Dire Straits (music group)

Dire Straits is a British rock band that was active from 1977 to 1995. The original group consisted of founder, guitarist, and lead singer Mark Knopfler; his guitarist brother, David Knopfler; bassist John Illsley; and drummer Pick Withers. Dire Straits initially struggled to establish itself in the London music scene of the late 1970s. The band eventually landed a recording contract and went on to become one of the most commercially successful rock bands of the 1980s, ultimately selling hundreds of millions of albums and producing hit songs such as "Sultans of Swing," "So Far Away," "Walk of Life," and "Money for Nothing." Dire Straits disbanded in 1995 because band members wanted to go in different musical directions. Their solo careers continued into the twenty-first century.

Background

Mark Knopfler began his career in rock music in the mid to late 1970s, when he was in his late twenties. At that time, he was working in the London area as a music critic and English teacher while playing guitar in a pub rock band. In 1977, Knopfler began playing with his brother, David, a social worker, and David's roommate, John Illsley, a timber broker. The musicians hoped to land a recording contract and earn mainstream attention, but this effort was not immediately successful, as the group had to compete with many other London pub bands.

That summer, the three men employed studio drummer Pick Withers to play with them on a five-song demo tape. London disc jockey Charlie Gillett eventually acquired the demo and responded positively to one of its songs, "Sultans of Swing." He played it on his BBC radio show, Honky Tonkin', where it was noticed by record executives.

The group was soon invited to accompany the American rock band Talking Heads on its tour of the United Kingdom in 1978. After this, Knopfler's band signed a record deal with Vertigo Records and spent about two weeks recording its debut album. That summer, the band signed an American record contract with Warner Bros. Records.

With these recording and distribution contracts in place, the band, now called Dire Straits, released its first album, Dire Straits, in the fall of 1978. The album was an immediate international hit, eventually selling millions of copies due mostly to the popularity of its lead single, "Sultans of Swing." Dire Straits also established what would become the band's signature sound, Knopfler's woeful vocals combined with serious, minor-key guitar-playing that was later compared to the sounds of Bob Dylan and Albert King.

Dire Straits released its second album, Communiqué, in 1979. The album was recorded quickly and yielded no major radio hits, though it still sold millions of copies worldwide. Dire Straits started recording its third album, Making Movies, in mid-1980. David left the band during the recording sessions and was immediately replaced by guitarist Hal Lindes. Making Movies, released later in 1980, sold well and earned mostly positive reviews. It featured longer, more musically complex songs such as the singles "Romeo and Juliet" and "Skateaway."

Dire Straits' next album was 1982's Love Over Gold. In the vein of Making Movies, it contained long, intricate songs that nonetheless received mainstream radio play in the United Kingdom. After completing this album, Withers left the group and was replaced by drummer Terry Williams. Dire Straits slowed its activity over the next few years as Knopfler ventured into film scoring, producing, and song writing for other singers. By late 1984, however, the band was back in the studio recording its fifth album.

Later Career

Brothers in Arms, released in 1985, displayed Knopfler's ability to cater to the international singles market. The album featured such pop-oriented songs as "So Far Away," "Walk of Life," and "Money for Nothing," a radio hit that mocked rock stars. "Money for Nothing" was accompanied by a partially animated music video that was played extensively on the then-new music-based television channel MTV. Brothers in Arms was an immediate global sensation, selling tens of millions of copies and making Dire Straits one of the most popular rock bands in the world. Brothers in Arms' singles remained in the global charts into 1986, and the band ultimately played more than two hundred shows supporting the album.

Knopfler spent the next several years again pursuing his own musical interests, playing on and producing other musicians' records and touring with English singer and guitarist Eric Clapton. Dire Straits went on an official hiatus in 1988. Knopfler then formed a country rock group called the Notting Hillbillies and later recorded a duet album with American country music singer Chet Atkins.

Knopfler returned to Dire Straits in 1990 to begin recording the band's sixth album. On Every Street was released in 1991 to a world eager to hear the follow-up to the massive hit that was Brothers in Arms. However, the new record failed to generate much interest. It produced no hit singles and sold only a few million copies in the United States; few people attended Dire Straits' subsequent On Every Street tour.

Knopfler dissolved Dire Straits amid little public attention in 1995. The next year, he embarked on a solo career with the release of his debut album, Golden Heart. Dire Straits' studio albums, as well as its multiple greatest-hits compilations, continued selling into the twenty-first century. By the 2010s, the band had sold more than 120 million albums worldwide. The individual members of Dire Straits occasionally released their own albums, but Knopfler's solo career remained the most well-known. Albums released by Knopfler in the twenty-first century included Sailing to Philadelphia (2000), Kill to Get Crimson (2007), Get Lucky (2009), Trucker (2015), Down the Road (2018), and One Deep River (2024).

Bibliography

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Bricio, Julio. Dire Straits and Mark Knopfler's London. Julio Bricio, 2015.

"Dire Straits—Discography." AllMusic, www.allmusic.com/artist/dire-straits-mn0000167517/discography. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

"Dire Straits Frontman Mark Knopfler on Fame and Family." Belfast Telegraph, 20 Mar. 2015, www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/entertainment/music/dire-straits-frontman-mark-knopfler-on-fame-and-family-31080321.html. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Dire Straits—Biography." AllMusic, www.allmusic.com/artist/dire-straits-mn0000167517/biography. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

"Mark Knopfler—Biography." Lifetime, www.lifetimetv.co.uk/biography/biography-mark-knopfler. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

Rivadavia, Eduardo. "The Day Dire Straits Broke up for the First Time." Ultimate Classic Rock, 15 Sept. 2015, ultimateclassicrock.com/dire-straits-break-up/. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.