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Mark Knopfler OBE (born 12 August 1949, Glasgow, Scotland) is a British guitarist, singer, songwriter and film score composer. Knopfler is best-known as the lead guitarist, vocalist and songwriter for the British rock band Dire Straits,

Which he co-founded in 1977 with his brother David. After Dire Straits disbanded in 1995, Knopfler has continued to record and produce albums as a solo artist, under his own name. Occasionally, Knopfler has played in other groups, such as the The Notting Hillbillies; as well, he has guested on works by other artists, including The Dandy Warhols, Bob Dylan, Bryan Ferry, Eric Clapton, Jeff Healey, John Fogerty, Jools Holland, Steely Dan, Emmylou Harris, Sonny Landreth, Phil Lynott and Chet Atkins. He has produced albums for artists such as Tina Turner, Randy Newman and Bob Dylan. In addition, he has scored the music to several films, including Metroland, Local Hero, Cal, Last Exit to Brooklyn, Wag the Dog, and Rob Reiner's classic, The Princess Bride. He is one of the most respected fingerstyle guitarists of the modern rock era. Knopfler was ranked #27 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time." Mark Knopfler and Dire Straits have sold in excess of 120 million albums to date.
Mark Knopfler was born to an English mother and a Hungarian Jewish father, an architect whose communist sympathies forced him to flee the fascist regime of his native Hungary. The family first moved to Scotland, but then settled in Knopfler's mother's home town of Newcastle upon Tyne in the north-east of England when he was around 7 years old. There, he and his younger brother David (also a musician) attended Gosforth Grammar School, where he was inspired by his uncle Kingsley's harmonica and boogie-woogie piano playing. Later, in his teens, he wanted to buy an expensive flamingo-pink Fender Stratocaster just like Hank Marvin's, but had to settle for a £50 twin pickup Höfner Super Solid. Like many other schoolboys of the 1960s, he served an early apprenticeship by forming and joining anonymous schoolboy bands and listening to singers like Elvis Presley and guitarists Chet Atkins, Scotty Moore, Jimi Hendrix, Django Reinhardt and James Burton. At age 16, he made a local TV appearance as half of a harmony duo along with a friend from school named Sue Hercombe.
The Dire Straits years (1977-1995)
Dire Straits' first demos were done in three sessions during 1977, with Pick Withers as drummer and John Illsley on bass guitar. On the 27 July, 1977 they recorded the now famous demo tapes of five songs - "Wild West End", "Sultans of Swing", "Down To The Waterline", "Sacred Loving" (a David Knopfler song) and "Water of Love". In what was probably October they recorded "Southbound Again", "In The Gallery" and "Six Blade Knife" for BBC Radio London and, finally, on the 9th of November demo tapes were made of "Setting Me Up", "Eastbound Train" and "Real Girl". Many of these songs reflected Mark's experiences in Newcastle, Leeds and London, and were to be featured on their first album, the self-titled Dire Straits which was released in the following year: "Down To The Waterline" recalled images of life in Newcastle; "In The Gallery" is a tribute to a Leeds sculptor/artist named Harry Phillips, (father of Steve Phillips); and "Lions", "Wild West End" and "Eastbound Train" were all drawn from Mark's early days in the capital.
Solo career (1996-present)
Mark Knopfler's first solo album, Golden Heart, featuring the UK single "Darling Pretty", was released in March 1996. During the recording sessions for the album the main line-up of Knopfler's backing band, also known as "The 96'ers," was formed, featuring Knopfler's old bandmate Guy Fletcher on keyboards, and has lasted much longer than any Dire Straits line-up.
In 1997 Knopfler recorded the soundtrack for the movie Wag the Dog. During that same year Rolling Stone magazine listed "Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll", which included "Sultans of Swing", Dire Straits' first hit. 2000 saw the release of Knopfler's next solo album, Sailing to Philadelphia.
Live performance
* Knopfler's audience has grown to reach six continents. He is known to his audiences for his affable manner, humorous banter and amiable audience interaction during performances.
* Knopfler has been known to sip tea on stage during live performances. His guitarist Richard Bennett has also joined in drinking tea with him on stage. photo. On 31 July 2005 at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, the tea was replaced by whiskey in respect of ritual "last show of tour" sort of joke.
Awards and acclaim
* The Edison Award was awarded to Mark Knopfler for Outstanding Achievements in the Music Industry, the highest award for musicians in the Netherlands.
* Grammy Awards 1986 - Best Country Instrumental Performance with Chet Atkins (for Cosmic Square Dance)
* Grammy Awards 1991 - Best Country Vocal Collaboration with Chet Atkins (for Poor Boy Blues')
* Grammy Awards 1991 - Best Country Instrumental Performance with Chet Atkins (for So Soft, Your Goodbye)
* In 1993, Knopfler was made an honorary Doctor of Music at Newcastle University.
* In 1999, Knopfler was awarded the OBE.
* In Summer 1995, Knopfler was made an honorary Doctor of Music at the University of Leeds.
* In 2001 The Masiakasaurus knopfleri (a species of dinosaur) was named after him.
* On 11 July 2007, Knopfler was made an honorary Doctor of Music at Sunderland University.
* Knopfler along with his band Dire Straits won the 1986 Grammy award for "Best rock performance by a duo or group with vocal" for their song "Money for Nothing."
* In February 2009, Knopfler's British Grove Studios was the winner of the Music Producers Guild Award for 'Best Studio'.
Nominations
* Grammy Awards 1986 - Song of the Year (songwriter) (for 'Money for Nothing')
* Grammy Awards 1992 - Best Country Instrumental Performance with Chet Atkins (for 'Neck and Neck')
* Grammy Awards 2007 - Best Contemporary Folk/Americana Album with Emmylou Harris (for 'All the Roadrunning')