The name is suggested by a musician flatmate of Pick Withers. Although Mark had petitioned for a Fender Stratocaster like Hank B. Marvins instrument, that is a bit beyond the familys budget at the time so he has to content himself with a Hofner Super Solid guitar bought for him by his father. Steve Phillips worked with Knopfler in the pre-Dire Straits twosome The Duolian Stringpickers; Guy Fletcher is still part of Dire Straits; and Ed Bicknell is the manager of Dire Straits. Skateaway (UK no. He takes piano lessons as a child. Finally, Brewers Droop dissolves at the end of 1973. The angry boyfriend of a student John had slept with had inflicted the damage. 75) is a humorous piece with a nod to Knopflers old band, Brewers Droop, as a doctor (played by Knopfler) remarks, Youve got smokers cough from smoking / Brewers droop from drinking beer. The opening track on the album, Telegraph Road (14:15), uses a sprawling musical epic to chronicle nothing less than the birth and growth of a city. That is probably not the case. Inspired by the Beatles, he saved his pocket money for months to buy a Rosetti Lucky Seven guitar. Hes singing the song. I wanted to use a lot of the language that the real guy actually used when I heard him, because it was more real. It is this character who derides a pop star, enviously saying, That aint working / Thats the way you do it / Money for nothin / And your chicks for free. Nikki Sixx, bassist for U.S. heavy metal band Motley Crue, has claimed that it was his group on TV at the time the workman made such comments within earshot of Mark Knopfler. Guitarist David Knopfler had almost completed all his parts on this album before he quit, but big brother Mark Knopfler rerecords all those parts himself. Following this, Dire Straits begin their own recording career. Former Dire Straits saxophonist Chris White is involved in both of the latter day groups playing the music of Dire Straits, The Straits (2011) and The Dire Straits Experience (from 2012). 69); All The Roadrunning (2006) (UK no. John Illsley of Dire Straits & His Band The song becomes a hit in the U.S.A. and this triggers sales in the U.K. and Sultans Of Swing goes on to also be a hit in the home country of Dire Straits. There are portrait songs where there is a character, and there are situation songs where Im in the pictureOther times, I could be reading a book and traveling and there is a collision of time and placeTheres a geography to the thing., With his roles as vocalist, lead guitarist and songwriter, it is not surprising that there is an impression that Mark Knopfler is always the main force behind Dire Straits and that, in essence, Dire Straits is a one-man show.. Age, Height, Weight, Wife, Kids But first John, who used to own a driving range in Borehamwood, so knows Watford well, is keen to share the music from Testing the Water, which he worked on with Mark and Straits keyboardist Guy Fletcher as well as some old classics such as Romeo and Juliet. 4, US no. At the same time, he also begins playing music again, starting a new band called Los Perros de Amor (which roughly translates from Spanish as Love Dogs). Dire Straits saxophonist Chris White releases a solo album, Shadowdance (1991). The full line-up of Rockpile is: Dave Edmunds (vocals, guitar), Nick Lowe (vocals, bass), Billy Bremner (guitar) and Terry Williams (drums). This act consists of: Mick Dewhurst (vocals), Mark Knopfler (guitar), Dave Johnson (bass) and Paul Granger (drums). Biography Dire Straits - John Illsley Famed guitarist Eric Clapton fills in for Jack Sonni on this occasion. Mercifully the surgeon reattached it. John Edward Illsley is born on 24 June 1949 in Leicester, England. Unlike its predecessor, Comfort And Joy, Cal is a full-length album. 4, AUS no. After that we sat in the pub one night and decided to start our own band.. John Illsley However he is also pursuing his interest in music. He has three children and at least one of them is female. By any commercial standard, Brothers In Arms is huge. Dire Straits Mark Knopfler becomes the darling of a new generation [of] relatively well-to-do compact disc buyers.. She was working for Warner Bros. Records when Mark met her. He works as a session musician before joining Dire Straits as the drummer for their 1991-1992 world tour. 26) features a smoky saxophone part by Michael Brecker. Mark Knopfler leaves his job as a journalist and returns to school. Hendrix died in his 20s and Clapton, though he shied away from his earlier, more extravagant fireworks, carried his blues legend status with him. Graduating from that institution, the younger Knopfler brother found employment as a social worker in London. The band plays shows in the United Kingdom through June and July before going to Europe for gigs in France, Germany and the Netherlands. Though