Terry Williams
Jack
Sonni
Omar
Hakim
Dire Straits were an English rock band,
formed in 1977
by Mark Knopfler (guitar and
vocals), his brother David Knopfler (guitar), John
Illsley (bass), and Pick Withers (drums), and
subsequently managed by Ed Bicknell. Although the band was
formed in an era when punk rock reigned, Dire Straits worked
within the conventions of classic rock, albeit with a
stripped-down sound that appealed to modern audiences weary of the
overproduced stadium rock of the 1970s. In their
early days, Mark and David requested that pub owners turn down the amps
so that patrons could converse while the band played — indicative 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.
The band's best-known songs include "Sultans
of Swing," "Romeo and Juliet," "Private Investigations," "Money for Nothing," "Walk of Life" and "Brothers in Arms."
|
Contents
- 1 History
- 1.1 Early
history
- 1.2 Increased
complexity
- 1.3 The
Brothers in Arms era
- 1.4 After
Brothers in Arms
- 2 Dire
Straits members
- 2.1 Members
at dissolution of band
- 2.2 Former
members
- 2.3 Auxiliary
touring members
- 3 Discography
- 3.1 Main
albums
- 3.2 EPs
- 3.3 Live
albums
- 3.4 Compilations
- 3.5 Singles
- 4 Awards
- 5 Trivia
- 6 See
also
- 7 External
links
|
History
Early history
In 1978,
Dire Straits recorded their first album, Dire
Straits, at Basing Street studios (now known as
'Sarm West') near Portobello Road in West London for
£12,500..
After its initial UK release on Vertigo, a division of Phonogram,
the album came to the attention of Karin Berg, an assistant in the
artists and repertoire (A&R) department of Warner
Bros. Records in New York City. She felt it was the
kind of music that audiences were hungry for, but only one person in
her department agreed at first. "Other people didn't hear it," she
recalled. "The act was doing poorly in the U.K., and the record wasn't
getting air play. It was totally out of left field. But we fought
through and took it to the label (Warner Bros. Records) We signed it,
put out the record and it went platinum."
Later, re-released as a single, "Sultans of Swing" became a surprise
UK chart hit, making the top 10. The first album eventually went top
ten in every European country.
The group's second album, Communiqué
followed in 1979.
Communiqué showed as number one in the German album
charts with Dire Straits simultaneously at number
3. Both albums are characterised by a stripped-down sound. However,
this would change, along with the band's line-up, over the years. Mark
Knopfler and John Illsley played together till the dissolution of Dire
Straits, the only two founding members to do so.
Increased complexity
In 1980
Dire Straits released their 3rd album, Making
Movies. This marked a move towards more complex
arrangements and production which would continue for the remainder of
the band's career until the group's dissolution in the 1990s. Featuring
"Romeo and Juliet", which
became one of the band's best known chart hits, Making Movies
saw the departure of David Knopfler while the recording of the album
was still in progress; Sid McGinnis filled in on rhythm guitar
as the sessions continued. Although Mark played on one track on brother
Dave's first solo album, they did not reconcile over the years due to
writing credits dispute. The album also featured keyboardist
Roy
Bittan from Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band
and was produced by Jimmy Iovine.
Keyboardist Alan Clark and
Californian guitarist Hal Lindes joined the lineup
for the 4th studio album, Love
Over Gold, which was released in 1982 and was the first
Dire Straits album produced by Mark Knopfler. Its main chart hit,
"Private Investigations", gave Dire Straits their first UK top 5 hit
single, peaking at number two despite its almost 7-minute length. In
other territories, the single "Industrial Disease" was the album's
calling card, particularly in Canada where it was a top 10 hit.
Shortly after the release of Love Over Gold,
drummer Pick Withers left the band for a jazz career. His replacement was Terry Williams, formerly of
Rockpile.
In 1983
a four-song EP
was released, featuring the hit single "Twisting By the Pool". This was
followed by the double live album, Alchemy,
in 1984.
During this time Mark Knopfler also wrote the music score for the films
Local
Hero and Cal. Meanwhile,
Dire Straits' biggest hit was yet to come.
The Brothers in Arms
era
Brothers in
Arms was released in 1985 and went on to
become the biggest selling album in the UK of that year and a huge hit
internationally. It spawned several chart singles, including the U.S.
number one hit "Money for Nothing", which
was the first video ever to be played on MTV in Britain. There were further personnel
changes, with the addition of a second keyboardist, Guy
Fletcher. Brothers in Arms also saw the
departure of Hal Lindes from the band during the recording sessions.
