David Knopfler

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David Knopfler
David Knopfler blacksheep 2017 1870.jpg
Knopfler performing at Blacksheep Festival 2017
Background information
Born (1952-12-27) 27 December 1952 (age 71)
Glasgow, Scotland
Origin Blyth, Northumberland, England
Genres Rock
Occupation(s)Musician, singer-songwriter, record producer
Instrument(s)Guitar, vocals
Years active1977–present
Labels Phonogram, Cypress, Peach River, Ariola
Website knopfler.com

David Knopfler (born 27 December 1952) is a British musician. He was born in Scotland, but raised in Blyth, near Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Together with his older brother Mark Knopfler, John Illsley, and Pick Withers, he founded the rock band Dire Straits in 1977, serving as rhythm guitarist on their first two albums. After quitting the band in 1980 during the recording of their third album, Knopfler embarked upon a solo career as a recording artist. Knopfler initially created smaller record labels, publishing companies, and indie labels.

Contents

Early life

Knopfler was born in Glasgow, Scotland, to an English mother, Louisa Mary (née Laidler), a teacher, and a Hungarian Jewish father, Erwin Knopfler, an architect. [1] [2] When Knopfler was four, his family moved to Newcastle upon Tyne, England, where he grew up and later attended Gosforth Grammar School. By the age of 11, Knopfler owned a guitar, a piano and a drum kit, and by 14 he was playing and singing his own compositions in folk clubs. [3] After graduating from Bristol Polytechnic with an honours degree in Economics, Knopfler became a social worker in London. [4]

Personal life

Knopfler is married to art professor [5] Leslie Stroz, who illustrates much of David's CD artwork. [6] He lives in Devon, UK with his family. [7]

Career

Dire Straits

Knopfler introduced his older brother, guitarist Mark Knopfler, to his bassist flatmate John Illsley. After gaining the interest of drummer Pick Withers, the four founded the rock band Dire Straits. [4] One of Mark's friends came up with the band's name, which was supposedly a reference to their financial situation at the time the band was beginning to gain notice in the music industry. David however, asserts on his website that "[the] notion that the band were literally in dire straits is largely retrospective myth making and not really factually supportable. We all had day jobs until we got a whacking big advance from Polygram." [8]

Knopfler played rhythm guitar beside his brother, who was the lead guitarist, lead vocalist and the main composer in the band. David Knopfler appeared on Dire Straits' first two albums: Dire Straits (1978) and Communiqué (1979). The stress of composing, arranging songs, recording the then-requisite two albums and tours to support them took its toll on the brothers, and David left the band during the recording of their third album, Making Movies (1980), leaving him uncredited on the album. [4]

Solo

After leaving Dire Straits, Knopfler released his first solo album in 1983, Release . Mark Knopfler and John Illsley both played on the album. [4] Harry Bogdanovs, a lifelong friend of Knopfler, [3] is credited with having co-written three of the tracks and playing synthesiser. [9] The album was supported by the single "Soul Kissing" on the label of Peach River Records. The single peaked at No. 82 in the UK Albums Chart, [10] after Knopfler retrieved the rights from the bankrupt record label. [11]

Behind the Lines , his second album, was released in 1985 and his third solo album, Cut the Wire, followed in 1986. [4] In 1988, the U.S. label Cypress Records released his fourth album, Lips Against the Steel. [12]

Knopfler scored the soundtracks for the films Shergar (1984) and Laser Mission (1989), [4] and the German productions Treffer (1984), Jakob hinter der blauen Tür (1989) and The Great Bellheim . [13]

Lifelines in 1991 released by Phonogram, was recorded in Peter Gabriel's Real World Studios. That album was followed in 1993 by The Giver, [4] released by MESA/Bluemoon in the U.S., and Ariola in Europe. Its sparse, acoustic arrangements received positive reviews, as did 1995's Small Mercies , which Knopfler co-produced with Harry Bogdanovs, [4] featuring Chris White on saxophone. [14] In 2001, Knopfler worked with Bogdanovs again to co-produce the album Wishbones, which has guest appearances by Chris Rea [4] and Eddi Reader. His ninth solo album, Ship of Dreams, which featured Chris Rea as guest guitarist, was released in 2004.

In May 2005, Knopfler published a book of poetry, Blood Stones and Rhythmic Beasts, [4] which was released by the UK's BlackWing books ( ISBN   0955026008).

The Canadian jazz label Justin Time Records released Ship of Dreams in October 2005 with an alternate rendition of "Tears Fall" featuring Megan Slankard (replacing Julia Neigel on the original European release). [13] Knopfler's tenth solo album Songs for the Siren was released in 2006. [4] Recent songwriting projects with other artists have included sessions with Amilia Spicer, Mack Starks, Megan Slankard and Wendy Lands. [15]

He played various acoustic and electric gigs in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Canada, Turkey and Australia from 2007 to 2009 with Harry Bogdanovs and his band.[ citation needed ] A new double CD Acoustic, which contains unplugged renditions of new and old songs was released in 2011.

