122-475: Golden Heart is the debut solo studio album by British singer-songwriter and guitarist Mark Knopfler , released on 25 March 1996 by Vertigo Records internationally and Warner Bros. Records in the United States. Following a successful career leading British rock band Dire Straits and composing a string of critically acclaimed film soundtrack albums, Knopfler recorded his first solo album, drawing upon
244-855: A Hungarian Jewish father, Erwin Knopfler. His mother was a teacher and his father was an architect and a chess player who left his native Hungary in 1939 to flee the Nazis. Knopfler later described his father as a Marxist agnostic. The Knopflers originally lived in the Glasgow area where Mark's younger brother David was born on 27 December 1952. Mark's older sister Ruth was born in Newcastle, where Mark's parents were married, in 1947. The family moved to Knopfler's mother's hometown of Blyth , near Newcastle , in North East England when he
366-530: A Fender Stratocaster guitar signed by Knopfler, Clapton, Brian May , and Jimmy Page , which was to be auctioned for £20,000 to raise the money for a children's hospice, was lost when being shipped. It vanished after being posted from London to Leicestershire , England." Parcelforce , the company responsible, agreed to pay £15,000 for its loss. Knopfler released his fifth solo studio-album, Kill to Get Crimson , on 14 September 2007 in Germany, 17 September in
488-404: A broad riband or sash, passing from the right shoulder to the left hip. Knights Commander and male Commanders wear the badge from a ribbon around the neck; male Officers and Members wear the badge from a ribbon on the left chest; female recipients other than Dames Grand Cross (unless in military uniform) normally wear it from a bow on the left shoulder. An oval eight-pointed star is worn, pinned to
610-528: A certain amount of stress, obviously. You've got to really dig deep sometimes to keep it working. I think Mark said – and I hope I'm quoting him correctly here – but he said that success is great, but fame is what comes out of the exhaust pipe of a car. It's something you don't really want". Dire Straits remain one of the most popular British rock bands as well as one of the world's most commercially successful bands, with worldwide album sales of more than 120 million. Knopfler's first solo album, Golden Heart ,
732-453: A circlet bearing the motto of the Order; the reverse bears George V's Royal and Imperial Cypher. (Prior to 1937 Britannia was shown within the circlet.) The size of the badges varies according to rank: the higher classes have slightly larger badges. The badges of Knights and Dames Grand Cross, Knights and Dames Commander, and Commanders are enamelled, with pale blue crosses, crimson circlets and
854-466: A citizen of a Commonwealth realm can convert their appointment from honorary to substantive, and they then enjoy all privileges of membership of the order, including use of the title of Sir and Dame for the senior two ranks of the Order. (An example of the latter is Irish broadcaster Terry Wogan , who was appointed an honorary Knight Commander of the Order in 2005, and on successful application for British citizenship, held alongside his Irish citizenship,
976-517: A college lecturer, Knopfler co-founded Dire Straits with his younger brother, David Knopfler . The band recorded six albums, including Brothers in Arms (1985), one of the best-selling albums in history . After Dire Straits disbanded in 1995, Knopfler began a solo career, and has produced ten solo albums to date. He has composed and produced film scores for nine films, including Local Hero (1983), Cal (1984), The Princess Bride (1987), Wag
1098-403: A compilation, Private Investigations: The Best of Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler was released, consisting of material from most of Dire Straits' studio albums and Knopfler's solo and soundtrack material. The album was released in two editions, as a single CD (with a grey cover) and as a double CD (with the cover in blue), and was well received. The only previously unreleased track on the album
1220-583: A degree in English at the University of Leeds . In April 1970, while living in Leeds, he recorded a demo disc of an original song he had written, "Summer's Coming My Way". The recording included Knopfler (guitar and vocals), Steve Phillips (second guitar), Dave Johnson (bass), and Paul Granger (percussion). Johnson, Granger, and vocalist Mick Dewhirst played with Knopfler in a band called Silverheels; Phillips
1342-443: A gold central medallion. Officers' badges are plain silver-gilt, while those of Members are plain silver. From 1917 until 1937, the badge of the order was suspended on a purple ribbon, with a red central stripe being added for the military division in 1918. Since 1937, the ribbon has been rose-pink with pearl-grey edges (with the addition of a pearl-grey central stripe for the military division). Knights and Dames Grand Cross wear it on
