Far Out Magazine: “You’ve just got to brace your hands”: The 1982 song Mark Knopfler called his greatest “challenge”
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Mark Knopfler
Mark Freuder Knopfler is a British musician. He was the lead guitarist, singer and songwriter of the rock band Dire Straits from 1977 to 1995, and he is one of the two members who stayed throughout the band's existence, along with the bassist John Illsley. After Dire Straits dissolved, he pursued a solo career and is now an independent artist.
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entertainment · British musician (born 1949) · singer-songwriter · guitarist · record producer · film score composer · multi-instrumentalist · musician · rock musician · singer · composer · also Mark Knopfler, Mark Freuder Knopfler, Knopfler
Born 12 August 1949 · Q185343
151 published statements · 0 followers
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2026· 10 entries
OkDiario: Mark Knopfler, guitarrista de rock, sobre Paco de Lucía: «Al verlo he entendido que no sé tocar la guitarra...
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Far Out Magazine: The 1996 song Mark Knopfler wrote the night John Lennon was assassinated
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RTVE.es: Proyector de verano - Mark Knopfler y Springsteen: Deliver me from nowhere - 16/08/26
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Guitar Player: “He’s one of the best I’ve ever heard. No question.” Mark Knopfler on the guitarist who blew him away
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Yahoo: Mark Knopfler on the guitarist who blew him away
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BraveWords: Today In Metal History 🤘 August 12th, 2026 🤘 METALLICA, QUEENSRŸCHE, MARK KNOPFLER / DIRE STRAITS, CORONER, VADER, THE HALO EFFECT
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Yahoo: Mark Knopfler Celebrates 77th Birthday: The Legacy of 'Sultans of Swing' Lives On
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CASAG – OAB Goiás: Guitarra Miniatura Mark Knopfler – Réplica Dire Straits A Escala 1:4, Decoración De Madera
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Released album “Hamburg: German Broadcast 2001”.
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2025· 2 entries
The Guardian: Mark Knopfler on Dire Straits’ Money for Nothing: ‘I wrote it in the window display of a New York appliance store’
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Forbes: Mark Knopfler’s Classic Is A Hit — For The First Time
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2024· 9 entries
Released ep “Unplugged”.
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Released album “People…”.
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Released album “…And Places”.
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Released album “Duets & Collaborations”.
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Forbes: Mark Knopfler Lands One Of The Biggest Successes Of His Solo Career
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Released ep “The Boy”.
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Released album “One Deep River”.
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Yahoo Finance: Mark Knopfler Guitar Collection Fetches $11.2 Million At Christie's Auction
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American Songwriter: Mark Knopfler Thrills Fans with Announcement of New Solo Album, ‘One Deep River’: “So Happy I Could Cry!”
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2023· 3 entries
The Guardian: Ex-Dire Straits singer Mark Knopfler to sell guitar collection for charity
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Released ep “Headin’ Home”.
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Released ep “True Love”.
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2022· 2 entries
Released album “Cinematic Knopfler”.
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Released album “The Studio Albums 2009–2018”.
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2021· 2 entries
Jazz: Mark Knopfler
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Released album “The Studio Albums 1996-2007”.
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2020· 1 entry
Released album “Balcony of Love”.
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2019· 6 entries
Released album “Down The Road Wherever Tour 2019 - Bergen (Bergenhus Festning - Plenen) (2019.06.08)”.
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Released album “2019-05-30: Genting Arena, Birmingham, UK”.
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Released album “Down The Road Wherever Tour 2019”.
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Released album “Tokyo 1988”.
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Released album “More BBC sessions”.
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Released album “BBC Sessions”.
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2018· 2 entries
Released album “Down the Road Wherever”.
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"The bare-boned economy of Knopfler's songs and his dizzying guitar fills were a breath of clean air amid the lumbering rock dinosaurs and one-dimensional punk thrashers of the late 70s
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2017· 1 entry
Released album “This Is Not Enough For Me”.
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2016· 3 entries
Released album “Altamira”.
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Released album “The Jokermen”.
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Collaborated with the Italian bluesman Zucchero Fornaciari playing in Ci si arrende and Streets of Surrender (S
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2015· 18 entries
Released album “Tracker - Live in Lucca 22/07/2015”.
