Hello everyone, how do you feel today?! Today is a big day for celebrating. On this day in 1949 Mark Knopfler was born, one of the greatest guitarists, writers, and singers which this beautiful world ever has.
His life is like one big musical journey in which he spent a lot of time making and creating songs and rhythms, performing with other big musicians like him and teaching other younger musicians.
Mark is one amazing person and we can see that from his songs and music that he created with Dire Straits and without them. In the years when he stopped to write songs and when Dire Straits were disbanded, he decided to start his solo career. And from then, we still are waiting for something new from him, because we know that he will do a great job if he made another album even that we know that now he has 68.
We are thirsty for his music, but why? – Because we are loyal fans of his music, Dire Straits, and fans of ex-members from that band. However, Mark still spends most of his time writing, recording, and touring. Before some weeks he just confirmed that he started to create new songs for his album which is coming in March 2018!
He is an ‘old dog’ and he enjoys in that at all. Enjoys in creating and giving to people something that they expected especially for a long time. Because of that, we must respect Mark Knopfler because he giving us something that will last forever. His music that he would create this year will be last forever, for generations and generations, for years and years from now. For a long time!
Happy Birthday Mark Knopfler, wish you all the best!
The early life of Mark Knopfler
Born on 12 August 1949 in Glasgow, Scotland his full name is Mark Freuder Knopfler. His mother was from England and her name is Louisa Mary and his father was an architect and chess player which was Hungarian-Jewish – Erwin Knopfler. Erwin had anti-fascist sympathies and Jewish parentage forced him to flee from his native Hungary in 1939.
When David Knopfler was born on 27 December 1952, the family moved to Knopfler’s mother’s hometown of Blyth near Newcastle in North East England. The key figure for Mark’s early music schooling was his uncle Kingsley who thrilled young Mark by playing boogie-woogie piano and harmonica.
Soon after that, Mark became familiar with many different styles of music. Although he hounded his father for an expensive Fiesta Red Fender Stratocaster just like Hank Marvin’s, he had to settle for a £50 twin-pick-up Höfner Super Solid more in line with the family’s income.
In the summer of 1960 with ‘Apache’, 11-year-old Mark heard the magical tune and was never the same again. He was almost hypnotized by the sound and the look of Hank’s Stratocaster. During the 60’s he formed and joined in several bands and listened to singers and guitarists like Elvis Presley, Chet Atkins, Scotty Moore, B.B. King, James Burton, Hank Marvin… at the age of 16, he made a local television appearance as part of a harmony duo with his classmate Sue Hercombe.
As a teenager, he went to concerts at Newcastle City Hall and on small events which Knopfler much prefers. In recent times has competed with his friend Eric Clapton for the most visits to the Royal Albert Hall.
At the age of 18, he studied journalism for a year at Harlow College where he met Steve Phillips who with him later in 1970 Mark will record demo disk of an original song he had written: “Summer’s Coming My Way”.
The recording included Knopfler (guitar and vocals), Steve Phillips (second guitar), Dave Johnson (bass), and Paul Granger (percussion). Johnson, Granger, and vocalist Mick Dewhirst played with Knopfler in a band called Silverheels.
Knopfler was hired as a junior reporter in Leeds for the Yorkshire Evening Post and he lived in Leeds for most of his time. Two years later he decided to continue his education and later graduated with a degree in English at the University of Leeds. Then he began to travel south, leading to the formation of Dire Straits.
After graduation in 1973 Knopfler moved to London and joined a band based in High Wycombe called Brewers Droop, appearing on the album The Booze Brothers. One night, while spending time with friends, the only guitar available was an old acoustic with a badly warped neck that had been strung with extra-light strings to make it usable.
Even so, he found it impossible to play unless he finger-picked it. He said in a later interview, “That was where I found my “voice” on guitar.”
By the middle of 70’s Knopfler devoted much of his musical energies to his group, the Café Racers. His brother David moved to London where he shared a flat with John Illsley. In April 1977, Mark moved in with David and John. The three began playing music together and soon Mark invited John to join the Café Racers, and after that the story of Dire Straits has started.
Personal life
Mark Knopfler has been married three times, first to Kathy White, his long-time girlfriend from school days. They separated before Knopfler moved to London to join Brewers Droop in 1973. Knopfler’s second marriage in November 1983 to Lourdes Salomone produced twin sons, who were born 1987. Their marriage ended in 1993. On Valentine’s Day 1997 in Barbados, Knopfler married British actress and writer Kitty Aldridge whom he had known for three years. They have two daughters.
Knopfler is a fan of his local football club Newcastle United F.C. He has a collection of classic cars which he races and exhibits at shows, including a Maserati 300S and an Austin-Healey 100S. Knopfler is left-handed but plays the guitar right-handed.
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