Mark was born in Glasgow, Scotland, on the 12th of August 1949. He was around seven years old when the Knopfler family moved to Newcastle-Upon-Tyne in the North-East of England. Mark attended Gosforth Grammar School. As a young boy he was inspired by his uncle Kingsley’s harmonica and boogie-woogie piano playing. Later, in his teens, he set his heart on an all too expensive flamingo-pink Fender Strat, just like Hank Marvin’s, but in the end had to settle for a £50 twin pick-up Hofner Super Solid…

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Following gigs in and around the London pub scene, on the 15th of January, 1978, Dire Straits commenced a fifteen night UK tour as the support act for Talking Heads. On the 30th January, an extra gig was thrown in for the band at Leeds Polytechnic. Steve Phillips went over to the band’s hotel to hand over the 1936 National Style O which he had purchased back in March 1969 and which he had now agreed to sell to Mark. This guitar is destined to gain iconic status when it is used as the cover image of the Brothers in Arms album…

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In February, 1984, the Love Over Gold (live)/Solid Rock single was released. The double live Alchemy album came out the following month peaking at #3 in the UK album charts. Mark played on Blanket Roll Blues, a track on Scott Walker’s Climate of Hunter album. In April, Mark was brother David’s guest performing Madonna’s Daughter at the Ariston Theatre, San Remo. Local Hero was nominated for ‘Best Score’ BAFTA and Mark wins an Ivor Novello Award for ‘Best Film Score/Theme Song’ for Going Home…

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Early February 1990, Mark, Steve, Brendan and bassist Marcus Cliffe, play the first ever Notting Hillbillies gig when they perform a short set at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith, London. Compared by actor Richard Gere, the show is a fund-raising event on behalf of Amnesty International. Among those on the bill are Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders: Mark is talked into appearing on their TV show…

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1996 began with Mark featured playing the track Atlantis on ‘Twang! A Tribute to Hank Marvin and the Shadows and teaming up with Waylon Jennings on the track Learning The Game on Waylon’s Not Fade Away (Remembering Buddy Holly) album. Early February, the Notting Hillbillies play a private show at Mossimon’s Restaurant, London…

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Fender issue the Mark Knopfler Signature Stratocaster which becomes the fastest selling Fender signature model and is considered to be one of the best of the non-Custom Shop Strats. In February, the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards album, Parallel Tracks, includes a cover of Mark’s Going Home. On the 6th of March, Mark was presented with Holland’s Edison ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’…

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In January 2011, the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council ruled that the Dire Straits song, Money for Nothing, was unfit for radio and the track was banned. The hour long Planet North TV documentary made for the BBC, Mark Knopfler: A Life In Songs was broadcast on BBC4 on the 28th of January. In March, at a special ceremony held in Bochum, Germany, Mark was presented with Germany’s highly prestigious Der Steiger Award for Music…

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