His place was taken by Jack Sonni, though Lindes was still credited as
an official band member for the album's release, while Sonni was not.
Terry Williams was also joined on drums by Omar Hakim: both are
credited as band members for this release.
The 1985–86 world tour was phenomenally successful. While
playing a thirteen-night residency at Wembley
Arena, the band moved down the road to Wembley Stadium on the
afternoon of 13th July 1985 to appear in Live Aid.
Their set included "Money For Nothing" with Sting
as guest vocalist. The tour ended at the Entertainment Centre in Sydney, Australia,
where Dire Straits still holds the record for consecutive appearances
(21 nights). The last show of this extended stay in Sydney was recorded
and broadcast on Australian and New Zealand television, and is well
known for the one-off calypso rendition of "So Far Away" and the
band's impromptu attempt at the famous Australian folk song "Waltzing
Matilda". In a two year span, Dire Straits played 247 shows in over 100
different cities.
The commercial success of Brothers in Arms
was greatly aided by being one of the first fully digitally recorded
and produced albums available in the then new Compact
Disc format, leading early adopters of the new technology to consider
it a "must buy" album in a limited landscape of available music in CD
format. The Brothers in Arms CD was one of the
first CD albums to contain material not found on the LP equivalent; it
featured the 12" single of Money for Nothing rather
than the 7" version on the LP. "Brothers in Arms" is also reported to
be the world's first CD single, issued in the UK in two separate
singles as a promotional item, one distinguished with a logo for the
tour, Live in '85, and a second to commemorate the Australian leg of
the tour marked Live in '86. Containing just 4 tracks it had a very
limited print run. Furthermore, the new format offered an excellent
showcase for Knopfler's meticulous production values on the earlier
albums, leading many existing fans to repurchase the whole back
catalogue.
Brothers in Arms was successful in the US,
peaking at No. 1 on Billboard Magazine's Top Pop
Albums Chart for nine weeks, going multi-platinum, and finishing at No.
5 for 1986. Also, in a recent poll conducted in the UK it was found
that Brothers in Arms is the 3rd best selling
album there of all time.
After Brothers in Arms
After the Brothers in Arms tour ended in 1986, Dire Straits
went on a lengthy hiatus and Mark Knopfler concentrated on solo
projects and film soundtracks. Dire Straits regrouped for the Nelson Mandela
70th Birthday Tribute concert in 1988, where they were joined for their set by Eric
Clapton (who performed his hit "Wonderful
Tonight" with the group). Also in 1988, drummer Terry Williams left the
band.
After Mark Knopfler worked and toured with the Notting
Hillbillies (who had a minor hit single Your Own Sweet Way
from their album Missing... Presumed Having a Good Time),
Dire Straits regrouped in January 1991. By this time the band comprised 4 key
members: Knopfler, John Illsley, and keyboardists Alan Clark and Guy
Fletcher. Accompanied by other part-time members or session musicians,
including the highly respected American drummer Jeff
Porcaro from Toto (who after recording was offered a
full time role in the band, but declined due to recording commitments
to Toto), the group began recording tracks for a new album. The result
was the band's final original studio album, On
Every Street, released in 1991, six years after
the release of Brothers in Arms. A widely
anticipated release, On Every Street met with mixed
reviews and moderate success. It was regarded by some reviewers as an
underwhelming follow up and didn't sell as well as its predecessor. The
song "The Bug", taken from that album, contains backing vocals by Vince Gill
who also turned down an invitation to join the band full time.
The 1991–1992 world tour that followed On Every
Street was not as successful as the previous one of 1985–86.
A live album, On the Night,
released in 1993,
documented that tour, in which Chris Whitten played drums.
Following the release of Live at the BBC,
a collection of live recordings from their early years, Dire Straits
disbanded quietly in 1995,
after Knopfler expressed a desire to give up touring on a large scale
and he immediately went on to work full time on solo material and film
soundtracks, while the other group members pursued their own careers.
Guy Fletcher has, however, continued to be associated with almost every
single piece of work concerning Mark Knopfler's solo career.
Three 'Best of' albums have been released, the most recent
being the compilation The Best of Dire Straits & Mark
Knopfler: Private Investigations in November 2005, which consisted
of material from most of Dire Straits' studio albums and Mark
Knopfler's solo and soundtrack material. Surprisingly enough, the album
was an underground hit, and did exceptionally well, considering the
group had split up over ten years previously, and it contained only one
previously unreleased track - "All The Roadrunning", a duet with Emmylou
Harris later released on an album of the same name.
