retrospective reviewers, including theAll Music Guide,[99] dubbedOn Every Street an "underwhelming" follow-up toBrothers in Arms. However, it had sold 15 million copies by 2008,[100] and on release, it went straight to number 1 in the UK Albums Chart.[101] The album also reached number 1 in numerous European countries and Australia, and was particularly successful in France, where it achieved Diamond certification. In the US, it peaked at number 12.[28][30]
Several singles were released from the album, some of which achieved success in Europe, Australasia and the US; however, none were successful in the UK.[102] An edited version of the opening track "Calling Elvis" was the first single released from the album. With a video based on the 1960s television showThunderbirds, the track charted at number 21 on its first week in the UK Singles Chart but dropped out of the charts within four weeks. The track fared much better elsewhere, however, reaching the top 10 in Australia, New Zealand and throughout Europe, peaking as high as the number 2 position in several countries, including Denmark and Switzerland, and number 1 in Italy.
The follow-up single, "Heavy Fuel", failed to reach the Top 50 in the UK Singles chart; however, it reached number one in the US on theBillboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart,[103] their second song to do so (after "Money for Nothing"). The track reached the top 20 in Canada and Belgium and peaked inside the top 30 in other European countries, as well as Australia. The album'stitle track was also relatively unsuccessful in the UK, failing to reach the top 40, although it reached the top 25 in France. The final single released in the UK was "The Bug", which reached the top 25 in Canada and contains backing vocals byVince Gill, who was invited to join the band full-time but declined and pursued a solo career.[104] "You and Your Friend" was also released as a single in France and Germany, but not in the UK.
Dire Straits, withChris Whitten on drums,[105] embarked on a world tour to promote the album, which lasted until October 1992. TheOn Every Street Tour featured 300 shows in front of some 7.1 million ticket-buying fans.[106] While musically more elaborate than the previous 1985–86 world tour, the band's gruelling final tour was not as critically acclaimed nor as commercially successful. This proved to be too much for Dire Straits, and by this time Mark Knopfler had enough of such massive operations. This led to the second and final break-up. Bill Flanagan described the sequence of events inGQ: "The subsequent world tour lasted nearly two years, made mountains of money and drove Dire Straits into the ground. When the tour was over, both Knopfler's marriage and his band were gone."
Following theirOn Every Street Tour, John Illsley stated, "Personal relationships were in trouble and it put a terrible strain on everybody, emotionally and physically. We were changed by it. Neither of us wants to go back to those days."[107]
ManagerEd Bicknell also said, "The last tour was utter misery. Whatever thezeitgeist was that we had been part of, it had passed." John Illsley agreed, saying "Personal relationships were in trouble and it put a terrible strain on everybody, emotionally and physically. We were changed by it."[107] The last stop and final touring concert of the group took place on 9 October 1992 inZaragoza,Aragon, Spain.[108]
After the end of the tour, Mark Knopfler expressed a wish to give up touring on a big scale and took some time out from the music business. A live album,On the Night, was released in May 1993, which documented the tour, again to very mixed reviews. Nevertheless, it reached the UK Top 5, a rare achievement for a live album.[28] The four trackEncores EP was also released and rose to number one in the French and Spanish singles charts and reached number 31 in the UK.[109][110]
Dire Straits' final album,Live at the BBC, is a collection of live recordings from 1978 to 1981, which mostly feature the original line-up of the band.[111] Released in June 1995, their third and final live album was a contractual release toVertigo Records (now a division ofMercury Records).[111] At this time, Mark Knopfler quietly disbanded Dire Straits and prepared to work on his first fully fledged solo album (still signed to Mercury Records).[112] Knopfler later recalled that, "I put the thing to bed because I wanted to get back to some kind of reality. It's self-protection, a survival thing. That kind of scale is dehumanising."[113] Knopfler spent two years recovering from the experience, which had taken a toll on his creative and personal life.[114]
1996–present: Reunion speculations and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction
After disbanding Dire Straits, Mark Knopfler started a career as a solo artist, releasing his first solo album,Golden Heart, in March 1996 after nearly 20 years of collaborations.Brothers in Arms was certified nine timesplatinum in the US in August 1996.[33] During that year, the entire Dire Straits catalogue was remastered byBob Ludwig and re-released on CD onMercury Records, in most of the world outside the US. The remasters were released in September 2000 in the US onWarner Bros.