he also recorded several solo albums (including Glass and Never Told a Soul), this British musician is most famous as the bassist of the Grammy On the other hand, they had a liberal bias for letting us follow our own path. The other residents of Farrer House were bemused when a big limo turned up to take us to the airport, he smiles. The first seven tracks on this set were recorded for BBC Live in Concert on 22 July 1978; the eighth track, Tunnel Of Love, comes from The Old Grey Whistle Test on 31 January 1981. In the smaller amount of Dire Straits live footage interspersed in the video, Knopfler wears a headband to hold back his thinning thatch of hair. 25), The Welsh Connection (1976) and Alls Well That Ends Well (1977). The demo recording is taken to MCA in Soho, but that record label rejects the group. The next move for Dire Straits is to seek advice from disc jockey Charlie Gillett. Jack Sonni becomes a marketing executive at Seymour Duncan, then performs a similar function at Rivera Guitar Amplifiers. The marriage of Mark Knopfler and his second wife, Lourdes Salomone, comes to an end in 1993. This is paid for with five hundred pounds that bassist John Illsley inherits from his late grandmother. Although future Dire Straits colleague Mark Knopfler also later works with Brewers Droop, Withers and Knopfler are not both in Brewers Droop at the same time. Dire Straits guitarist John Illsley lists Australian bolt As the song nears its climax, it sounds like Knopfler is borrowing from Bruce Springsteen (whose keyboardist Roy Bittan appeared on Making Movies) for lines like these: But believe in me baby and Ill take you away / From out of this darkness and into the day / From these rivers of headlights, these rivers of rain / From the anger that lives on these streets with these names / Cos Ive run every red light on memory lane / Ive seen desperation explode into flames / And I dont want to see it again The title track, Love Over Gold, suggests that art is more valuable than commerce. The tour winds up with some more dates in the U.K. concluding on 18 November 1978 at the College of Education in Hitchin. Currently, John Illsley is 73 years, 8 months and 18 days old. The phone started melting on the wall. Money For Nothing (1988) (UK no. Brothers In Arms (1985) (UK no. David Knopfler is not far behind his big brother in getting into music. John Illsley goes on to work as a trainee for a timber firm. Paul Franklin serves alongside Mark Knopfler in the 1990 Notting Hillbillies project before joining Dire Straits in 1991. Mandel does not officially join Dire Straits; he is only part of this tour. One of Marks newspaper assignments is to interview a local blues guitarist named Steve Phillips. A new single, Louise, is issued in September 1973. When John Illsley and Mark Knopfler got their first royalty cheques, they went halves on an Aston Martin DB5. He studies literature at the University of Connecticut before abandoning that to attend the Hartford Conservatory of Music. Terry Williams goes on to join Dire Straits in November 1982. In 2011 keyboardist Alan Clark puts together The Straits, a group designed to play some shows featuring the music of Dire Straits. We were what we were. John Illsley - Glass Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic It lasted a matter of months, but John had written to Gillett at Radio London asking what records to stock and he wrote straight back with tips. This graffiti, in turn, was taken from words on the sleeve of an album by rock eccentric Captain Beefheart. He gets a flat in Buckhurst Hill and works as a lecturer at Loughton College in Essex. David Knopfler is married to English teacher Anna Perrera from March 1984 to 2010. It first breaks through in Holland, then Germany, then Australia. The full line-up is: Pat Moran (vocals), Ray Martinez (guitar), Kips Brown (keyboards), Adrian Maloney (bass) and Pique Withers (drums). The remaining song from the demo guitarist David Knopflers Sacred Loving does not appear. The disc is co-produced by Neil Dorfsman and Dire Straits leader Mark Knopfler. Both Mark Knopfler and David Knopfler develop an interest in music. Subsequently, John Illsley releases the following solo albums: Streets Of Heaven (2010); Testing The Water (2014); Live In London (2014); and Long Shadows (2016). He owns a local pub, the Someone in trouble, someone in risky or impoverished circumstances is colloquially said to be in dire straits. Guitarist David Knopfler comments, The notion that the band were literally in dire straits is largely retrospective myth making and not really partially supportable. John Illsley 6), released on 27 October. On Every Street (1991) (UK no. Essays on rock stars complete with hand drawn portraits, Check out Guitar George / He knows all the chords Sultans Of Swing (Mark Knopfler). What A Place To Be: John Illsley Chronicles His Life And Times In John marries his second wife, Stephanie, on 19 June 1999. 