Dire Straits and Mark Knopfler have sold in excess of 118
million albums to date.
Notable Dire Straits and Mark Knopfler fans include Douglas
Adams, Princess Diana, Quentin
Tarantino and the band The Killers, who performed a
cover of "Romeo and Juliet" for the Live
from Abbey Road series on Channel 4. Indian cricket great Sachin
Tendulkar is another Dire Straits fan. The band System
of a Down sometimes plays a part from Sultans Of Swing on their live
concerts, as an intro for their song called 'Aerials'.
Dire Straits members
| 1977–1980 |
|
| 1980 |
- Mark Knopfler - guitar,
lead vocals
- John Illsley - bass guitar, backing vocals
- Pick Withers - drums, backing vocals
|
| 1980–1982 |
- Mark Knopfler - lead guitar, lead vocals
- Hal Lindes - rhythm guitar,
backing vocals
- John Illsley - bass guitar, backing vocals
- Alan Clark -
keyboards
- Pick Withers - drums
|
| 1982–1984 |
- Mark Knopfler - lead guitar, lead vocals
- Hal Lindes - rhythm guitar, backing vocals
- John Illsley - bass guitar, backing vocals
- Alan Clark - keyboards
- Terry Williams - drums
|
| 1984–1985 |
- Mark Knopfler - lead guitar, lead vocals
- Hal Lindes - rhythm guitar, backing vocals
- John Illsley - bass guitar, backing vocals
- Guy Fletcher - organ,
backing vocals
- Alan Clark - piano
- Terry Williams - drums
|
| 1985 |
- Mark Knopfler - guitar, lead vocals
- John Illsley - bass guitar, backing vocals
- Guy Fletcher - organ, backing vocals
- Alan Clark - piano
- Terry Williams - drums
- Omar Hakim - drums
|
| 1985 |
- Mark Knopfler - guitar, lead vocals
- John Illsley - bass guitar, backing vocals
- Guy Fletcher - organ, backing vocals
- Alan Clark - piano
- Terry Williams - drums
|
| 1985–1988 |
- Mark Knopfler - lead guitar, lead vocals
- Jack Sonni - rhythm guitar
- John Illsley - bass guitar, backing vocals
- Guy Fletcher - organ, backing vocals
- Alan Clark - piano
- Terry Williams - drums
|
| 1988–1989 |
- Mark Knopfler - guitar, lead vocals
- John Illsley - bass guitar, backing vocals
- Guy Fletcher - organ, backing vocals
- Alan Clark - piano
- Terry Williams - drums
|
| 1989–1995 |
- Mark Knopfler - guitar, lead vocals
- John Illsley - bass guitar, backing vocals
- Guy Fletcher - organ, backing vocals
- Alan Clark - piano
|
Members at dissolution of band
Former members
- David Knopfler - guitar, keyboards and background vocals
(1977–1980)
- Pick Withers - drums and percussion (1977–1982)
- Hal Lindes - guitar and background vocals (1980–1985)
- Terry Williams - drums (1982–1989)
- Omar Hakim - drums (1985)
- Jack Sonni - guitar (1985–1988)
Auxiliary touring members
- Mel Collins - saxophone (1983)
- Tommy Mandel - keyboards (1982–1983)
- Joop de Korte - percussion (1982–1986)
- Chris Whitten - drums and percussion (1991–1995)
- Phil Palmer - guitar (1991–1995)
- Paul Franklin - pedal steel
guitar (1991–1995)
- Chris White - saxophone (1985–1995)
- Danny Cummings - percussion (1991–1995)
Discography
Main albums
- 1978
Dire Straits
(Global sales 15 million) #5 UK, #2 US
- 1979
Communiqué
(Global sales 7 million) #5 UK, #11 US
- 1980
Making Movies
(U.S. Sales: 1mil.) #4 UK, #19 US
- 1982
Love Over Gold
(U.S. Sales: 0.5mil.) #1 UK, #19 US
- 1985
Brothers in
Arms (U.S. Sales: 9mil., Global Sales: 29 mil.)