Knopfler continued to tour in Spain, Germany, the UK, the United States and Canada in 2012 to 2015. The first-ever limited edition live album, Made in Germany (recorded in Erfurt, Germany during the 2012 tour with Bogdanovs), was released in April 2013 exclusively via CDBaby.com.

The album Last Train Leaving was released in 2020. Songs of Loss and Love, was released in December 2020, with Shooting for the Moon (2021) and Skating on the Lake (2022) following.

Discography with Dire Straits

Solo discography

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dire Straits</span> British rock band

Dire Straits were a British rock band formed in London in 1977 by Mark Knopfler, David Knopfler, John Illsley and Pick Withers. They were active from 1977 to 1988 and again from 1990 to 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Knopfler</span> British musician (born 1949)

Mark Freuder Knopfler is a British guitarist, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He was the lead guitarist, singer and songwriter of the rock band Dire Straits. He pursued a solo career after the band first dissolved in 1988. Dire Straits reunited in 1990, but dissolved again in 1995. He is now an independent solo artist.

<i>Dire Straits</i> (album) 1978 studio album by Dire Straits

Dire Straits is the debut studio album by the British rock band Dire Straits, released on 9 June 1978 by Vertigo Records internationally, Warner Bros. Records in the United States and Mercury Records in Canada. The album has the hit single "Sultans of Swing", which reached number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 8 on the UK Singles Chart. The album reached the top of the album charts in Germany, Australia and France, number 2 in the United States and number 5 in the United Kingdom. Dire Straits was later certified double platinum in both the United States and the United Kingdom.

<i>Communiqué</i> (Dire Straits album) 1979 studio album by Dire Straits

Communiqué is the second studio album by British rock band Dire Straits, released on 5 June 1979 by Vertigo Records internationally, Warner Bros. Records in the United States and Mercury Records in Canada. The album featured the single "Lady Writer," which reached number 45 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 51 on the UK Singles Chart. The album reached number one on album charts in Germany, Spain, New Zealand, and Sweden, number 11 in the United States and number 5 in the United Kingdom. Communiqué was later certified gold in the United States, platinum in the United Kingdom and double-platinum in France.

<i>Brothers in Arms</i> (album) 1985 studio album by Dire Straits

Brothers in Arms is the fifth studio album by the British rock band Dire Straits, released on 13 May 1985 through Vertigo Records internationally and Warner Bros. Records in the United States. It is credited with being the first album in recorded history to sell over one million copies in CD format.

<i>Making Movies</i> 1980 studio album by Dire Straits

Making Movies is the third studio album by British rock band Dire Straits, released on 17 October 1980 by Vertigo Records internationally, Warner Bros. Records in the United States and Mercury Records in Canada. The album includes the single "Romeo and Juliet", which reached #8 on the UK Singles Chart, as well as “Tunnel of Love,” featured in the 1982 Richard Gere film An Officer and a Gentleman.

<i>On Every Street</i> 1991 studio album by Dire Straits

On Every Street is the sixth and final studio album by British rock band Dire Straits, released on 9 September 1991 by Vertigo Records internationally, and by Warner Bros. Records in the United States. The follow-up to the band's massively successful album Brothers in Arms, On Every Street reached the top of the UK Albums Chart and was also certified platinum by the RIAA.

<i>Love over Gold</i> 1982 studio album by Dire Straits

Love over Gold is the fourth studio album by British rock band Dire Straits, released on 24 September 1982 by Vertigo Records internationally and by Warner Bros. Records in the United States. The album featured two singles: "Private Investigations," which reached No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart, and "Industrial Disease," which reached No. 9 on Billboard's Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in the United States. The title track was released as a single two years later in its live version, and reached #15 in France, #29 in New Zealand, #43 in Netherlands and #50 in the band's native United Kingdom. The album reached number one on album charts in Australia, Austria, Italy, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom, as well as number 19 in the United States. Love over Gold was later certified gold in the United States, platinum in France and Germany and double-platinum in Canada and the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Illsley</span> English musician

John Edward Illsley is an English musician, best known as bass guitarist of the rock band Dire Straits. He has received multiple BRIT and Grammy Awards, and a Heritage Award.

<i>On the Night</i> Live album by Dire Straits

On the Night is the second live album by the British rock band Dire Straits, released on 10 May 1993 by Vertigo Records internationally, and by Warner Bros. Records in the United States. The album features many of the band's later hits, including the singles "Walk of Life" and "Money for Nothing". The cover art of the album features dishes of the Very Large Array in central New Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alan Clark (keyboardist)</span> British musician (born 1952)

Alan Clark is an English musician who was the first keyboardist and co-producer of the rock band Dire Straits. In 2018, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a significant member of the band.

