Alan Clark (keyboardist)

Alan Clark
Alan Clark playing with Dire Straits in 1985
Background information
Born	(1952-03-05) 5 March 1952 (age 65) Great Lumley, County Durham England
Genres	Rock and roll, folk rock, blues rock
Occupation(s)	Musician, Producer, Musical director
Instruments	Keyboard instruments
Years active	1960s-present
Labels	Vertigo Records, Warner Bros. Records (US)
Associated acts	Dire Straits, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Geordie
Website	alanclarkmusic.com

Alan Clark (born 5 March 1952 in Great Lumley, County Durham) is an English musician who was the first and main keyboardist for the rock band Dire Straits.

As a young child, Clark received piano lessons. Then, at the age of 13 and while still a pupil at Chester-le-Street Grammar School, he played Hammond organ in working men's clubs. He resumed his formal musical education at Durham Technical College and was offered a place at the Guildhall School of Music, but turned it down because by then he was already forging a successful career in music which included, while also working on a solo career, playing with a reformed Geordie which featured Brian Johnson who would later join AC/DC, and recording on a number of tracks of the Geordie album No Good Woman; playing and recording with a duo called Splinter who were signed to George Harrison's Dark Horse label; playing and recording with Gallagher & Lyle; and he did a tour of summer festivals with Lindisfarne, which included Knebworth.

Clark joined Dire Straits in 1980, becoming their first and main keyboard player. Clark continued with Dire Straits, co-producing the band's last album, On Every Street with Knopfler, until the band's eventual breakup in the mid-1990s.

In 1983 he played on Bob Dylan's album Infidels and also on the following Empire Burlesque album. Clark also worked with Knopfler on some of his film soundtrack work, most notably on the film Local Hero, in which he also makes a brief appearance as a piano player. He has also worked with Mark's brother David on his solo albums and toured and recorded extensively with Eric Clapton as well as playing in the "Orchestra Nights" performances with the National Philharmonic Orchestra and Michael Kamen during the 24 Nights concerts at the Royal Albert Hall in 1990 and 1991. Throughout his time with Dire Straits, he was also Tina Turner's musical director, and played on and arranged her hit "Private Dancer". Clark has also played and recorded with other artists, including the Bee Gees, Gerry Rafferty, The Blessing, Escape Club, Bo Diddley, Buddy Guy, Billy Joel, Lou Reed, Dave Stewart, David Knopfler, Gallagher and Lyle, Prefab Sprout, Mary Hopkins, Shakin Stevens, Matt Monroe, Mark Knopfler, Rory Block, Westernhagen, Della Miles, Mick Hucknall, Sky, Joan Armatrading, Lindisfarne, Geordie, Brian Johnson, Jimmy Nail, Robert Cray, Al Green, Jamie Catto, Cheshire, Y-Company, Van Morrison, Sly and Robbie, Roger Daltrey, George Harrison, Elton John, Phil Collins and Bruce Willis.