#1 UK, #1 US
- 1991
On Every Street
(U.S. Sales: 1mil.) (Global sales 8 million) #1 UK,
#12 US
EPs
- 1983
ExtendedancEPlay
#53 US
- 1993
Encores
Live albums
- 1984
Alchemy
(U.S. Sales: 0.5mil.) (live in London) #3 UK, #46 US
- 1993
On the Night
- 1995
Live at the BBC
Compilations
- 1988
Money for Nothing
(U.S. Sales: 1mil.) #1 UK, #62 US
- 1998
Sultans
of Swing: The Very Best of Dire Straits
(Worldwide sales exceed 4.2 mil. also on DVD)
- 2005
The
Best of Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler: Private Investigations
Singles
| Year |
Song |
US |
US MSR |
UK |
CAN |
Album |
| 1979 |
"Sultans Of Swing" |
#4 |
- |
#8 |
#4 |
Dire Straits |
| 1979 |
"Lady Writer" |
#45 |
- |
#51 |
#51 |
Communiqué |
| 1981 |
"Romeo and Juliet" |
- |
- |
#8 |
- |
Making Movies |
| 1981 |
"Skateaway" |
#58 |
#31 |
#37 |
- |
Making Movies |
| 1981 |
"Tunnel of Love" |
- |
- |
#54 |
- |
Making Movies |
| 1982 |
"Private Investigations" |
- |
- |
#2 |
- |
Love Over Gold |
| 1983 |
"Industrial Disease" |
#75 |
#9 |
- |
#18 |
Love Over Gold |
| 1983 |
"Twisting By The Pool" |
- |
#12 |
#14 |
#18 |
ExtendedancEPlay |
| 1984 |
"Love Over Gold (Live)" |
- |
- |
#50 |
- |
Alchemy: Dire Straits Live |
| 1985 |
"So Far Away"1 |
#19 |
#29 |
#20 |
#24 |
Brothers In Arms |
| 1985 |
"Money For Nothing" |
#1 |
#1 |
#4 |
#1 |
Brothers In Arms |
| 1985 |
"Brothers In Arms" |
- |
- |
#16 |
- |
Brothers In Arms |
| 1986 |
"Walk Of Life" |
#7 |
#6 |
#2 |
#7 |
Brothers In Arms |
| 1986 |
"Your Latest Trick" |
- |
- |
#26 |
- |
Brothers In Arms |
| 1988 |
"Sultans Of Swing (Re-Issue)" |
- |
- |
#62 |
- |
Dire Straits |
| 1991 |
"Calling Elvis" |
- |
#3 |
#21 |
#4 |
On Every Street |
| 1991 |
"Heavy Fuel" |
- |
#1 |
#55 |
#17 |
On Every Street |
| 1992 |
"On Every Street" |
- |
- |
#42 |
- |
On Every Street |
| 1992 |
"The Bug" |
- |
#8 |
#67 |
#21 |
On Every Street |
| 1993 |
"Encores (EP)" |
- |
- |
#31 |
- |
Encores (EP) |
| 1993 |
"Your Latest Trick (Live)" |
- |
- |
- |
#91 |
On the Night |
- 11986 release in US/Canada
Awards
- BRIT Awards 1983 - Best British Group
- Grammy Awards 1985 - Best Rock
Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal (for 'Money For Nothing'')
- Grammy Awards 1986 - Best Music Video,
Short Form (for 'Brothers In Arms')
- BRIT Awards 1986 - Best British Group
- BRIT Awards 1987 - Best British Album
(for "Brothers In Arms")
Trivia
- The track "Local Hero" is played as the players enter the
field of play at the home games of English Premier League side Newcastle
United.
See also
External links
| v • d • e Dire
Straits |
| Mark Knopfler | John
Illsley
Alan Clark | Guy
Fletcher | David Knopfler | Pick
Withers | Hal Lindes | Terry Williams | Jack Sonni
|
| Discography |
| Albums and extended plays: Dire
Straits | Communiqué
| Making Movies
| Love over Gold
| ExtendedancEPlay
| Alchemy
| Brothers in
Arms | On
Every Street | On the
Night | Encores | Live at the BBC
| Money for Nothing
| Sultans
of Swing: The Very Best of Dire Straits | The
Best of Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler: Private Investigations |
| Hit Singles: Sultans
of Swing | Lady Writer | Romeo and Juliet | Skateaway | Private Investigations | Twisting
by the Pool | So Far Away | Money for Nothing | Brothers in Arms | Walk of Life | Your
Latest Trick | Calling Elvis | Heavy Fuel
| |