David Knopfler
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David Knopfler (born December 27 1952 in Glasgow, Scotland) is a musician and one of the founding members of the British rock band Dire Straits, along with his brother Mark Knopfler. David played rhythm guitar on Dire Straits' first two albums, the self-titled Dire Straits and Communiqué. Afterwards, he left the group to pursue a solo career. The fame they achieved due to their song "Sultans Of Swing" wasn't what David really wanted, as he had hoped Dire Straits would be more of a cult band, playing to smaller venues in a more intimate setting. This didn't turn out to be the case though.
Upon leaving Dire Straits, David released his first solo album in 1983 titled simply Release which featured Mark Knopfler & John Illsely of Dire Straits on one track, "Madonna's Daughter". Behind the Lines was his second album which was released in 1985 to a muted critical response due to its heavy synthesised sound. Cut the Wire was his third album which was released in 1986 with some positive response from the critics. 1988 saw the release of his fourth solo effort, Lips Against the Steel which was also released in U.S. by A&M Records. Songs in the album show a mature songwriter-lyricist and very promising. However it was not until the release of his fifth album, Lifelines in 1991 that David was embraced by the critics and fans alike. Recorded in Peter Gabriel's Real World Studios with the help of old mate, Harry Bogdanovs (Guitar, Keyboards) songs such as "Rise Again", "Like Lovers Do", "Falling" & "Guiding Star" show a mature and innovative musician. Still under the heavy shadow of his big brother, Mark Knopfler and almost anonymous to the rock music fans, David released The Giver in 1993. The songs were mainly acoustic and simplicity in orchestrations brought the critical acclaim. Small Mercies and Wishbones followed in 1995 & 2001 with enthusiasm from old fans and critical acclaim. Chris Rea joined David Knopfler for some guitar work in Wishbones and his latest CD, Ship of Dreams which was released in 2004. David has collaborated with lots of young female musicians such as Amilia Spicer and Megan Slankard. A book of poetry and an orchestrated DVD are planned for release.
External link
- Official website (http://www.knopfler.com/)