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Released album “Tracker Tour 2015 (Live in Bergen NO 09/06/2015)”.
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Released album “Tracker Tour 2015 (Live in London UK 26/05/2015)”.
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Released album “Tracker Tour 2015 (Live in Royal Albert Hall, London UK 25/05/2015)”.
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Released album “2015-05-23: LG Arena, Birmingham, UK”.
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Released album “Tracker Tour 2015 (Live in London UK 22/05/2015)”.
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Released album “Tracker Tour 2015 (Live in Dublin IE 15/05/2015)”.
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The Guardian: Mark Knopfler: Tracker review – familiar pleasures
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Released album “Tracker”.
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Released album “Tracker Tour 2015 (Live in Paris FR 02/06/2015)”.
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Released album “Tracker Tour 2015 (Live at the Beacon Theatre, NYC 21/10/2015)”.
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Released album “Greatest Hits”.
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Released album “Tracker Tour 2015 (Live in Paris FR 03/06/2015)”.
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Released album “Tracker Tour 2015 (Live in Birmingham UK 23/05/2015)”.
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Released album “Tracker Tour 2015 (Live in Manchester UK 16/05/2015)”.
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Released album “The Complete Recording Sessions”.
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Released album “Tracker Tour 2015 (Live in Milwaukee, WI 30/09/2015)”.
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Knopfler wrote a track in tribute to him
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2013· 6 entries
Released album “Privateering Tour 2013: Live in Cologne 2nd July”.
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Released album “Privateering Tour Live Recordings – Clermont-Ferrand 2013‐06‐29”.
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Released album “Privateering Tour 2013 - Bergen (NO) (2013-06-12)”.
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Released album “Privateering Tour Live Recordings – Antwerpen 2013‐05‐12”.
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Wrote and played guitar on the song "Oldest Surfer on the Beach" to Buffett's album Songs From St
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Released album “Mark Knopfler - Privateer”.
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2012· 1 entry
Released album “Privateering”.
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2011· 2 entries
Released album “Gravy Train: The B-Sides 1996-2007”.
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Awarded Steiger Award (2011).
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2010· 6 entries
Released album “Get Lucky Tour - Live in Frankfurt - 07.06.2010”.
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Released album “Get Lucky Tour 2010 - Bergen (NO) (2010-06-14)”.
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Released album “2010-05-23: Get Lucky Tour: Birmingham, UK”.
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Released album “11.04.2010 Hult Center Eugene”.
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Released album “2 for 1: Sailing to Philadelphia + The Ragpicker's Dream”.
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Appeared on the Thomas Dolby EP Amerikana, performing on the track 17 Hills
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2009· 1 entry
Released album “Get Lucky”.
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2008· 4 entries
Released album “2008-03-31: Ahoy, Rotterdam, Netherlands”.
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Released album “Complete Infidels Sessions”.
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Released album “Fingerpicking Good”.
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Released album “2008-07-25: New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Newark, NJ, USA”.
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2007· 2 entries
Released album “Kill to Get Crimson”.
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Went wrong: a Fender Stratocaster guitar signed by Knopfler, Clapton, Brian May, and Jimmy Page, which was to be auctioned for £20,000 to raise the money for a children's hospice, was lost when being shipped
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2006· 6 entries
Released album “Real Live Roadrunning”.
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Released album “All the Roadrunning”.
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Was the fourth best selling album in UK chart history
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Released album “Live at Boothbay”.
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Knopfler and Emmylou Harris made a country album together titled All the Roadrunning, followed by a live CD-DVD titled Real Live Roadrunning
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Knopfler contributed the song "Whoop De Doo" to Jimmy Buffett's Gulf and Western style album Take the Weather with You
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2005· 8 entries
Released album “The Best of Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler: Private Investigations”.
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Released album “2005-07-28: Britt Amphitheatre, Jacksonville, OR, USA”.
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Released album “Live from Nashville”.
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Awarded Grammy Award for Best Immersive Audio Album for Brothers in Arms (2005).
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Released album “One Take Radio Sessions”.
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Released ep “The Trawlerman's Song”.
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Released album “Lyon”.
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Released album “On the Road to Milano”.
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2004· 3 entries
Released album “Shangri‐La”.
