The re-released ‘Sultans Of Swing ‘ became an enormous hit, and increasing numbers enjoyed the mellow jaggedness of the group’s debut. It was only when Warner Brothers became interested in the band in the US, and their concerts over there were well-received, that word began to spread back to their home country.

Released in mid-1978, their self-titled debut album seemed somewhat out of kilter with the times, and indeed, after a modest beginning, did not initially perform strongly in the UK. A review of one of their January 1978 gigs, by Chas DeWhalley in Sounds, quickly spotted Mark Knopfler’s greatness, saying he “leads his four-piece band twisting and turning his body, jabbing his elbows and bending his fingers into the most fearsome of chordal inversions and then slipping in and out of the rhythms like an escapologist extraordinaire.” The group supported Talking Heads on tour, and Straits’ chippy, angular take on artists such as JJ Cale chimed with the times.

Dire Straits emerged at the time of new wave, and to the untrained eye, looked hardly any different to the premier art-punk bands of the day, Television and Talking Heads. On the strength of the tape, by October 1977 the group had signed with Phonogram Records, enlisting veteran producer Muff Winwood to produce their first album. A unique mixture of rock, country, soul and funk, they were championed by BBC London DJ Charlie Gillett, who heard their five-song demo tape and played it on his Honky Tonk show. With Knopfler’s stockpile of songs, they enlisted Pick Withers on drums and were christened Dire Straits by a friend of Withers. In April 1977, Mark Knopfler moved to Deptford, South London, to join David, and his flatmate, John Illsley, who was proficient on bass. David Knopfler, who had been to Bristol Polytechnic, came to London to work as a social worker. While Knopfler taught at Loughton College, he kept his hand in with pub band, Cafe Racers.

He recorded with them and made the acquaintance of their drummer, Pick Withers. Relocating to London, Knopfler joined Brewer’s Droop after answering an advert in Melody Maker. It was during this period that Knopfler and Steve Philips formed a duo, The Duolian String Pickers. At the turn of the 1970s, Knopfler went to study English at Leeds University. In 1967 Mark studied journalism at Harlow Technical College, and subsequently became a junior reporter on the Yorkshire Evening Post. Both brothers were enchanted by music: Mark joined various school outfits and David was singing in folk clubs by his mid-teens. Mark Knopfler was born in Glasgow on 12 August 1949, before relocating with his family to Blyth, Northumberland at the age of seven, where he attended Gosforth Grammar School with his younger brother David.

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