David Knopfler
| David Knopfler | |
|---|---|
Knopfler performing in 2002
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| Background information | |
| Born |
27 December 1952 Glasgow, Scotland |
| Origin | Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England |
| Genres | Rock, Singer/Songwriter |
| Occupation(s) | Multi-instrumentalist, poet, record producer, singer-songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, piano |
| Years active | 1977–present |
| Labels | Phonogram, Cypress, Peach River, Ariola |
| Associated acts | Dire Straits |
| Website | www |
| Notable instruments | |
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Fender Telecaster Breedlove & Furch Acoustic Guitars |
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David Knopfler (born 27 December 1952) is a British guitarist, pianist, record producer and singer-songwriter. He is also a poet and book writer.
He is a co-founder of the rock band Dire Straits, spending three years with them. After quitting the band, he embarked upon a solo career as a recording artist.
He initially created smaller record labels, publishing companies, and indie labels.
Knopfler has encouraged the advent of online purchasing music since 1995, although he concedes the necessity for other avenues of the distribution and sale of recorded music.
His book Bluffers Guide to the Rock Music Business was published in 1996. "Bloodstones and Rhythmic Beasts" (poetry) published 2005.
Knopfler was born in Glasgow, Scotland, to an English mother, Louisa Mary, a teacher, and a Hungarian Jewish father, Erwin Knopfler, an architect.
At the age of two, his family moved to Newcastle upon Tyne, England, where he grew up, and later attended Gosforth Grammar School.
By the age of 11, he owned a guitar, a piano and a drum kit, and by the age of 14, he was playing and singing his own compositions in folk clubs.
After attending Bristol Polytechnic, he became a social worker in London, where he shared a flat with John Illsley.
Knopfler's older brother Mark also played the guitar. David introduced Mark to John Illsley, a bass guitarist, and after gaining the interest of drummer Pick Withers, the four founded the rock band Dire Straits. One of Mark's friends came up with the band's name, which was supposedly a reference to their financial situation at the time the band was beginning to gain notice in the music industry. David however, asserts on his website that "[the] notion that the band were literally in dire straits is largely retrospective myth making and not really factually supportable. We all had day jobs until we got a whacking big advance from Polygram".
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Wikipedia