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#17327721537321464-489: A grueling 15-month world tour of Europe, North America and Australia—a tour seen by 7.1 million people that ended in October 1992—Knopfler quietly dissolved the popular British rock band that had become one of the world's most commercially successful bands, with worldwide album sales of more than 120 million. He would later recall, "I put the thing to bed because I wanted to get back to some kind of reality. It's self-protection,
1586-752: A lecturer at Loughton College in Essex – a position he held for three years. Throughout this time, he continued performing with local pub bands, including the Café Racers. By the mid-1970s, Knopfler devoted much of his musical energies to his group, the Café Racers. His brother David moved to London, where he shared a flat with John Illsley , a guitarist who changed over to playing bass guitar. In April 1977, Mark moved out of his flat in Buckhurst Hill and moved in with David and John. The three began playing music together, and soon Mark invited John to join
1708-430: A number of times. During the 1960s, he formed and joined several bands and listened to singers like Elvis Presley and guitarists Chet Atkins , Scotty Moore , B. B. King , Django Reinhardt , Hank Marvin , and James Burton . At the age of 16, he made a local television appearance as part of a harmony duo, with his classmate Sue Hercombe. In 1968, after studying journalism for a year at Harlow College , Knopfler
1830-580: A pictorial diary of the making of the album on his website. The album was released on 14 September the following year and Knopfler subsequently undertook an extensive tour across Europe and America. The album met with moderate success on the charts (much of it in Europe) reaching No. 1 only in Norway but peaking in the Top 5 in most major European countries (Germany, Italy, The Netherlands). The album peaked at No. 2 on
1952-565: A rest". In October 1988, a compilation album, Money for Nothing , was released and reached number one in the United Kingdom. In 1989, Knopfler formed the Notting Hillbillies , a band at the other end of the commercial spectrum. It leaned heavily towards American roots music – folk , Blues and country music . The band members included keyboardist Guy Fletcher , with Brendan Croker and Steve Phillips . For both
2074-483: A survival thing. That kind of scale is dehumanizing." He spent two years recovering from the experience, which had taken a toll on his creative and personal lives. In 1994, he began work on what would become his first solo album. " Darling Pretty " is the first single from the album. It reached number 33 in the UK Singles Chart , and was featured in the 1996 film Twister . "Gravy Train", the second track on
2196-476: A terrible strain on everybody, emotionally and physically. We were changed by it." This drove the band into the ground, and ultimately led to the group's final dissolution in 1995. Following the tour, Knopfler took some time off from the music business. In 1993, he received an honorary music doctorate from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. Two more Dire Straits albums were released, both live albums. On
2318-524: A twin- pick-up Höfner Super Solid for £50 (equivalent to £1,454 in 2023). In 1963, when he was 13, he took a Saturday job at the Newcastle Evening Chronicle newspaper earning six shillings and sixpence. Here he met the ageing poet Basil Bunting , who was a copy editor. In 2015, Knopfler wrote a track in tribute to him. At this time, Knopfler got around the country largely by hitchhiking , and also hitched through Europe
2440-840: Is All the Roadrunning , a duet with country music singer Emmylou Harris , which was followed in 2006 by an album of duets of the same name. Released in April 2006, All the Roadrunning reached No. 1 in Denmark and Switzerland, No. 2 in Norway and Sweden, No. 3 in Germany, The Netherlands and Italy, No. 8 in Austria and UK, No. 9 in Spain, No. 17 in the United States ( Billboard Top 200 Chart), No. 25 in Ireland, and No. 41 in Australia. All
2562-508: Is a British guitarist, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He was the lead guitarist, singer and songwriter of the rock band Dire Straits from 1977 to 1995. He pursued a solo career after the band dissolved, and is now an independent artist. Knopfler was born in Glasgow , and raised in Blyth , near Newcastle . After graduating from the University of Leeds and working for three years as
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#17327721537322684-570: Is a tribute to a Leeds sculptor and artist named Harry Phillips (father of Steve Phillips ); and "Lions", "Wild West End", and "Eastbound Train" were all drawn from Knopfler's early days in the capital. On its initial release in October 1978, the album Dire Straits received little fanfare in the UK, but when "Sultans of Swing" was released as a single, it became a chart hit in the Netherlands and album sales took off – first across Europe, and then in
2806-516: Is an image of Britannia surrounded by the motto, with the words "For Meritorious Service" at the bottom; on the reverse is George V's Imperial and Royal Cypher, with the words "Instituted by King George V" at the bottom. The name of the recipient is engraved on the rim. This medal is nicknamed "the Gong", and comes in both full-sized and miniature versions – the latter for formal white-tie and semi-formal black-tie occasions. A lapel pin for everyday wear