<i>Live at the BBC</i> (Dire Straits album) 1995 live album by Dire Straits

Live at the BBC is a live album by British rock band Dire Straits, released on 26 June 1995 on Vertigo Records internationally, and by Warner Bros. Records in the United States. The album was recorded on 22 July 1978 at BBC Studios in London, with one track recorded on 31 January 1981. The studio versions of the first six songs were released on Dire Straits. Live at the BBC was the band's third live album, preceded by Alchemy: Dire Straits Live (1984) and On the Night (1993).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hal Lindes</span> American musician

Hal Andrew Lindes is an American–English guitarist and film score composer best known for his time as a member of Dire Straits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Romeo and Juliet (Dire Straits song)</span> 1980 song by Dire Straits

"Romeo and Juliet" is a rock song by the British rock band Dire Straits, written by frontman Mark Knopfler. It first appeared on the 1980 album Making Movies and was released as a single in 1981. The song subsequently appeared on the Dire Straits live albums Alchemy and On the Night, and later on Knopfler's live duet album with Emmylou Harris, Real Live Roadrunning. The track was also featured on the greatest hits albums Money for Nothing, Sultans of Swing: The Very Best of Dire Straits, and The Best of Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler: Private Investigations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">So Far Away (Dire Straits song)</span> 1985 single by Dire Straits

"So Far Away" is a song by British rock band Dire Straits, the opening track on their fifth studio album Brothers in Arms (1985). It became the band's fourth top 20 hit, peaking at number 19. The original studio version of the track appeared on the 2005 compilation The Best of Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler: Private Investigations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tunnel of Love (Dire Straits song)</span> 1980 single by Dire Straits

"Tunnel of Love" is a 1981 single by Dire Straits. It appears on the 1980 album Making Movies, and subsequently on the live albums Alchemy and Live at the BBC and the greatest hits albums Money for Nothing, Sultans of Swing: The Very Best of Dire Straits, and The Best of Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler: Private Investigations. The song was also featured in the 1982 Richard Gere film An Officer and a Gentleman and was included in the film’s accompanying soundtrack album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris White (saxophonist)</span> English saxophonist

Chris White is an English jazz/rock saxophonist who toured with Dire Straits from 1985 to 1995, and who has played with many bands and artists, including Robbie Williams, Paul McCartney, Chris De Burgh and Mick Jagger.

<i>Release</i> (David Knopfler album) 1983 studio album by David Knopfler

Release is David Knopfler's first solo album after leaving Dire Straits. It was released in 1983 on the Peach River and Passport labels, and in 1997 on the Paris label.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Knopfler discography</span>

The Mark Knopfler discography consists of recordings by British singer-songwriter and guitarist Mark Knopfler, not including his work with Dire Straits. Knopfler began recording apart from Dire Straits in 1983, when he released his first soundtrack album Local Hero. That same year he produced his first album, Infidels for Bob Dylan. Between 1983 and 2016, Knopfler composed and released nine soundtrack albums, the last of which was with Evelyn Glennie.

References

  1. ↑ "Brothers of Scottish Rock and Pop (mostly) – Fun Facts, Questions, Answers, Information". Funtrivia.com. Archived from the original on 3 October 2012. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
  2. ↑ "Knopfler, Mark (Freuder) 1949-". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  3. 1 2 "David Knopfler Biography". Knopfler's official website. April 2005. Archived from the original on 7 January 2009. Retrieved 9 January 2009.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Christian Genzel (April 2005). "David Knopfler Biography". Allmusic . Retrieved 9 January 2009.
  5. ↑ "ONLINE: Between the Moors and..." MutualArt. 16 September 2020. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
  6. ↑ Rigg, Paul (20 January 2020). "David Knopfler - Last Train Leaving (2020)". Guitars Exchange. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
  7. ↑ Henderson, Guy (20 April 2023). "Rock legend stands for election in Devon". DevonLive. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  8. ↑ "Wikiphobia". Knopfler's official website. Archived from the original on 14 March 2009. Retrieved 9 January 2009.
  9. ↑ "Harry Bogdanovs – Credits". Allmusic. Retrieved 10 January 2009.
  10. ↑ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 306. ISBN   1-904994-10-5.
  11. ↑ "NME Artists – YouTube videos, gigs, biography, discography, and books". New Musical Express. Archived from the original on 15 March 2009. Retrieved 10 January 2009.
  12. ↑ "Lips Against the Steel – Overview". Allmusic. Retrieved 10 January 2009.
  13. 1 2 "David Knopfler Discography". Discogs website. Retrieved 10 January 2009.
  14. ↑ "Some pieces of Chris White's musical biography..." Chris White Unofficial Home Page – by Slavi. Retrieved 10 January 2009.[ dead link ]
  15. ↑ Nigel Lawry. "Songstuff: David Knopfler". Interview with David Knopfler. Archived from the original on 27 December 2008. Retrieved 10 January 2009.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 "The official site for David Knopfler music". Paris Records. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
  17. ↑ "David Knopfler | Album Discography". AllMusic.
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