1, AUS no. 3, UK no. Making Movies was closer to what I like to do, says Mark Knopfler. We were fortunate a lot of people liked it. She is not publicly identified. After David and Anna split, Anna Perrera becomes a novelist, publishing her first book in 2001. We dropped it off on the Thursday and he played it on Sunday morning. I did a couple of gigs with Marks band because the bass players girlfriend was having a baby. The albums cover painting by Chuck Loyola is an indistinct, blurry image of what appears to be a young woman on an upper storey of a bleak, spartan, high-rise building. 1, US no. The album is co-produced by Barry Beckett and Jerry Wexler. 51, US no. The next stop for Terry Williams is the Welsh group Man (1970-1976). The computer animation was used in large part because Mark Knopfler wasnt enthusiastic about appearing in a video. In 1991, as Dire Straits prepare to tour and promote On Every Street, a decision is made to add two more official members to the groups line-up: Chris Whitten (drums) and Paul Franklin (pedal steel guitar). Dire Straits is produced by Muff Winwood, the elder brother of rock star Steve Winwood. An additional live EP, Encores (UK no. Guy Fletcher first works with Mark Knopfler in 1983 on the soundtracks for Comfort And Joy and Cal. Bassist Derrick Timms leaves and is replaced by Steve Nachi. and later settled in Hampshire with his four children and his wife, Stephanie. Chris White begins playing gigs a couple of years later and tours with a national youth jazz orchestra. WebJohn Illsleys age is 73. Dire Straits bassist John Illsley releases his second solo album, Glass (1988). 41) with country rock singer Emmylou Harris; Real Live Roadrunning (2006) in concert with Emmylou Harris; Kill To Get Crimson (2007) (UK no. 17, US no. There are five songs on the demo tape; four of them are written by group leader Mark Knopfler and will later end up on the groups first album. By the time he is 11, David has a guitar, piano and drum kit. John marries his second wife, Stephanie, Arriving in the U.K., he went on to fall in love with a teacher, his future wife, Louisa. That was the heaviest. Yet many of the songs on Dire Straits reflect Knopflers experiences in Newcastle, Leeds and London. Perhaps it is this more personal than usual dimension, coupled with the grainy musical textures, that makes this the best album in the Dire Straits catalogue. Dire Straits play five songs including a cover version of the 1964 Chuck Berry song Nadine. Rounding out the contents of Making Movies are: two hard-rocking tracks, Expresso Love and Solid Rock; a semi-acoustic piece akin to Romeo And Juliet called Hand In Hand; and the closing track, Les Boys, a camp goof. 31, AUS no. 9, UK no. 25); Tracker (2015) (UK no. Neither Sid McGinnis nor Roy Bittan becomes an official member of Dire Straits; they just play on the recording sessions for Making Movies. Mark Knopfler surfaces in the company of The Notting Hillbillies in 1990. There have been many sensible Mercedes estates over the years, but he did allow himself one moment of proper rock star abandon: a 1978 Aston Martin Vantage. The bassist explained that Knopfler was One account suggests that David left because he felt the band was becoming too big.. The roadies had to weld baseball bats to keep the mob at bay. The Dire Straits Tour commences on 6 June 1978 at the Lafayett Club in Wolverhampton. On Every Street receives mixed reviews and is not as popular or as successful as its predecessor. However, when that predecessor is the blockbusting Brothers In Arms, such an outcome is hardly surprising. We played him Money For Nothing and he turned round and said: Youve done it this time, you b*st*rds. Mark [Knopfler] said if he thought it was so good why didnt he go and add something to it. John Illsley Biography, Age, Height, Wife, Net Worth, Family As well as Mark, Erwin and Louisa have a second son, David Knopfler, who is born on 27 December 1952 in Glasgow. Discover John Illsley's Biography, Age, Height, Physical I thought Id better get some of it down before I forget it all, he jokes over the phone from Provence. This is Marks daytime job for three years. The performances on this disc were recorded at Hammersmith Odeon, London, on 22-23 July 1983. 47); Shangri-La (2004) (UK no. John Illsley Another track that doesnt make the final cut is Twisting By The Pool but Dire Straits will revisit that one later. For On Every Street, Dire Straits Mark Knopfler (vocals, guitar), Alan Clark (keyboards), Guy Fletcher (keyboards, guitar, backing vocals), John Illsley (bass) and Chris White (saxophone) is augmented by a variety of session musicians. 