2928-465: Is dehumanizing." Knopfler would spend two years recovering from the experience, which had taken a toll on his creative and personal life. Since the break-up of Dire Straits, Knopfler has shown no interest in reforming the group. However, keyboardist Guy Fletcher has been associated with almost every piece of Knopfler's solo material to date, while Danny Cummings has also contributed frequently, notably to four of Knopfler's recent solo album releases: All
3050-973: Is not a member of the College of Arms , as are many other heraldic officers; and the Lady Usher of the Purple Rod does not – unlike the Order of the Garter equivalent, the Lady Usher of the Black Rod – perform any duties related to the House of Lords . Since the Second World War, several Commonwealth realms have established their own national system of honours and awards and have created their own unique orders, decorations and medals. A number, though, continue to make recommendations for appointments to
3172-661: Is the recipient of the Edison Award , the Steiger Award and the Ivor Novello Award , as well as holding three honorary doctorate degrees in music from universities in the United Kingdom. Knopfler was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Dire Straits in 2018. Mark Freuder Knopfler was born on 12 August 1949 in Glasgow , Scotland, to an English mother, Louisa Mary (née Laidler), and
3294-600: The British Empire Medal , and the following year its recipients were granted the right to use the postnominal letters BEM. During the war, the BEM came to be used to recognise acts of bravery which did not merit the award of a George Cross or George Medal , a use which continued until the introduction of the Queen's Gallantry Medal in 1974. The designs of insignia of the order and medal were altered in 1937, prior to
3416-592: The Empire Gallantry Medal , were given permission to use the postnominal letters EGM (and at the same time to add a laurel branch emblem to the ribbon of the medal); however, in 1940, awards of the EGM ceased and all holders of the medal were instructed to exchange it for a new and more prestigious gallantry award: the George Cross . In 1941, the medal of the order 'for meritorious service' was renamed
3538-487: The On Location tour of Europe, North America, and Oceania. In September 1982, the group's fourth studio album Love Over Gold was released. This featured the tracks " Private Investigations ", " Telegraph Road ", " Industrial Disease ", "It Never Rains", and the title track of the album, " Love Over Gold ". Shortly after the album's release, Pick Withers left the band. In early 1983, with Love Over Gold still in
3660-559: The Order of Canada . On the other hand, the Australian Honours System unilaterally created in 1975 did not achieve bi-partisan support until 1992, which was when Australian federal and state governments agreed to cease Australian recommendations for British honours; the last Australian recommended Order of the British Empire appointments were in the 1989 Queen's Birthday Honours . New Zealand continued to use
3782-725: The Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Vancouver, BC , the tea was replaced with whisky as a "last show of tour" sort of joke. In February 2009, Knopfler gave an intimate solo concert at the Garrick Club in London. Knopfler had recently become a member of the exclusive gentlemen's club for men of letters . In 2010, Knopfler appeared on the newest Thomas Dolby release, the EP Amerikana . Knopfler performed on
Golden Heart - Misplaced Pages Continue
3904-444: The coronation of King George VI , 'in commemoration of the reign of King George V and Queen Mary, during which the Order was founded'. The figure of Britannia at the centre of the badge of the order was replaced with an image of the crowned heads of the late King and Queen Mary, and the words 'Instituted by King George V' were added to the reverse of the medal. The colour of the riband was also changed: twenty years earlier, prior to
4026-473: The 1982 Richard Gere film An Officer and a Gentleman . There were frequent personnel changes within Dire Straits from 1980 onwards, with Mark Knopfler and John Illsley the only members to remain throughout the group's 18-year existence. In 1980 whilst the recording sessions for Making Movies were taking place, tensions between the Knopfler brothers reached a point where David Knopfler decided to leave
4148-473: The 21st century quotas were introduced to ensure consistent representation among recipients across nine categories of eligibility: with the largest proportion of awards being reserved for community, voluntary and local service. Non-military awards of the British Empire Medal resumed in 2012, starting with 293 BEMs awarded for Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee . In 2017 the centenary of
