Dire Straits Mark Knopfler becomes the darling of a new generation [of] relatively well-to-do compact disc buyers.. Pick Withers is born David Withers on 4 April 1948 in Leicester, England. When Dire Straits go on tour in 1983 to promote both Love Over Gold and the ExtendedancEPlay EP, they are joined by Tommy Mandel (keyboards) to help ease the burden on keyboardist Alan Clark. 5, US no. It was a moment of madness, he grins. ROCKER John Illsley has revealed how he first met Dire Straits legend Mark Knopfler when the singer was lying in a crumpled heap on the floor of his council flat. Although he resides in that metropolis from 1976 to 1985, Jack Sonni finds only a limited amount of work as a session guitarist. 6), released on 27 October. We were who invited to a Greek restaurant in Paddington; it was hilarious, John recalls. The featured song is the purposefully silly Twisting By The Pool (UK no. Charlies music was kinder on the ears.. In that locale, Louisa takes a job as a headmistress at a school. Knopflers quest was less about being a guitar master than it was about finding a mythical musical ideal at the intersection of Newcastles Tyne River and the muddy Mississippi delta, a place where folk and blues, songwriting and instrumental flair, guitar and voice had equal weight. He and his California-born wife, Laura, have two children, Max and Leon. Illsley, born in Leicester in the English midlands in 1949, reminisces in the book about his musical education and an early job with a timber firm, before a Sociology The song is inspired by Mark Knopflers brother-in-law who has difficulty contacting Mark on the telephone. Guy Fletcher appears on many of the solo albums by former Dire Straits leader Mark Knopfler. On this occasion, the band consists of: Mark Knopfler (vocals, guitar), Alan Clark (keyboards), Guy Fletcher (keyboards, guitar, backing vocals), John Illsley (bass) and the bands former manager Ed Bicknell (drums). This track is co-produced by Kingsley Ward and noted guitarist Dave Edmunds who also makes a musical guest-appearance on Louise. Alan Clark is born on 3 March 1952 in Great Lumley, County Durham, England. The bands first gig as Dire Straits takes place in the summer of 1977. He owns a pub called the East End Arms, he paints and releases his eighth solo album, VIII, in January. Instead, an animated version of a large, brutish workman mouths Knopflers lyrics while his skinny offsider lip synchs Stings harmonies. Former Dire Straits keyboardist Alan Clark plays the music of his former band with The Straits in 2011. Hal Andrew Lindes is born on 30 June 1983 in Monterey, California, U.S.A. His parents are Russian. Warner Brothers release the album in the U.S.A. and it is only after it is a hit in that country that Dire Straits really catches on in the United Kingdom. Comfort And Joy is a three song, twelve-inch EP issued on 27 July 1984. I wrote the song when I was actually in the store. The Dire Straits Tour commences on 6 June 1978 at the Lafayett Club in Wolverhampton. 17, US no. Local Hero (1983), released in March, is the soundtrack to the movie of the same name. Drummer Bob Walker steps down temporarily and is replaced for a short spell by future Dire Straits member Pick Withers. 6) (from which comes the single Your Own Sweet Way) before dissolving. His height is 1.83 m. Tall, and weight is 85 kg. John Illsley is an English musician who rose to fame as the bass guitarist of the critically acclaimed band Dire Straits . On Every Street (1991) (UK no. He first starts playing the drums in the Boys Brigade, a Christian youth organisation in England. We played him Money For Nothing and he turned round and said: Youve done it this time, you b*st*rds. Mark [Knopfler] said if he thought it was so good why didnt he go and add something to it. He did his bit there and then. Sting provides high harmonies and the opening wail of I want my MTV. This is a reference to the U.S. cable television network MTV (Music Television) that plays non-stop music videos. Rockpile has a rather unusual existence, providing backing on solo albums by group leaders Dave Edmunds and Nick Lowe. When it becomes clear that Jack Sonni will have to raise his children alone, he resigns from Dire Straits in 1988. 24), Slow Motion (1974), Maximum Darkness (1975) (UK no. Live In Les Beaux De Provence (2007) is credited to John Illsley with Cunla and Greg Pearle. This fuzz sound is said to be a happy accident that results from Mark Knopfler using a closely-miked Gibson Les Paul electric guitar rather than his more familiar instruments in an attempt to replicate the sound of U.S. boogie rock act ZZ Top. In the mid-1970s, Pick Withers is the house drummer at Dave Edmunds Rockfield Studios recording facility in Wales. Terry Williams does not play on any of Love Sculptures recordings; he joins in the dying days of the band. Walk Of Life (UK no. (It may be recalled that, in the mid-1970s, original Dire Straits drummer Pick Withers was the house drummer at Edmunds Rockfield Studio.) Illsley found his future bandmate lying comatose on the concrete floor of his flat with a Gibson electric guitar across his chest, surrounded by a detritus of dog ends and empty Newcastle Brown bottles. On the whole, Dire Straits second album continues to follow a similar vein to the first.. 