Sultan of Swing: Mark Knopfler celebrates his 70th birthday. Birthday

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With his distinctive guitar playing of Mark Knopfler made Dire Straits famous around the world. Now he is 70. The new decade of life could be quiet, because the Tour to the current solo album should be his last.

Nostalgia is not Mark Knopfler’s thing. He was the head of one of the most successful British Bands, the look back is to him, but as uncomfortable as it is, life in the glare of the spotlight has been light. The guitarist lets his fingers skillfully over the strings to slide, according to his own statement, but always has problems to use a conventional zipper, celebrates this Monday the 70. Birthday.

Knopfler was born on 12. August 1949 born in Glasgow, his mother a teacher, his father, an architect, was fled in 1939 from Hungary, because he was close to the Communists. The music discovered Knopfler as a child, playing the piano with his uncle sparked the passion. Soon, the parents gave him his first guitar. After school and during her studies worked Knopfler as a Reporter and farm workers, and later he worked as an English teacher, until he founded in 1977 with his brother David, the Dire Straits.

Mark Knopfler with the Who’s Who of the rock music on the stage, here with Sting (left) and Eric Clapton (right).

Breakthrough in furniture hauling

The Name referred to the phrase for “in trouble” and was based on the financial situation of the band members. The record companies refused to take your recordings to the legendary Radio DJ Charlie Gillett on his BBC Show “Honky Tonk” played a demo tape of Dire Straits: “Sultans of Swing”. In the documentary “Mark Knopfler: Guitar Stories” talked shop Knopfler with Dire Straits Bassist John Illsley on guitar and remembers that the Band was not able to track the shipment at the time live, because she needed someone to help in the move. Meanwhile, many record labels called the station – even before the last stroke was played, to learn, and from whom the Song came from.

The 1978 released debut album “Dire Straits” was a success all over the world, and the guitar playing of front man and singer Mark to the trademark. As a virtuoso he plucked his guitar strings with the more Country and Folk usual Fingerpicking, the strings with the individual fingers and thumb instead of a Plectrum is struck. Those who wanted could hear it in his laconic vocals to the influence of Bob Dylan.

In the rock Olymp: “Brothers in Arms” by Dire Straits

MTV launches with “Money For Nothing”

Mark’s brother David left the Band after the second Album, because the older brother took a dominant role. Until today, the brothers have no contact. The biggest success of the younger Knopfler missed this, because in 1985, the Dire boarded Straits with their fifth Album “Brothers in Arms” finally the rock Olympus. The Album landed the world number one in the album charts, and sold more than 30 million copies. The Video to “Money For Nothing”, an ironic viewing of the music business, the Sting, the line “I want my MTV” song, was the first that ran during the launch of MTV in Europe.

The success was with Mark Knopfler the alarm bells, he saw his creativity will be threatened and worried the fame could go to your head. He pulled back and other projects, including his second band, the Notting Hillbillies was dedicated. The Dire Straits were one of those Bands that defined themselves through their front man, while was also awarded without its root formation. In 1979 Knopfler had played on Bob Dylan’s Album “Slow Train Coming”, the Lead guitar and later Tina Turner’s Comeback Hit, “Private Dancer” written.

Knopfler’s latest Album “Down the Road, Wherever”

No fun in the Past

Only six years after the “Brothers in Arms” appeared next, and finally, the last Album of Dire Straits “On Every Street”. The subsequent two-year Tour brought the Band also to your end as Knopfler’s second marriage. In 1995, the front man broke the Dire Straits quietly and secretly – not just in agreement with the other members of the band, who were in consequence always a Reunion. “I don’t look back, and it makes me no fun to have that again, revive,” said Knopfler the magazine “Gitarre & Bass” in an Interview. “All these skeletons coming out of their graves, crawling, and even a couple of euros want to make by rattling its old Shit down. I think it’s bad.”

As the Dire Straits of 2018 were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, stayed away from Knopfler for the tribute. He was working on his last November released Album “Down The Road, Wherever”, in addition, the organisers would have demanded a joint appearance of the Dire Straits, a Mini-Reunion. “And I thought to myself, that me nobody has to say, what I have to do,” said Knopfler, the “FAZ”.

More workers as the party-goers

With his solo career, Mark Knopfler had long ago discovered the fun that was in him came under the crushing Heaviness of the band’s success lost. Nine solo albums have since appeared, the latest, so it indicated Knopfler, could be his last. The back pinch, and also the eyes would be better.

2006 Mark Knopfler opened his recording Studio, British Grove in London.

And the fact that he knows how to appreciate his calm, has Knopfler never made a secret. The headbands he wore earlier on the stage, protected him not only from sweat, but also attention: as soon As he picked her up after the Show, I recognized him, no one. While a number of Superstars spent the 1980s, more in rehab than in the Studio, are no excesses or scandals handed down. He was not a party-goer, but rather a worker.

Since 2006, Knopfler’s recording Studio “British Grove” in London for the second leg, there is also Eric Clapton, Duffy, and the Rolling have recorded in addition to the owner, and various orchestras Stones albums. With his third wife and their two daughters, Mark Knopfler lives as a recluse in London. He was a slow man, he says about himself – when you Walk, Think, Respond. And he is to avoid too much Stress.

In this sense: Happy Birthday and a quiet Celebration!