2, AUS no. When it becomes clear that Jack Sonni will have to raise his children alone, he resigns from Dire Straits in 1988. Alan Clark attends Chester-le-Street Grammar School. The Time Jumpers issue the following albums: Jumpin Time (2007), The Time Jumpers (2012) and Kid Sister (2016). They record only one album, Spring (1971), before breaking up the following year. In November 1983, Dire Straits leader Mark Knopfler marries his second wife, Lourdes Salomone. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. To make ends meet, Sonni also works at Rudys Music Shop, an instrument emporium in New York. The other musicians involved are: Terence Reis (lead vocals, guitar), Tim Walters (guitar, vocals), Simon Carter (keyboards), Danny Schogger (keyboards), Paul Geary (bass, vocals) and Chris Whitten (drums). By that time, John and Stephanie are already the parents of a son, Harry (born in 1997) and a daughter, DeeDee (born in 1998). Guitarist Deke Leonard and bassist Martin Ace both work with Williams in The Smokeless Zone and Dream and will work with him again. Kitty Aldridges acting credits include Room with a View (1985), Maurice (1987) and Slipstream (1989). Private Investigations (2005) (UK no. In September 1988 Mark Knopfler announces the dissolution of Dire Straits. He joins Dire Straits in 1985. Two more songs are lifted from On Every Street as singles but only for European markets. Love Over Gold furthers the formula from Making Movies, scaling down from seven tracks to a mere five (lengthy) pieces. Their brand of tightly played, almost serene rock was like nothing any other band was playing. Knopfler preferred musical ensembles like Dire Straits or his soundtrack work to occupying the spotlight. This outfit reunites Williams with Dave Edmunds. How did your childhood influence your attitude to money? A total of fifty-five shows are played during this tour. Dire Straits officially disband in 1995. He did his bit there and then. Sting provides high harmonies and the opening wail of I want my MTV. This is a reference to the U.S. cable television network MTV (Music Television) that plays non-stop music videos. In addition to being lead vocalist, his guitar playing is the groups most distinctive characteristic. The latter continues to play guitar in the group but the addition of Knopfler gives Mackay some space to exercise his vocal aspirations as well. first with Sultans of Swing and then with the mega Some see the influence of J. J. Cales laid-back blues-rock guitar-picking in Dire Straits music. Dire Straits never reunite as a group in any lasting or significant manner. 22 Sultans Of Swing (Mark Knopfler) (21 October 2008) via 5 (above) [Sultans Of Swing song], Communique Sleeve notes by Mark Cooper (Vertigo/Mercury Records Ltd, 1996 reissue) p. 2, amarkintime.org posting by jbaent (3 August 2015) [how Mark Knopfler met Holly Vincent and Lourdes Salomone], Written in my Soul by Bill Flanagan (1986) Mark Knopfler interview via 5 (above) [Money For Nothing song] and members.tripod.com (The Interview of Interviews), Love Over Gold Sleeve notes by John Tobler (Vertigo/Mercury Records Ltd, 1996 reissue) p. 2, Sunday Mail (U.K. newspaper) Loud Rock Music Wrecked my Hearing, says Dire Straits StarNow iPod Generation is at Risk John Illsley interview conducted by Bonnie Estridge (26 July 2009) (reproduced on dailymail.co.uk), Sydney Morning Herald (Sydney, Australia, newspaper) No Money for Nothing in Move from Bass to Brush John Illsley interview conducted by Samantha Selinger-Morris (27 July 2005) (reproduced on smh.com.au), oneverybootleg.nl as at 9 August 2017 [format of Mark Knopflers Comfort And Joy soundtrack], reneejohnsonwrites.com Jack Sonni Rocker, Writer, Gentleman Chef interview conducted by Renee Johnson (15 April 2015), The 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time Rolling Stone magazine (February 2004) p. 66, propertyobserver.com.au Dire Straits Guitarist John Illsley Lists Australian Bolthole as Point Piper Loses Some of its Pop by Jonathan Chancellor (31 January 2013), St Cloud Times (Saint Cloud, Minnesota, U.S.A., newspaper) no author credited (27 October 1986) [Mark Knopfler race car crash], upi.com Rock Singer Hurt in Race Crash no author credited (25 October 1986) [Mark Knopfler race car crash], Rolling Stone (U.S. rock magazine) Mark Knopfler interview conducted by Rob Tannenbaum (September 1988) via 5 (above) [Dire Straits], direstraitsexperience.com as at 30 September 2014, revolvy.com David Knopfler References Buffalo News (Buffalo, New York, U.S.A., newspaper) David Knopfler Performs Sunday at Sportsmens Tavern by Dan Herbeck (1 May 2013), The Daily Telegraph (U.K. newspaper) John Illsley: Four Kids, Two Dogs, a Pub and a Guitar interview conducted by Anna Tyzack (30 June 2015) (reproduced on telegraph.co.uk), The Liverpool Echo (U.K. newspaper) Preview: Jade Wright on an Evening with Pick Withers at the Green Room Liverpool (5 January 2011) (reproduced on liverpoolecho.co.uk), i-d.vice.com Staz Lindes, the Tumblr-Superstar who Stole our Hearts in Moschino Staz Lindes interview conducted by Stuart Brumfitt (8 April 2014), cataloguemagazine.com.au Staz Lindes Discusses Music, Modelling and Body Image no author credited (2014) [confirms mother is Mary Lindes], instantcheckmate.com as at 15 August 2017 [Misha Lindes is 26], dazeddigital.com Introducing Saint Laurents New Indie Kid Muses re: Staz Lindes and Misha Lindes by Ted Stansfield (2016), hero-magazine.com Meet SadGirl, the L.A. Love Sculpture (1966-1970) is a group fronted by noted Welsh guitarist Dave Edmunds. Last Exit To Brooklyn (1989) is another movie soundtrack album composed by Dire Straits leader Mark Knopfler. John starts playing guitar on a Rosetti Lucky 7 that he buys for ten pounds. The first single is Private Investigations (UK no. The featured song is the purposefully silly Twisting By The Pool (UK no. It got very edgy. His father, Ted Fletcher, is a designer of audio equipment. John Illsley and Mark Knopfler, doing their thing. The punchy Lady Writer (UK no. (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) for services to music. This EP is produced by Dire Straits leader Mark Knopfler and is the first of the groups recordings to feature new drummer Terry Williams. When he starts college, John Sunni begins being called Jack. The third Dire Straits album, Making Movies (1980) (UK no. Brewers Droop (1971-1973) has a history before Mark Knopfler comes along. Private Dancer is given away to Tina Turner and becomes the title track of her 1984 album. Its great to realise your still touching people in all four corners of the world.. 15, AUS no. David adds, He was actually rather humble at that point[Bassist ] John Illsley and I pretty much dragged him to the altar all the way. It is hard to conjure a less likely rock star than [Mark] Knopfler, [who is] balding and outwardly taciturn., As well as being the frontman of Dire Straits, the bands lead vocalist and lead guitarist, Mark Knopfler writes almost every song the group records. His height is 1.83 m. Tall, and weight is 85 kg. Secondly, though both Hendrix and Clapton could write songs, a large portion of their outputs in comparison to Knopfler consisted of cover versions or outside compositions. The Bug (UK no. The music of Dire Straits is also kept alive by compilation sets and concert recordings. 2, US no. The first task Ed Bicknell performs for Dire Straits is securing them a booking as the support act for the twenty-three date December 1977 U.K. tour by U.S. new wave band Talking Heads. It is the first CD album to sell over a million copies and to outsell its vinyl counterpart. It was a far cry from life as a privately educated bankers son in rural Leicestershire. 16); A Shot At Glory (2002) [soundtrack]; The Ragpickers Dream (2002) (UK no. And if I could have afforded the rent, I wouldnt have needed a flatmate who turned out to be Glasgow-born social worker and rhythm guitarist Dave Knopfler, a friend of a friend, who needed a place to live. He lives with his four children and second wife, Stephanie, and drives an electric Tesla Model S, as well as a 1960s Mercedes SL. Pick Withers takes on that role. Many years of medical treatments follow. Muff Winwood produces Dire Straits with commendable restraint and understanding. Unlike later album by Dire Straits, this recording sounds dirty and full of raw grittiness. Mark Knopfler and John Illsley are the only people who are in every Dire Straits line-up. Born in Bahrain in 1962, Kitty Aldridge was previously married to Neil Sundstrom. In 1968 Mark is hired as a junior reporter in the Leeds office of the Yorkshire Evening Post newspaper. With the tour concluded, drummer Chris Whitten resigns from Dire Straits in 1992, concluding his relatively short stint as a member of the group. 1) is the fourth Dire Straits album. In the song Communique, the sly groove supports Knopflers wary attitude towards the bands new found media profile, though characteristically he phrases it in the third person: Maybe he could talk about the tricks of the trade / Maybe he could talk about himself / Maybe he could talk about the money that he made / Maybe he be saying something else. That, something else could be a portrait of A long gone Irish girl, another person in dire straits, a Portobello Belle: Bella Donnas on the high street / Her breasts upon the off-beat / And the stalls are just the side shows / Victorianas old clothes. The opening track, Once Upon A Time In The West, mixes cynicism about western society with what sounds like the soundtrack for a cowboy movie. The latter title, published by Blackwing Books, is a book of poetry. 71, AUS no.