Knopfler, John Illsley, Alan Clark, and Guy Fletcher reunited for one last time on 19 June 1999, withEd Bicknell on drums, playing five songs, includingChuck Berry's "Nadine", for Illsley's wedding.[115] In July 2002, Knopfler was joined by Illsley, Fletcher, Danny Cummings and Chris White for four charity concerts under the name of "Mark Knopfler and friends".[116] Brendan Croker joined Knopfler during the first half, playing mainly material composed with The Notting Hillbillies. Illsley came on for a Dire Straits session toward the end of which, at a Shepherd's Bush concert,Jimmy Nail provided backing vocals for Knopfler's solo composition, "Why Aye Man". This song appeared onThe Ragpicker's Dream (2002), an album that contained references to Knopfler's home area in the north east of England.[117]
Mark Knopfler, pictured in 2015, has declined offers to re-form the band, stating "It just got too big. If anyone can tell me one good thing about fame, I'd be very interested to hear it."[10]
Since the break-up of Dire Straits, Knopfler has shown no interest in re-forming the band and is quoted as saying he was not interested in "getting all that stuff back together again."[10] He said, "I would only do that for a charity. I'm glad I've experienced it all – I had a lot of fun with it – but I like things the way they are." Keyboardist Guy Fletcher has been associated with almost all of Knopfler's solo work to date and Danny Cummings has been a frequent contributor, notably to Knopfler's solo album releasesAll the Roadrunning (with Emmylou Harris),Kill to Get Crimson,Get Lucky andOne Deep River.[119][120]
In 2007, Knopfler said he did not miss the global fame that came his way at the height of the band's success. He said, "It just got too big."[10] In October 2008, Illsley told theBBC that he hoped Knopfler would agree to re-form Dire Straits for a comeback tour. Knopfler declined, saying that he was reluctant to re-form the group and that he was not "a fan of Dire Straits' early hits."[121][122] In the same interview, Illsley said Knopfler was enjoying his continuing success as a solo artist. "He's doing incredibly well as a solo artist, so hats off to him. He's having a perfectly good time doing what he's doing."[10]Guy Fletcher stated on his website that Knopfler had no interest in re-forming Dire Straits.[123]
In December 2009, the band were commemorated with aHeritage Award fromPRS for Music. A plaque was placed on a block of flats inDeptford, London, where Dire Straits was formed and played their first gig.[124] In 2011, Alan Clark, Chris White, and Phil Palmer, along withTom Petty and the Heartbreakers' drummerSteve Ferrone, formed a new band, the Straits, to perform at a charity show at theRoyal Albert Hall in London.[125]
On 13 December 2017, Dire Straits were announced as inductees into theRock and Roll Hall of Fame for 2018.[126] Speaking toBillboard magazine, John Illsley said he was pleased to have his work as a musician recognised,[108] but felt that Knopfler was not enthusiastic about a possible reunion performance. Knopfler did not appear at the ceremony; John Illsley,Alan Clark and Guy Fletcher were the only band members who attended.[127] Dire Straits were the first act ever inducted without anyone introducing them, and they did not perform.[128]
In 2009, Illsley and Clark performed several Dire Straits songs in an open air concert in San Vigilio, and since then, Clark, Palmer, Illsley, Cummings, Collins, Sonni and Withers, in various line-ups, have toured as the Dire Straits Legends and continue as the Dire Straits Legacy. They have released an album,3 Chord Trick.[129] In a 2018 US tour they were joined byTrevor Horn on bass andSteve Ferrone on drums.[130]
In September 2021, Alan Clark released his piano solo albumBackstory, and in November 2021 Illsley published his autobiographyMy Life in Dire Straits. Former Straits guitaristJack Sonni died on 30 August 2023 at the age of 68.[131]
In November 2023, John Illsley reiterated in an interview that he and Knopfler had no interest in reforming Dire Straits, in spite of having received large financial offers to reform. He reflected that the band members had "reached the end of the road" after the end of their final world tour in 1992, and that he was "pretty happy" when the band's run came to an end, recalling feeling "mentally, physically and emotionally exhausted" by the time Dire Straits disbanded.[132][133] He said he and Knopfler had enjoyed the success of the band, despite the stress of keeping it working, and quoted Knopfler's comment that "success is great, but fame is [...] something you don't really want".[134] Knopfler said: "I had an absolute ball for as long as it lasted, until it got so big that I didn't know the names of all the roadies [...] It got so big, we were actually leapfrogging stages [running duplicate convoys of equipment]."[135]
Dire Straits are one of the most popular British rock bands and one of the world's most commercially successful artists, with more than 120 million albums sold worldwide.[16]
Grammy Award 2006 – Best Surround Sound Album (for his surround sound production forBrothers in Arms—20th Anniversary Edition, Chuck Ainlay, surround mix engineer; Bob Ludwig, surround mastering engineer; Chuck Ainlay and Mark Knopfler, surround producers)
^abcIllsley, John (2021).My Life in Dire Straits : The Inside Story of One of the Biggest Bands in Rock History. London, UK: Bantam Press.ISBN978-1-78763-436-7.OCLC1282301626.
^Humphries, Patrick.Absolutely Dylan, p. 213. Viking Studio Books, 1991.
^Considine, J.D. (2004)."Dire Straits".The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Rolling Stone Magazine. Archived fromthe original on 26 July 2008. Retrieved13 February 2009.
^Whitburn, Joel (2002).Joel Whitburn's Rock Tracks: Mainstream Rock 1981-2002: Modern Rock, 1988-2002: Bonus Section! Classic Rock Tracks, 1964–1980. Record Research. p. 48.
^Neck and Neck (booklet). Chet Atkins and Mark Knopfler. New York: Columbia Records. 1990. pp. 1–3. CK 45307.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
Illsley, John (2021).My Life in Dire Straits : The Inside Story of One of the Biggest Bands in Rock History. London, UK: Bantam Press.ISBN978-1-78763-436-7.OCLC1282301626.