53) on 10 January 1983. David Knopfler remains estranged from his elder brother Mark Knopfler for much of their adult lives. Sultans Of Swing: The Very Best Of Dire Straits (1998) (UK no. It is most commonly labelled roots rock, but they lack the insular devotion of such purists. His Dire Straits comrades Mark Knopfler (guitar) and Terry Williams (drums) also contribute to Illsleys album. It is one of the first albums to be directed at the CD [compact disc] market rather than the more traditional vinyl records audience. He stayed at a friends Deptford flat, coming home to find the front door had been kicked in and the whole place had been smashed to pieces, including some of my favourite records, there was blood on the floor, ceiling and walls, The angry boyfriend of a student John had slept with had inflicted the damage. Mark Knopfler surfaces in the company of The Notting Hillbillies in 1990. From 2000 to 2007 Terry Williams runs a blues club in Swansea, Wales. Love Over Gold is produced by Dire Straits leader Mark Knopfler. Former Dire Straits pedal steel guitarist Paul Franklin joins The Time Jumpers, a county and western swing band, in 1998. One of Marks newspaper assignments is to interview a local blues guitarist named Steve Phillips. Love Over Gold is an album of songs filled with lengthy, experimental passages. Note: Three additional songs are created for Love Over Gold but do not end up on the album. 14, US no. When they sign to Phonogram at the end of 1977 Dire Straits also gain a manager, Ed Bicknell. Sensitive to the comments, the offending lines are sometimes edited out of later editions of the song. She was working for Warner Bros. Records when Mark met her. Bassist and founding member John Illsley - along with guitarist and frontman Mark Knopfler, the band's sole constant His first guitar was a Rosetti Lucky Seven - the same choice as Beatle George Harrison and Rolling Stone Keith Richards. Mark Knopfler, David Knopfler and John Illsley may be ready to start a band, but they still need a drummer. My Life in Dire Straitsby John Illsley (Bantam Press) is out now. There is another noteworthy aspect to the success of Brothers In Arms. Knopfler explains, The lead character in Money For Nothing is a guy who works in the hardware department in a television / custom kitchen / refrigerator / microwave appliance store. 5, US no. 67) is a rockabilly toe-tapper. WebA gentle man with his gracious wife They had their dreams of a perfect life Worked the land until the sun went down They were lovers then in that market town The battle ground had left its legacy No words he spoke of this victory He built a world that was safe and sound Life was good in that Market town Terry Williams imparts a party vibe to this track along with its companions Two Young Lovers and If I Had You. It seems that, at first, they land in Blyth, Northumberland, in the north east of the country. This is initially sparked by their uncle Kingsley who plays both harmonica and boogie-woogie piano. Hes singing the song. It was never just about music. And Dylan like Berry is a well-regarded lyricist. 21, AUS no. 1), released on 20 August. Love Over Gold furthers the formula from Making Movies, scaling down from seven tracks to a mere five (lengthy) pieces. WebAccording to our records, John Illsley is possibly single. 4, US no. He takes piano lessons as a child. King, jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt and British instrumental rock band The Shadows (whose guitarist Hank B. Marvin plays a Fender Stratocaster). Unlike its predecessor, Comfort And Joy, Cal is a full-length album. I thought it was dull, but as soon as I bought my first Strat (i.e. Private Dancer), this is the most famous example. This band is also managed by Ed Bicknell, Dire Straits manager. Dire Straits is produced by Muff Winwood, the elder brother of rock star Steve Winwood. Dire Straits Mark Knopfler serves as producer on Randy Newmans album Land Of Dreams (1988) (US no. Like almost all the bands recordings, this disc is issued on the Vertigo label. Guitarist David Knopfler had almost completed all his parts on this album before he quit, but big brother Mark Knopfler rerecords all those parts himself. Upcoming Birthday. To make ends meet, Sonni also works at Rudys Music Shop, an instrument emporium in New York. Replacing Pick Withers in Dire Straits is Terry Williams. It is at this time that Mark Knopfler joins the band as lead guitarist. David and Anna have a child but the name, gender and birthdate of their offspring does not appear to be public knowledge. Career In 1977, Mark Knopfler formed the internationally celebrated rock band Dire Straits along with David Knopfler, John Illsley, and Pick Withers. Two more songs are lifted from On Every Street as singles but only for European markets. Mark and David both attend Gosforth Grammar School. Mark Knopflers interest in words is put to use when he studies journalism for a year at Harlow College far to the south and closer to London. Jack Sonni goes on to work for Line 6, a digital technology organisation for musicians. Bassist Derrick Timms leaves and is replaced by Steve Nachi. Around 2012, saxophonist Chris White creates The Dire Straits Experience. When Alan Clark joins Dire Straits in 1980 he becomes the groups first official keyboards player. Mark Knopfler plays on only three tracks on The Booze Brothers. 26) tries to recapture the vibe of Money For Nothing. The next move for Dire Straits is to seek advice from disc jockey Charlie Gillett. The slow and languorous hush of Wild West End has Mark Knopfler licking his lips over My conductress on the number nineteen / She was a honey / Pink toenails and hands all / Dirty with the money / Greasy, greasy, greasy hair / Easy smile / She made me feel 19 for a while. These four songs Sultans Of Swing, Water Of Love, Down To The Waterline and Wild West End were all on the demo tape that helped Dire Straits secure a recording contract. When he starts college, John Sunni begins being called Jack. 26) features a smoky saxophone part by Michael Brecker. Dire Straits officially disband in 1995. Around this time, Dire Straits bassist John Illsley marries. It was an incredible thing to be a part of, and that people still listen to it. Pick Withers takes on that role. It was a far cry from life as a privately educated bankers son in rural Leicestershire.