David Knopfler

Biography

David Knopfler (born 27 December 1952) is a British musician. Together with his older brother Mark Knopfler, John Illsley, and Pick Withers, he founded the rock band Dire Straits in 1977, serving as rhythm guitarist on their first two albums. After quitting the band in 1980 during the recording of their third album, Knopfler embarked upon a solo career as a recording artist.

Early life

Knopfler was born in Glasgow, to an English mother, Louisa Mary (née Laidler), a teacher, and a Hungarian Jewish father, Erwin Knopfler, an architect. When Knopfler was four, his family moved to Newcastle upon Tyne, where he grew up and later attended Gosforth Grammar School. By the age of 11, Knopfler owned a guitar, a piano and a drum kit, and by 14 he was playing and singing his own compositions in folk clubs. After graduating from Bristol Polytechnic with an honours degree in Economics, Knopfler became a social worker in London.

Personal life

Knopfler is married to the former American art professor Leslie Stroz, who illustrates much of David's CD artwork. He lives with his family in Wolborough, which is a parish of Newton Abbott in Devon. Knopfler was an unsuccessful candidate in the 2023 Teignbridge District Council election, in which he stood as a representative for the South Devon Alliance.

Dire Straits

Knopfler introduced his older brother, guitarist Mark Knopfler, to his bassist flatmate John Illsley. 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."
Knopfler played rhythm guitar beside his brother, who was the lead guitarist, lead vocalist and the main composer in the band. David Knopfler appeared on Dire Straits' first two albums: Dire Straits (1978) and Communiqué (1979). The stress of composing, arranging songs, recording the then-requisite two albums and tours to support them took its toll on the brothers, and David left the band during the recording of their third album, Making Movies (1980), leaving him uncredited on the album.

Solo

After leaving Dire Straits, Knopfler released his first solo album, Release×Release1983 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Soul Kissing4:412Come to Me3:123Madonna's Daughter4:214The Girl and the Paperboy3:015Roman Times4:156Sideshow4:417Little Brother4:038Hey Henry3:169Night Train4:1410The Great Divide3:46, in 1983. Mark Knopfler and John Illsley both played on the album. Harry Bogdanovs, a lifelong friend of Knopfler, is credited with having co-written three of the tracks and playing synthesiser. The album was supported by the single "Soul Kissing×Soul Kissing1983 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Soul Kissing2Come to Me" on the label of Peach River Records. The single peaked at No. 87 in the UK Singles Chart, after Knopfler retrieved the rights from the bankrupt record label.
Behind the Lines, his second album, was released in 1985 and his third solo album, Cut the Wire×Cut the Wire1986 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracks1Freakshow5:082The Fisherman2:273The Hurricane3:204When We Kiss4:315When Grandpappa Sailed5:196The Hurting6:177The Sentenced Man6:498Dedication5:489Charlie and Suzie1:25, followed in 1986. In 1988, the U.S. label Cypress Records released his fourth album, Lips Against the Steel×Lips Against the Steel1988 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 8 tracks1Heat Come Down3:562What Then Must We Do4:153To Feel That Way Again5:384Someone to Believe In4:575Sculptress5:536Angie and Johnny5:387Whispers of Gethsemane6:428Broken Wing3:40.
Knopfler scored the soundtracks for the films Shergar (1984) and Laser Mission (1989), and the German productions Treffer (1984), Jakob hinter der blauen Tür (1989) and The Great Bellheim.
Lifelines in 1991 released by Phonogram, was recorded in Peter Gabriel's Real World Studios. That album was followed in 1993 by The Giver×The Giver1993 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Mercy With the Wine3:332Hey Jesus3:053Domino7:034Every Line3:395How Many Times?2:566Love Knows3:597Lover's Fever4:108Carry On4:209The Giver of Gifts7:0310Southside Tenements7:2311A Father and a Son2:3812Always1:47, released by MESA/Bluemoon in the U.S., and Ariola in Europe. Its sparse, acoustic arrangements received positive reviews, as did 1995's Small Mercies, which Knopfler co-produced with Harry Bogdanovs, featuring Chris White on saxophone. In 2001, Knopfler worked with Bogdanovs again to co-produce the album Wishbones×Wishbones2001 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1A Clear Day (St Swithun's Day)4:342King of Ashes3:123Arcadie6:014Means of Survival3:335Jericho3:236Karla Faye2:587The Bones5:098The Snowscape Paperweight Girl5:139If God Could Make the Angels4:2810Genius3:1311Nothing at All3:5312May You Never4:1513Shadowlands4:3914A Clear Day (St Swithun's Day) (unplugged)4:19, which has guest appearances by Chris Rea and Eddi Reader. His ninth solo album, Ship of Dreams×Ship of Dreams13 September 2004 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks14U (Rabbit Song)5:432Easy Street3:453God's Mockingbird6:424Ship of Dreams4:365True Love4:396All I Want Is You2:517Going Down With the Waves3:458When Will the Crying Stop3:529Shine Shine Shine5:4110The Price for Loving You3:1511Sometimes There Are No Words4:5112Mending My Nets6:1313Tears Fall3:0514Symmetry of the Stars4:15, which featured Chris Rea as guest guitarist, was released in 2004.
In May 2005, Knopfler published a book of poetry, Blood Stones and Rhythmic Beasts, which was released by the UK's BlackWing books (ISBN 0955026008).
The Canadian jazz label Justin Time Records released Ship of Dreams in October 2005 with an alternate rendition of "Tears Fall" featuring Megan Slankard (replacing Julia Neigel on the original European release). Knopfler's tenth solo album Songs for the Siren×Songs for the Siren20 October 2006 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Steel Wheels3:442Fire Down Below4:353Sophie’s Song5:444Somebody Kind4:365Washing Horses in Eden2:416Razor Moon4:387Accidents Don’t Just Happen4:398One Thing Leads to Another3:509Drowning Pool3:4810The Love of Your Life3:4711Smile and Say Okay4:29 was released in 2006. Songwriting projects with other artists have included sessions with Amilia Spicer, Mack Starks, Megan Slankard and Wendy Lands.
He played various acoustic and electric gigs in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Canada, Turkey and Australia from 2007 to 2009 with Harry Bogdanovs and his band. The double CD Acoustic, containing unplugged renditions of new and old songs, was released in 2011.
Knopfler continued to tour in Spain, Germany, the UK, the United States and Canada in 2012 to 2015. The first-ever limited edition live album, Made in Germany (recorded in Erfurt, Germany during the 2012 tour with Bogdanovs), was released in April 2013 exclusively via CDBaby.com.
The album Last Train Leaving×Last Train Leaving20 January 2020 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1The Ballad of Little Blackie3:152I Gave My Heart3:503Glory Be4:034All the Fun of the Fair4:205Wolfboy3:266That Perfect Storm3:077Pinky Promises2:368When a Boy Becomes a Man2:549Requiem for the Living2:4910These Two Hands4:2111Only a Miracle4:4512Nearly Really There2:1413The Gift of Life (Last Train Leaving)3:5614Who Do You Really Love3:21 was released in 2020. Songs of Loss and Love was released in December 2020, with Shooting for the Moon (2021) and Skating on the Lake (2022). Crow Gifts was released in 2024.