56 Facts About Mark Knopfler

Mark Freuder Knopfler was born on 12 August 1949 and is a British musician.

Mark Knopfler was the lead guitarist, singer and songwriter of the rock band Dire Straits from 1977 to 1995.

Mark Knopfler pursued a solo career after the band dissolved, and is an independent artist.

Mark Knopfler has composed and produced film scores for nine films, including Local Hero, Cal, The Princess Bride, Wag the Dog and Altamira.

Mark Knopfler has produced albums for Tina Turner, Bob Dylan, and Randy Newman.

Mark Knopfler was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Dire Straits in 2018.

Mark Freuder Knopfler was born on 12 August 1949 in Glasgow, Scotland, to an English mother, Louisa Mary, and a Hungarian Jewish father, Erwin Knopfler.

Mark Knopfler's mother was a teacher and his father was an architect and a chess player who left his native Hungary in 1939 to flee the Nazis.

Mark Knopfler's older sister Ruth was born in Newcastle, where Mark Knopfler's parents were married, in 1947.

Originally inspired by his uncle Kingsley's harmonica and boogie-woogie piano playing, Mark Knopfler soon became familiar with many different styles of music.

In 1968, after studying journalism for a year at Harlow College, Mark Knopfler was hired as a junior reporter in Leeds for the Yorkshire Evening Post.

Two years later, Mark Knopfler decided to further his education, and later graduated with a degree in English at the University of Leeds.

In 1980 whilst the recording sessions for Making Movies were taking place, tensions between the Mark Knopfler brothers reached a point where David Mark Knopfler decided to leave the band for a solo career.

Mark Knopfler had expressed his interest writing film music, and after producer David Puttnam responded he wrote and produced the music score to the film Local Hero.

Also during this time Mark Knopfler produced Bob Dylan's Infidels album, as well as Knife by Aztec Camera.

Mark Knopfler wrote the song "Private Dancer" for Tina Turner's comeback album of the same name to which other Dire Straits members John Illsley, Alan Clark, Hal Lindes and Terry Williams contributed.

Mark Knopfler contributed lead guitar to Bryan Ferry's album Boys and Girls, released in June 1985.

Mark Knopfler joined the charity ensemble Ferry Aid on "Let It Be" in the wake of the Zeebrugge ferry disaster.

Mark Knopfler wrote the music score for the film The Princess Bride, released at the end of 1987.

Mark Knopfler took part in a comedy skit titled "The Easy Guitar Book Sketch" with comedian Rowland Rivron and fellow British musicians David Gilmour, Lemmy from Motorhead, Mark King from Level 42, and Gary Moore.

Phil Taylor explained in an interview that Mark Knopfler used Gilmour's guitar rig and managed to sound like himself when performing in the skit.

In September 1988 Mark Knopfler announced the official dissolution of Dire Straits, saying that he "needed a rest".

In 1989, Mark Knopfler formed the Notting Hillbillies, a band at the other end of the commercial spectrum.

Mark Knopfler further emphasised his country music influences with his 1990s collaboration with Chet Atkins, Neck and Neck, which won three Grammy awards.

In 1995, following the release of Live at the BBC, Mark Knopfler quietly dissolved Dire Straits and launched his career as a solo artist.

Since the break-up of Dire Straits, Mark Knopfler has shown no interest in reforming the group.

In October 2008 Mark Knopfler declined a suggestion by John Illsley that the band should reform.

Illsley said that a reunion would be "entirely up to Mark"; however, he observed that Knopfler was enjoying his success as a solo artist.

Mark Knopfler did not attend the induction ceremony; however, remaining members John Illsley, Guy Fletcher and Alan Clark were in attendance to accept the award on behalf of the band.

In November 2021, John Illsley published his autobiography My Life in Dire Straits, in which he confirms that Mark Knopfler has no interest in reforming Dire Straits, which he again reiterated in an interview in November 2023.

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

Mark Knopfler composed his first film score in 1983 for Local Hero.

On 15 September 1997, Mark Knopfler appeared at the Music for Montserrat concert at the Royal Albert Hall, London, performing alongside artists such as Sting, Phil Collins, Elton John, Eric Clapton and Paul McCartney.

Also in 2002, Mark Knopfler released his third solo album, The Ragpicker's Dream.

The planned Ragpicker's Dream tour was cancelled, but Mark Knopfler recovered and returned to the stage in 2004 for his fourth album, Shangri-La.

Mark 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.

In February 2009, Mark Knopfler gave an intimate solo concert at the Garrick Club in London.

Mark Knopfler had recently become a member of the exclusive gentlemen's club for men of letters.

In February 2011, Mark Knopfler began work on his next solo album, Privateering, working with Guy Fletcher.

The next year Mark Knopfler covered a Bob Dylan song, "Restless Farewell", for an Amnesty International 50th Anniversary celebration record.

Mark Knopfler began work on another studio album in September 2013, again at his British Grove Studios in London with Guy Fletcher co-producing.

Mark Knopfler appears in Cliff Richard's song "PS Please" included on the Richard album Music.

Mark Knopfler penned the score for the musical version of Local Hero, including new songs alongside adding lyrics to the original instrumental music, reuniting again with Bill Forsyth.

In January 2024, Mark Knopfler announced his latest album, One Deep River, which was released in April 2024, collaborating with Guy Fletcher .

Mark Knopfler further emphasised his country music influences with his collaboration with Chet Atkins, Neck and Neck, which was released in 1990.

Randy Travis released another of Mark Knopfler's songs, "Are We in Trouble Now", in 1996.

Mark Knopfler is featured on Kris Kristofferson's album The Austin Sessions, released in 1999 by Atlantic Records.

Mark Knopfler charted two singles on the Canadian country music singles chart.

Again in 2006, Mark Knopfler contributed the song "Whoop De Doo" to Jimmy Buffett's Gulf and Western style album Take the Weather with You.

Mark Knopfler was peerless as craftsman and virtuoso, able to plug into rock's classic lineage and bend it to sometimes wild forms.

Mark Knopfler wrote terrific songs, too: taut mini-dramas of dark depths and dazzling melodic and lyrical flourishes.

Mark Knopfler has been married three times, first to Kathy White, his long-time girlfriend from school days.

Mark Knopfler and Salomone have twin sons, who were born in 1987.

On Valentine's Day 1997 in Barbados, Mark Knopfler married British actress and writer Kitty Aldridge, whom he had known for three years.

Mark Knopfler is a fan of Newcastle United FC "Going Home " is used by Newcastle United as an anthem at home games.

Mark Knopfler has a collection of classic cars which he races and exhibits at shows, including a Maserati 300S and an Austin-Healey 100S.