David Knopfler
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David Knopfler (born December 27, 1952 in Glasgow) is a Scottish-born guitarist, singer and songwriter.
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[edit] Life and work
He was the son of a Jewish architect who left mainland Europe in 1939 and settled in Great Britain. David grew up in Newcastle upon Tyne, where he attended Gosforth Grammar School. David was the founding member of British rock band Dire Straits. David played rhythm guitar on Dire Straits' first two albums Dire Straits and Communiqué. His elder brother Mark Knopfler was front man. During the recording of Making Movies he left the group to pursue a solo career.
After leaving Dire Straits, David released his first solo album in 1983, titled Release. Behind the Lines, his second album, was released in 1985 and Cut the Wire in 1986. 1988 saw the release of his fourth album, Lips Against the Steel, released in the U.S. by Cypress Records. Lifelines in 1991 was recorded in Peter Gabriel's Real World Studios. David released The Giver in 1993 (MESA/Bluemoon in the U.S.). Its sparse acoustic arrangements brought strong critical acclaim. Co-produced with Harry Bogdanovs, Small Mercies and Wishbones followed in 1995 and 2001. Chris Rea guested on Wishbones.
His ninth solo CD, Ship of Dreams, was released in 2004. A book of poetry has been recently published with the title Blood Stones and Rhythmic Beasts by the UK's BlackWing books (released 6 May 2005, ISBN 0-9550260).
The U.S./Canadian jazz label Justintime Records released Ship of Dreams in October 2005 with an alternate rendition of "Tears Fall" featuring Megan Slankard (replacing Julie Neigel on the original European release).
Recent co-writing projects have included co-writes with Amilia Spicer, Mack Starks, Megan Slankard and Wendy Lands.
David has also scored the soundtracks for German TV productions including such films as: Treffer (1984), Jakob hinter der blauen Tür (1989) and Der grosse Bellheim.
Knopfler has recently finished recording his next album with keyboardist/producer, Tony Carey. Songs for the Siren, is set for release in September 2006 by Paris Records in UK and in October 2006 on Blue Rose Records in Germany. The album features 11 new compositions.
He recently appeared on stage dueting with Karine Polwart at the Globe Theatre London in support of Reprieve.org.
[edit] Dire Straits discography
- 1978 - Dire Straits
- 1979 - Communique
- 1980 - Making Movies (David left the band in the middle of recording sessions)
- 1987 - Money For Nothing [Compilation]
- 1995 - Live At The BBC
- 1998 - Sultans Of Swing - The Very Best Of Dire Straits [Compilation]
- 2005 - Private Investigations - The Best Of Mark Knopfler & Dire Straits [Compilation]
[edit] Solo discography
- 1983 - Release
- 1985 - Behind the Lines
- 1986 - Cut the Wire
- 1988 - Lips Against the Steel
- 1991 - Lifelines
- 1993 - The Giver
- 1995 - Small Mercies
- 2001 - Wishbones
- 2004 - Ship of Dreams
- 2006 - Songs for the Siren
[edit] References and notes
[edit] External links
| Dire Straits |
| Mark Knopfler | John Illsley | Alan Clark | Guy Fletcher | David Knopfler | Pick Withers | Hal Lindes | Terry Williams | Jack Sonni |
| Discography |
| Albums and extended plays: Dire Straits | Communiqué | Making Movies | Love over Gold | ExtendedancEPlay | Alchemy | Brothers in Arms | On Every Street | On the Night | Live at the BBC | Money for Nothing | Sultans of Swing: The Very Best of Dire Straits | The Best of Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler: Private Investigations |
| Hit Singles: Sultans of Swing | Lady Writer | Romeo and Juliet | Skateaway | Private Investigations | Twisting by the Pool | So Far Away | Money for Nothing | Brothers in Arms | Walk of Life | Your Latest Trick | Calling Elvis | Heavy Fuel | |
