
The UKs Dire Straits top tribute group Money. PREVIEW: Money For Nothing, Memo Arts Centre, Barry. Dire Straits records named in top 10 British Albums of all time by Official Charts Company. Dire Straits have sold an estimated 100 million units worldwide, including 51.4 million certified units, making them one of the best-selling music artists.Ĭontinue reading at Wikipedia. dire straits synonyms, dire straits pronunciation, dire straits translation, English dictionary definition of dire straits. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018. As the creation of Mark Knopfler, they successfully blended blues-based influences along with country and rock into an instantly timeless mix of atmospheric album tracks, combined. Dire Straits won four Grammy Awards, three Brit Awards (Best British Group twice), two MTV Video Music Awards, and various other awards. Their final world tour from 1991 to 1992 sold 7.1 million tickets. He has since declined reunion offers.ĭire Straits were called "the biggest British rock band of the 80s" by Classic Rock magazine their 1985–1986 world tour, which included a performance at Live Aid in July 1985, set a record in Australasia. I needed a rest." They disbanded for good in 1995, after which Knopfler launched a solo career full-time. There's not an accent then on the music, there's an accent on popularity. 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 were several changes in personnel, with Mark Knopfler and Illsley being the only members who lasted from the beginning of the band's existence to the end. Their stripped-down sound contrasted with punk rock and demonstrated a roots rock influence that emerged from pub rock. Dire Straights by Cherry Mouse StreetNextChevron Pointing Right. According to the Guinness Book of British Hit Albums, Dire Straits have spent over 1,100 weeks on the UK albums chart, the fifth most of all time.ĭire Straits' sound draws from various influences, including country, folk, the blues rock of J. Their most commercially successful album, Brothers in Arms (1985), has sold more than 30 million copies it was the first album to sell a million copies on compact disc and is the eighth-bestselling album in UK history. It was followed by hit singles including "Romeo and Juliet" (1981), "Private Investigations" (1982), "Twisting by the Pool" (1983), "Money for Nothing" (1985), and "Walk of Life" (1985). Their first single, "Sultans of Swing", from their 1978 self-titled debut album, reached the top ten in the UK and US charts. They were active from 1977 to 1988 and again from 1991 to 1995. Dire Straits were a British rock band formed in London in 1977 by Mark Knopfler (lead vocals and lead guitar), David Knopfler (rhythm guitar and backing vocals), John Illsley (bass guitar and backing vocals) and Pick Withers (drums and percussion).
