Dire Straits

Dire Straits were a British rock band formed in London in 1977 by Mark Knopfler (lead vocals, lead guitar), David Knopfler (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), John Illsley (bass guitar, backing vocals), and Pick Withers (drums, percussion). The band was active from 1977 to 1988 and again from 1990 to 1995.Their first single, "Sultans of Swing", from their 1978 self-titled debut album, reached the top ten in the UK and US charts. It was followed by a series of hit singles including "Romeo and Juliet" (1981), "Private Investigations" (1982), "Industrial Disease" (1982), "Twisting by the Pool" (1983), "Money for Nothing" and "Walk of Life" (both 1985). Their most commercially successful album, Brothers in Arms (1985), has sold more than 30 million copies worldwide; it was the first album to sell a million copies on CD and is the tenth-best-selling album in UK history. According to the Guinness Book of British Hit Albums, as of 2005, Dire Straits had spent over 1,100 weeks on the UK Albums Chart, the fifth-most at that time.Dire Straits drew from influences including country, folk, the blues rock of J. J. Cale, and jazz. Their stripped-down sound contrasted with punk rock and demonstrated a roots rock influence which emerged from pub rock. The band experienced several personnel changes, with Mark Knopfler and Illsley the only members to remain throughout its history. After their first breakup in 1988, Knopfler told Rolling Stone: "A lot of press reports were saying we were the biggest band in the world. There's not an accent then on the music, there's an accent on popularity. I needed a rest." They regrouped in 1990 and disbanded permanently in June 1995, after which Knopfler launched a solo career full-time. He has declined numerous reunion offers, and confirmed in April 2024 that he would never play with the group again.Dire Straits were called "the biggest British rock band of the 80s" by Classic Rock magazine; their 1985–1986 world tour, which included a performance at Live Aid in July 1985, set a record in Australasia. Their final world tour from 1991 to 1992 sold 7.1 million tickets, making it the 6th most-attended concert tour of all time. The band won four Grammy Awards, three Brit Awards (including Best British Group twice) and two MTV Video Music Awards, among various others. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018. Dire Straits have sold over 120 million records worldwide, including 60.4 million certified units, making them one of the best-selling music artists of all time.Brothers Mark and David Knopfler were born in Glasgow, Scotland, and grew up in Blyth in the northeast of England. With John Illsley and Pick Withers, from Leicester in the East Midlands, they formed Dire Straits in Deptford, south east London, in 1977. Withers was already a 10-year music business veteran, having been a session drummer for Dave Edmunds, Gerry Rafferty, Magna Carta and others through the 1970s. He was the house drummer at Rockfield Studios in Monmouthshire and was part of the group Spring, which recorded an album for RCA Records in 1971. At the time of the band's formation, Mark was working as an English teacher, Illsley was studying at Goldsmiths' College, and David was a social worker. Mark and Withers had both been part of the pub rock group Brewers Droop around 1973.

Biography summary from English Wikipedia, photograph via Wikimedia Commons.