David Knopfler
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| David Knopfler | |
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| Background information | |
| Born | December 27, 1952 in Glasgow, Scotland. |
| Origin | Newcastle, England |
| Genre(s) | Rock, Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, Singer-songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, Guitar, Piano, Drums |
| Associated acts | Dire Straits |
David Knopfler (born December 27, 1952 in Glasgow) is a Scottish born guitarist, pianist, drummer, singer and songwriter.
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[edit] Life and work
He is the son of a Jewish architect who left mainland Europe in 1939 and settled in Great Britain. David grew up in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, where he attended Gosforth Grammar School. He then went to Bristol Polytechnic, when he left he went on to become a Social Worker in SE London, where he shared a flat with Dire Straits bass player John Illsley.
David was the founding member of British rock band Dire Straits introducing brother Mark to his flat mate John. David played rhythm guitar on Dire Straits' first two albums Dire Straits and Communiqué. His elder brother Mark Knopfler was front man. The band took a serious toll on his relationship with his brother and he left the group during the recording of Making Movies. According to David, they have not yet reconciled.
After leaving Dire Straits, David released his first solo album in 1983, titled Release (with the single Soul Kissing). 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 released by Phonogram, 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 0955026008.)
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 Julia 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 various film and TV productions including such films as: Treffer (1984), Jakob hinter der blauen Tür (1989), Bathory (2000), Laser Mission (1990), Shergar (TV) (1984) and Der grosse Bellheim.
Knopfler finished recording his 10th solo album with keyboardist/producer, Tony Carey. Songs for the Siren, was released in Germany and UK on September 2006. The album features 11 new compositions and continues singer-songwriter approach of his honest songs in a new production atmosphere.
In Autumn 2006 he appeared on stage dueting with Karine Polwart at the Globe Theatre London in support of Reprieve.org. He played various gigs in Germany in 2007 and is scheduled to tour Australia.
[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
[edit] External links
- Official website
- Official German website
- MySpace website
- david knopfler en español
- Interview with David Knopfler
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