  Dire Straits was formed in
London by Mark Knopfler (lead vocals and lead
guitar) and his brother David (guitar), with
John Illsley (bass), and Pick Withers
(drums). In the late 70s, the band emerged
with a refreshing rock sound mixed with
blues, jazz and even country. The band's
sound was strengthened by the meshing of
players and Knopfler's lyrics. Mark Knopfler
is and always has been the face and force of
Dire Straits. Prior to forming the band,
Knopfler worked as a rock critic and taught
English. He also involved himself with a rock
band named Brewer's Droop in the mid-70s.
Mark then hooked up with his brother, David,
roommate, John, and Withers to cut a demo
(changing there name from Cafe Racers to Dire
Straits). Soon after, "Sultans Of
Swing" was being played on a BBC show in
England, and the band began opening for Talking
Heads on tour.
 Dire Straits signed with Warner
Brothers and released Dire
Straits. The LP and classic,
"Sultans Of Swing" went Top 10 in
the U.S. and England.
Dire
Straits was certified gold.
Dire
Straits was certified platinum.
 
Dire Straits released Communiqué and the LP
sold well in the U.S. and around the world.
Communiqué was certified gold.
The band had obtained critical
success, and commercial success demonstrated
that the band was major attraction with rock
audiences. Midway through 1979 the band was
touring North America to sell-out crowds
Dire Straits were nominated for
2 Grammy Awards for Best New Artist and Best Rock Vocal Performance by a
Duo or Group ("Sultans Of Swing").
 David Knopfler left the band
during the creation of Dire Straits third LP,
and was replaced by Hal Lindes (who left in
1985). Their third LP, Making
Movies, was panned by some critics but
sold well with fans around the world. Tracks
such as "Skateaway" and "Romeo
And Juliet" also contributed to the LP's
popularity.
 # 218
Singles Artist of the Year
Making
Movies was certified gold.
Several band member changes soon
followed: keyboardist Alan Clark was added in
1982; Tony Williams replaced drummer Pick
Withers in 1983; and Guy Fletcher (guitar)
was added in 1984.
 Dire Straits released Love
Over Gold which contained the
favorite, "Private Investigations."
Mark Knopfler added some solo
work to his resume with the project of
scoring the film Local
Hero. Knopfler also released an EP
from Dire Straits, Twisting By The Pool,
and wrote the hit "Private Dancer"
for Tina
Turner's comeback LP, Private
Dancer.
 # 209
Singles Artist of the Year
 Knopfler produced Bob Dylan's Infidels.
Dire Straits released a live
double LP, Alchemy:
Dire Straits Live.
 # 28
Singles Artist of the Year
 Dire Straits found the benefits
of using video and long-playing CDs with the
release of Brothers
In Arms. The LP became an instant
classic with fans, critics, and the new
audience of MTV.
The first single, "Money
For Nothing," went to Number 1 on pop
and rock charts. Follow-up hits included the
Top 10 "Walk Of Life" and "So
Far Away."
The LP sold over 9 million
copies in the U.S. and many more millions
around the world. The LP went #1 in Canada,
Brazil, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Ireland,
Finland, Iceland, Norway, Portugal, France,
German, Greece, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland,
Turkey, Yugoslavia, Australia, New Zealand,
Hong Kong and Israel.
Brothers
In Arms was certified gold.
Dire Straits took part in Live
Aid in 1985 with a rousing rendition of
"Money For Nothing" with Sting.
 Brothers
In Arms was certified platinum.
Brothers
In Arms was certified 2x platinum.
Brothers
In Arms was certified 3x platinum.
Dire Straits hit the Top
10
with "Walk Of Life."
 # 45
Singles Artist of the Year
Brothers
In Arms was certified 4x platinum.
Dire Straits were nominated for
an American Music
Award for Favorite Pop/Rock Single ("Money For
Nothing").
 Dire Straits won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Vocal Performance by a
Duo or Group ("Money For Nothing")
and Knopfler won for Best Country
Instrumental Performance ("Cosmic Square
Dance" with Chet Atkins).
Dire Straits were also nominated for Album of the Year (Brothers
In Arms) and Record of the Year ("Money For
Nothing"), and Knopfler was nominated
for Song of the Year (songwriter)
("Money For Nothing").
Love
Over Gold was certified gold.
Brothers
In Arms was certified 5x platinum.