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Released album “Notting Hillbillie Campfires”.
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Where the Band had made recordings years before for their documentary/movie, The Last Waltz
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2003· 1 entry
Released album “Guitar Dreams”.
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2002· 3 entries
Released album “The Ragpicker’s Dream”.
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Knopfler released his third solo album, The Ragpicker's Dream
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Released album “2002-07-28: Palace House, Beaulieu, England”.
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2001· 1 entry
Released album “A Shot at Glory”.
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2000· 4 entries
Released album “Sailing to Philadelphia”.
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Released album “On the Crossroads”.
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Released album “Live in Japan”.
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Released album “Grand Collection”.
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1998· 2 entries
Released album “Wag the Dog”.
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Released album “Metroland”.
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1997· 1 entry
Recorded the soundtrack for the movie Wag the Dog
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1996· 7 entries
Released album “Golden Heart”.
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Released album “Break of Day”.
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Knopfler recorded guitar for Ted Christopher's Dunblane massacre tribute cover, Knockin' on Heaven's Door
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Released album “Golden Live in Hamburg”.
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Released album “A Night in London”.
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Released album “Just Pickin' 1967 - 81”.
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Released album “The Golden Globe”.
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1995· 3 entries
Awarded Premios Ondas (1995).
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Following the release of Live at the BBC (a contractual release to Vertigo Records), Mark Knopfler quietly dissolved Dire Straits and launched his career as a solo artist
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Knopfler began a solo career, and has produced ten solo albums to date
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1993· 4 entries
Released album “Screenplaying”.
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Released album “Wonderful Tonight”.
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Received an honorary music doctorate from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne
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Mary Chapin Carpenter also released a cover of the Dire Straits song The Bug
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1992· 2 entries
Released album “Brothers in Mark”.
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And that he was "pretty happy" when the band's run came to an end, recalling feeling "mentally, physically and emotionally exhausted" by the time Dire Straits disbanded
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1990· 5 entries
Awarded Grammy Award for Best Country Instrumental Performance (1990).
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Awarded Grammy Award for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals (1990).
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Knopfler, John Illsley, and Alan Clark performed as Dire Straits at Knebworth, joined by Eric Clapton, Ray Cooper, and guitarist Phil Palmer (who was at that time part of Eric Clapton's touring band), and in January the
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Released album “Neck and Neck”.
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And featured the minor hit single "Your Own Sweet Way"
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1989· 3 entries
Released album “The Twelfth Night”.
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Knopfler formed the Notting Hillbillies, a band at the other end of the commercial spectrum
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Released album “Last Exit to Brooklyn”.
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1988· 1 entry
Formed country-focused band the Notting Hillbillies, with Guy Fletcher, Brendan Croker and Steve Phillips
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1987· 2 entries
Released album “The Princess Bride”.
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Knopfler and Salomone have twin sons, who were born in 1987.
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1985· 2 entries
Awarded Grammy Award for Best Country Instrumental Performance (1985).
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Spin commented, "Mark Knopfler may be the most lyrical of all rock guitarists
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1984· 2 entries
Released album “Cal”.
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By Knopfler's music scores for the films Cal and Comfort and Joy, both of which also featured Terry Williams, as well as keyboardist Guy Fletcher
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1983· 1 entry
Released album “Local Hero”.
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1980· 1 entry
Whilst the recording sessions for Making Movies were taking place, tensions between the Knopfler brothers reached a point where David Knopfler decided to leave the band for a solo career
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1977· 1 entry
With David Knopfler as rhythm guitarist, John Illsley as bass guitarist, and Pick Withers as drummer
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1973· 3 entries
Studied at University of Leeds (1970–1973).
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Knopfler moved to London and joined a band based in High Wycombe called Brewers Droop
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They separated before Knopfler moved to London to join Brewers Droop in 1973.
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1968· 2 entries
Studied at Harlow College (1967–1968).
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After studying journalism for a year at Harlow College, Knopfler was hired as a junior reporter in Leeds for the Yorkshire Evening Post
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1963· 1 entry
When he was 13, he took a Saturday job at the Newcastle Evening Chronicle newspaper earning six shillings and sixpence
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1949· 1 entry
Born 1949-08-12.
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