Dire Straits

Dire Straits was a British rock band formed in London in 1977 by Mark Knopfler, his younger brother David Knopfler, bassist John Illsley, and drummer Pick Withers. The group rose to international fame in the late 1970s and 1980s with a distinctive sound blending blues, folk, jazz, and rock, anchored by Mark Knopfler’s fingerstyle guitar and literate songwriting. Their 1985 album Brothers in Arms became one of the best-selling albums of all time, featuring the global hit “Money for Nothing.” Dire Straits disbanded in 1995 after selling over 100 million records worldwide. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018.