Alan Clark (born March 5, 1952, in Great Lumley, Durham, England) was one of the keyboardists for the British rock band Dire Straits.

Biography

As a young child Clark received piano lessons. Then whilst still a pupil at Chester-le-Street Grammar School he played keyboards in working mens clubs before the headline acts came on. These included sixties stars such as the Merseybeats and Del Shannon. He continued his formal musical education at Durham Technical College and was offered a place at the Guildhall School of Music, but turned it down as he had by then secured regular work at the Carousel Casino Club in Chester-le Street. He then worked on cruise ships and spent some time in Miami. Upon his return to the UK, he played with a group called Splinter, followed by Gallagher & Lyle and a tour of summer festivals with Lindisfarne.

He joined Dire Straits shortly after the release of Making Movies in 1980. His keyboard playing was an important part of the sound on the first album he recorded with the band, Love over Gold from 1982. He continued with Dire Straits until their eventual breakup in the 1990s.

In 1983 he contributed on Bob Dylan's album Infidels, which Mark Knopfler co-produced. Clark also worked with Knopfler on some of his film soundtrack work, most notably on the film Local Hero, in which he also makes a brief appearance as the piano player for a small Scottish band, the "Acetones". He has also worked with David Knopfler on his solo albums. He also toured in Eric Clapton's band, playing keyboards in 1988 and 1989.

In November 2005, Clark was a member of the house band at "The Hull Story", a tribute to the music of Alan Hull of Lindisfarne. The concert, which took place at Newcastle City Hall in aid of the Young Musicians Fund, is available on DVD. His Hammond playing features extensively throughout.

External links

• Alan Clark at the Internet Movie Database
• The Hull Story information from www.lindisfarne.co.uk