The video for "Money For
Nothing" won 2 MTV Video Music
Awards for Video of the Year and Best Group Video, and was nominated for
Best Stage Performance
Video,
Best Concept Video, Best Direction, Best Special Effects, Viewer's Choice, Best Art Direction, Best Editing, Most Experimental Video, and Best Overall Performance.
Brothers
In Arms continued to expand
the band's success as the group toured
consistently around the world. After the
success of Brothers
In Arms, Knopfler continued his solo
endeavors with some producing duties for
other artists, touring with Eric Clapton, and recording a duet
LP with Chet Atkins.
 Dire
Straits was certified 2x platinum.
Dire Straits won a Grammy Award for Best Music Video,
Short Form (Dire
Straits Brothers In Arms).
 A greatest hits compilation, Money
For Nothing was released.
Brothers
In Arms was certified 6x platinum.
Knopfler formed a temporary rock
and country group, Notting
Hillbillies (Missing...
Presumed Having A Good Time).
Money
For Nothing was certified gold.
 Knopfler could be heard on Chet
Atkins' LP, Neck
& Neck.
As of 1991, the Dire Straits
line-up included: Knopfler, Illsley,
Fletcher, Clark, Chris White (sax), Paul
Franklin (pedal steel), Danny Cummings
(percussion), Phil Palmer (guitar), and Chris
Whitten (drums).
Knopfler won 2 Grammy Awards for Best Country Vocal
Collaboration ("Poor Boy Blues")
and Best Country Instrumental Performance
("So Soft, Your Goodbye") - both
with Chet Atkins.
 The band released On
Every Street. The popularity of the band had
lessened, and poor sales plagued the LP and
the accompanying tour.
On
Every Street was certified platinum.
Knopfler was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Country
Instrumental Performance (Neck
And Neck with Chet Atkins)
and Dire Straits were nominated for Best Music Video, Short Form ("Calling
Elvis").
The live On
The Night was released with live material
from the '92 tour.
 Knopfler released a collection
of his movie soundtrack music called Screenplaying, which included music
from Local
Hero, Cal, The
Princess Bride, and Last
Exit To Brooklyn.
Rolling
Stone: "The 100 Top Music Videos" included "Money
For Nothing" at # 67.
Brothers
In Arms was certified 7x platinum and Money
For Nothing was certified platinum.
 The band released a collection
of older live tracks with Live
At The BBC (from 1978 and 1981).
Knopfler released his first solo
LP, Golden
Heart.
 Brothers
In Arms was certified 9x platinum.
Rock
'N Roll Hall Of Fame's 500
Songs That Shaped Rock And Roll includes "Sultans
Of Swing."
Knopfler scored
the film Wag
The Dog.
 Another hits
collection - Sultans
Of Swing - The Very Best Of Dire Straits - was released.
Knopfler scored the film Metroland.
MTV: 100
Greatest Videos Ever Made includes
"Money For Nothing" at # 29.
 Knopfler released his
2nd solo LP, Sailing
To Philadelphia. The LP featured appearances by
James Taylor, Van Morrison, and members of Squeeze.
Knopfler talked about being solo and Dire
Straits no longer together as a band: "I
just felt it was just too damn big, and I
just wanted to improve as an artist."
VH1: 100
Greatest Videos includes:
# 25
- "Money For
Nothing."
Making
Movies was certified platinum and Alchemy:
Dire Straits Live was certified gold.
Knopfler composed the music for
the film A
Shot At Glory.
 Knopfler released his next solo
LP, The
Ragpicker's Dream.
Knopfler was
injured in a motorcycle accident in London -
breaking his collarbone and 6 ribs. Knopfler
had to cancel his tour and appearances.
 Rolling Stone:
The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time: # 351:
Brothers
In Arms.
Knopfler
released his next solo LP, Shangri-La.
Sailing
To Philadelphia was certified gold.
 # 335 on the Top Pop Artists
of the Past 25 Years chart.
Knopfler released the live EP One
Take Radio Sessions.
Knopfler could be heard on B.B. King's LP 80 with the track
"All Over Again."
 The compilation Private
Investigations: The Very Best Of Dire Straits
And Mark Knopfler was released.
Knopfler won a Grammy Award for
Best Surround Sound Album for his surround
sound production efforts (Brothers
In Arms - 20th Anniversary Edition with Chuck Ainlay and
Bob Ludwig).
 Knopfler teamed
up with Emmylou Harris for
the LP All
The Roadrunning (Rolling Stone:  ).
Knopfler was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best
Contemporary Folk/Americana Album (All
The Roadrunning with Emmylou
Harris).
 Knopfler released Kill
To Get Crimson.
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