Dire Straits

Dire Straits
Dire Straits performing in 1985
Background information
Also known as	Café Racers[1]
Origin	London, England
Genres	Roots rock blues rock pub rock
Years active	1977 (1977)–1988 (1988) 1990 (1990)–1995 (1995)
Labels	Vertigo Mercury Warner Bros.
Past members	Mark Knopfler David Knopfler John Illsley Pick Withers Alan Clark Hal Lindes Terry Williams Guy Fletcher Jack Sonni
Website	direstraits.com

Dire Straits were a British rock band formed in London in 1977 by Mark Knopfler (lead vocals, lead guitar), David Knopfler (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), John Illsley (bass guitar, backing vocals) and Pick Withers (drums, percussion). The band was active from 1977 to 1988 and again from 1990 to 1995.^[2]

Their first single, "Sultans of Swing", from their 1978 self-titled debut album, reached the top ten in the UK and US charts. It was followed by a series of hit singles including "Romeo and Juliet" (1981), "Private Investigations" (1982), "Twisting by the Pool" (1983), "Money for Nothing" (1985), and "Walk of Life" (1985).^[3] Their most commercially successful album, Brothers in Arms (1985), has sold more than 30 million copies worldwide; it was the first album to sell a million copies on CD^[4][5] and is the eighth-best-selling album in UK history. According to the Guinness Book of British Hit Albums, as of 2005, Dire Straits had spent over 1,100 weeks on the UK Albums Chart, the fifth-most at that time.^[6]

Dire Straits drew from influences including country, folk, the blues rock of J. J. Cale, and jazz.^[7] Their stripped-down sound contrasted with punk rock and demonstrated a roots rock influence that emerged from pub rock. There were several changes in personnel, with Mark Knopfler and Illsley being the only members who remained with the band for its entire history.^[8] After their first breakup in 1988, Knopfler told Rolling Stone: "A lot of press reports were saying we were the biggest band in the world. There's not an accent then on the music, there's an accent on popularity. I needed a rest."^[9] They disbanded permanently in 1995, after which Knopfler launched a solo career full-time. He has declined numerous reunion offers,^[10] and confirmed in April 2024 that he would never play as part of the group again.^[11]

Dire Straits were called "the biggest British rock band of the 80s" by Classic Rock magazine;^[12] their 1985–1986 world tour, which included a performance at Live Aid in July 1985, set a record in Australasia.^[13] Their final world tour from 1991 to 1992 sold 7.1 million tickets. Dire Straits won four Grammy Awards, three Brit Awards (including Best British Group twice), two MTV Video Music Awards, and various other awards.^[14] They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018. Dire Straits have sold between 100 million and 120 million records worldwide, including 51.4 million certified units, making them one of the best-selling music artists of all time.^[15][16]