Description

Dire Straits were a British rock bandwhoemerged during the post-punk era of the late 1970s, activebetween1977 and 1995. Comprising Mark Knopfler (lead vocals andleadguitar), his younger brother David Knopfler (rhythm guitarandbacking vocals), John Illsley (bass guitar and backing vocals),andPick Withers (drums and percussion), and managed by EdBicknell,Dire Straits played a more bluesy style, and while theirsound wasminimalistic and stripped down, they owed little to punkrock whichwas at the forefront at the time. If anything, the bandwas adirect outgrowth of the roots revivalism of pub rock, butwhere pubrock celebrated good times, Dire Straits were melancholy.Despitetheir oddly self-effacing approach to rock and roll, DireStraitsbecame one of the world's most commercially successfulbands, andsold over 120 million albums worldwide.[1]

Dire Straits built their sound upon the laid-back rock, buttheyalso had country inflections, occasionally dipping into theepicsong structures of progressive rock. The band's music wasoffset byKnopfler's lyrics, which approximated thewinding,stream-of-conscious narratives of Bob Dylan. As theircareerprogressed, Dire Straits became more refined and their newmaturityhappened to coincide with the rise of MTV and the compactdisc.These two musical revolutions from the mid '80s helped makeDireStraits' best selling album Brothers in Arms aninternationalblockbuster which has sold more than 30 million copiesworldwide,and is the fourth best selling album in UK Charthistory.[2][3]Along with Eric Clapton, Phil Collins, and SteveWinwood, DireStraits became one of the leaders of a group ofself-consciouslymature veteran rock & rollers in the late '80sthat designedtheir music to appeal to aging baby boomers.[4]Throughout theirhistory, Mark Knopfler was the songwriter anddriving force behindthe group.

Dire Straits won numerous music awards during theircareer,including three BRIT Awards, four Grammys, and two MTV VideoMusicAwards.[1] Dire Straits' most popular songs include: "SultansofSwing", "Romeo and Juliet", "Tunnel of Love","PrivateInvestigations", "Money for Nothing", "Walk of Life", "SoFar Away"and "Brothers in Arms".