Mark Knopfler

Mark Knopfler has also scored the music to several films, including Local Hero, The Princess Bride, Cal, Last Exit to Brooklyn and Wag the Dog. First came, Local Hero in 1983 followed in 1984 by the Cal and the Comfort and Joy soundtracks. These were followed in 1987 by The Princess Bride and two years later came Last Exit To Brooklyn. Further soundtrack work has seen the release of Metroland and Wag The Dog both of 1998 and the soundtrack album to the film A Shot At Glory in October 2001.

In 1988, Mark brought the band Dire Straits back together for Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Concert which featured Eric Clapton. Before that Dire Straits had done two concerts for the Prince's Trust in front of Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales and then they appeared at the 1985 Live Aid Concert. In 1995 Mark was featured on the chart-topping Dunblane single Knockin' On Heaven's Door and in September 1997 was one of the artists who performed for Sir George Martin's Music For Montserrat Concert at the Royal Albert Hall.

If you are looking for Mark Knopfler Tickets, then you can have the peace of mind that you will not overpay. This is because of our "meet or beat" guarantee for lowest prices on the web. Rather than gouge a few customers, we would rather meet our expenses and benefit the event goers through our affordable and low margins. While we (unfortunately) don't set the base price, and don't have too much leeway in controlling the price, we do our bit to keep the prices down for you, our valued client. While these Mark Knopfler event tickets can be significantly above face-value, we still provide the best deal on the web. Guaranteed!

Mark Knopfler



Knopfler has occasionally played in other groups, such as the "supergroup" The Notting Hillbillies. He is one of the most respected finger style guitarists of the modern rock era. Knopfler was ranked #27 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time".

Additionally, he has performed as a guest on works by other artists, including Bob Dylan, Bryan Ferry, Eric Clapton, John Fogerty, Jools Holland, Steely Dan and Chet Atkins. He has produced albums for artists such as Tina Turner, Randy Newman, Bob Dylan and Emmylou Harris. In addition, he has scored the music to several films, including Local Hero, The Princess Bride, Cal, Last Exit to Brooklyn and Wag the Dog.

Dire Straits recorded and released their first album, the self-titled Dire Straits in 1978 initially to little fanfare in the UK, but a single release, "Sultans of Swing" became a chart hit in Holland and album sales took off across Europe and then the U.S. The second album, Communiqué produced by Jerry Wexler and Barry Beckett, followed in 1979, reaching number one in Germany while the first album was still at number three. The band's third album, Making Movies, was released in 1980 and marked a move towards more complex arrangements and production which continued for the remainder of the group's career.

In 1982 Dire Straits released their fourth album, Love Over Gold. which included "Telegraph Road," "Industrial Disease," and the #2 hit "Private Investigations," which became a popular live song. Around this time Mark Knopfler was also involved with other projects, including writing the music score for the film Local Hero, released in 1983. The soundtrack album Local Hero was a large success, and it was followed in 1984 by his scores for the films Cal and Comfort and Joy.

With the release of Love Over Gold there was a world tour called Alchemy: Dire Straits Live. A double-LP of the recordings of two live shows in Hammersmith Odeon in London sold over 500,000 albums. Dire Straits' best-selling album was their fifth, Brothers in Arms, which became an international hit on its release in 1985, and spawned several chart singles including "So Far Away", "Walk Of Life", "Brothers In Arms", and the number-one hit "Money for Nothing," which was the first video ever to be played on MTV in Britain. The band's 1985–86 world tour of over 230 shows was immensely successful.

In 1996, the year after Dire Straits' disbanding, Knopfler released his first solo album, Golden Heart. Formed during the Golden Heart sessions, the main line-up of his solo band, also known as "The 96'ers," has lasted much longer than any Dire Straits line-up. In August the same year, Brothers in Arms was certified nine times platinum. In 1997 Rolling Stone magazine released a poll: "Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll", which included "Sultans of Swing," Dire Straits' first hit, which remained significant throughout their entire career as a band.

Knopfler released his third solo album, The Ragpicker's Dream, in 2002. A keen motorcyclist, Knopfler was involved in a motorbike crash in Grosvenor Road in March 2003, Belgravia. He suffered a broken collarbone, broken shoulder blade and seven broken ribs. The planned Ragpicker's Dream tour was subsequently cancelled, but Knopfler recovered and was able to return to the stage in 2004 for his fourth album, Shangri-La.

Shangri-La was recorded at the Shangri-La Studio in Malibu, California in 2004, where The Band made recordings for The Last Waltz." The "Shangri-La" tour took Mark to countries like India and the UAE for the first time. In India, his concerts at Bombay and Bangalore were very well received, with over 20,000 fans gathering at each concert to listen to a legend many thought would never visit their country. In late 2005 a third compilation, The Best of Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler: Private Investigations was released, and consisted of material from most of Dire Straits' studio albums and Knopfler's solo and soundtrack material.

Mark Knopfler is noted for being left-handed, but playing right-handed, and for fingerpicking style instead of using a plectrum (i.e., "pick"); fingerpicking is usually associated with the acoustic guitar, but Knopfler usually plays an electric guitar. Knopfler revealed during a French interview that he uses a pick for his rhythm work during recording sessions. Knopfler surprised the interviewer by pulling a pick out of his pocket and saying that he usually carries one.

Knopfler's audience has grown to reach six continents; he is known to his audiences for his affable manner, humorous banter and amiable audience interaction during performances.

Knopfler has been known to sip tea on stage during live performances. His guitarist Richard Bennett has also joined in drinking tea with him on stage. photo. On July 31st 2005 at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, the tea was replaced by Whiskey in respect of ritual "last show of tour" sort of joke.

In 1993, Knopfler was made an honorary Doctor of Music at Newcastle University.

In 1999, Knopfler was awarded an OBE.
On July 11, 2007, Knopfler was made an honorary Doctor of Music at Sunderland University.

British author and humorist Douglas Adams said about Knopfler, in his book So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish: "Mark Knopfler has an extraordinary ability to make a Schecter Custom Stratocaster hoot and sing like angels on a Saturday night, exhausted from being good all week and needing a stiff beer."

The dinosaur species Masiakasaurus knopfleri was named after Knopfler. The paleontologists were listening to Dire Straits recordings when they discovered the species.

If you are looking for Mark Knopfler Tickets, then you can have the peace of mind that you will not overpay. This is because of our "meet or beat" guarantee for lowest prices on the web. Rather than gouge a few customers, we would rather meet our expenses and benefit the event goers through our affordable and low margins. While we (unfortunately) don't set the base price, and don't have too much leeway in controlling the price, we do our bit to keep the prices down for you, our valued client. While these Mark Knopfler event tickets can be significantly above face-value, we still provide the best deal on the web. Guaranteed!