Music - Albums - Videos

Dire Straits was a British rock band, formed in 1977 by Mark Knopfler (lead guitar and lead vocal), his younger brother David Knopfler (guitar, backing vocal), John Illsley (bass, backing vocal), and Pick Withers (drums), and managed by Ed Bicknell.

Although the band was formed in an era when punk rock was at the forefront, Dire Straits played a more conventional style, albeit with a stripped-down sound that appealed to audiences also weary of the overproduced stadium rock of the 1970s. In their early days, Mark and David requested that pub owners turn down their sound so that patrons could converse while the band played, an indication of their unassuming demeanor. Despite this oddly self-effacing approach to rock and roll, Dire Straits soon became hugely successful, with their first album going multi-platinum globally.
Throughout Dire Straits' career Mark Knopfler was the songwriter and also the driving force behind the group. The band's best-known songs include "Sultans of Swing", "Romeo and Juliet", "Tunnel of Love", "Telegraph Road", "Private Investigations", "Money for Nothing", "Walk of Life", "So Far Away", "Brothers in Arms" and "Calling Elvis". Dire Straits and Mark Knopfler have sold in excess of 120 million albums to date.
Awards
* BRIT Awards 1983 - Best British Group
* Grammy Awards 1986 - Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group (for 'Money For Nothing'')
* Grammy Awards 1986 Brothers in Arms Best Engineered Recording, Non-Classical
* Juno Award 1986 - International Album of the Year
* BRIT Awards 1986 - Best British Group
* MTV Video Music Awards 1986 - Video of the Year (for Money for Nothing')
* MTV Video Music Awards 1986 - Best Group Video (for Money for Nothing')
* Grammy Awards 1987 - Best Music Video, Short Form “Dire Straits Brothers in Arms”
* BRIT Awards 1987 - Best British Album (for "Brothers In Arms")
* Grammy Awards 2006 - Best Surround Sound Album for his surround sound production (for Brothers in Arms—20th Anniversary Edition, Chuck Ainlay, surround mix engineer; Bob Ludwig, surround mastering engineer; Chuck Ainlay and Mark Knopfler, surround producers)