4270-579: The 96-ers. A preview performance with an expanded lineup of players was given on 15 April 1996 at the BBC Building in London. This show was recorded and later released on video as A Night in London . In his review for AllMusic , William Ruhlmann found that despite Knopfler's trademark guitar work and sardonic lyrics, there was "little on the album that was new or striking, and Knopfler seemed to fall back on familiar guitar techniques while intoning often obscure lyrics. Ruhlmann set aside any reference to
4392-628: The Billboard European Album chart and at No. 5 on the Billboard Rock Album chart. Knopfler's solo live performances can be characterised as relaxed—almost workmanlike. He uses very little stage production, other than some lighting effects to enhance the music's dynamics. He has been known to sip tea on stage during live performances. Richard Bennett , who has been playing with him on tour since 1996, has also joined in drinking tea with him on stage. On 31 July 2005, at
4514-484: The British Empire is a British order of chivalry , rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service . It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two of which make the recipient either a knight if male or a dame if female. There is also the related British Empire Medal , whose recipients are affiliated with, but not members of,
4636-792: The British Empire . Rather than using this chapel, the Order now holds its great services upstairs in the nave of the cathedral. In addition to the Chapel of the Order of the British Empire, St Paul's Cathedral also houses the Chapel of the Order of St Michael and St George . Religious services for the whole Order are held every four years; new Knights and Dames Grand Cross are installed at these services. Knights Grand Cross and Knights Commander prefix Sir , and Dames Grand Cross and Dames Commander prefix Dame , to their forenames. Wives of Knights may prefix Lady to their surnames, but no equivalent privilege exists for husbands of Knights or spouses of Dames. Such forms are not used by peers and princes, except when
4758-443: The British Empire for Gallantry. Any individual made a member of the order for gallantry after 14 January 1958 wears an emblem of two crossed silver oak leaves on the same ribbon as the badge, with a miniature version on the ribbon bar when worn alone. When the ribbon only is worn the emblem is worn in miniature. It could not be awarded posthumously , and was replaced in 1974 with the Queen's Gallantry Medal (QGM). If recipients of
4880-482: The Café Racers. Dire Straits' first demos were recorded in three sessions in 1977, with David Knopfler as rhythm guitarist, John Illsley as bass guitarist, and Pick Withers as drummer. On 27 July 1977, they recorded the demo tapes of five songs: "Wild West End", " Sultans of Swing ", "Down to the Waterline", "Sacred Loving" (a David Knopfler song), and "Water of Love". They later recorded "Southbound Again", "In
5002-498: The Dire Straits years. The concerts also featured The Notting Hillbillies with Brendan Croker and Steve Phillips. At these four concerts (three of the four were at the Shepherd's Bush, the fourth at Beaulieu on the south coast) they were joined by Jimmy Nail , who provided backing vocals for Knopfler's 2002 composition Why Aye Man . Also in 2002, Knopfler released his third solo album, The Ragpicker's Dream . In March 2003 he
Golden Heart - Misplaced Pages Continue
5124-479: The Dog (1997) and Altamira (2016). He has produced albums for Tina Turner , Bob Dylan , and Randy Newman . Described by Classic Rock as a virtuoso , Knopfler is a fingerstyle guitarist and was ranked 27th on Rolling Stone ' s list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time". With Dire Straits, Knopfler sold between 100 million and 120 million records. A four-time Grammy Award winner, Knopfler
5246-493: The Gallery", and "Six Blade Knife" for BBC Radio London —and, finally, on 9 November, made demo tapes of " Setting Me Up ", "Eastbound Train", and "Real Girl". Many of these songs reflect Knopfler's experiences in Newcastle, Leeds, and London, and were featured on their first album, the eponymous Dire Straits , which was released in the following year: "Down to the Waterline" recalled images of life in Newcastle; "In The Gallery"
5368-478: The Gibson Amphitheatre, Universal City, California, were released as a DVD entitled Real Live Roadrunning on 14 November 2006. In addition to several of the compositions that Harris and Knopfler recorded together in the studio, Real Live Roadrunning features solo hits from both members of the duo, as well as three tracks from Knopfler's days with Dire Straits. A charity event in 2007 went wrong:
5490-844: The Military Division of the order from the UK and across the Empire. Recommendations for all appointments to the Order of the British Empire were originally made on the nomination of the King's United Kingdom ministers (recommendations for overseas awards were made by the Foreign Office , the Colonial Office , the India Office and the Dominions Office ); but in the early 1940s the system was changed to enable
5612-581: The Night , released in May 1993, documented Dire Straits' final world tour. In 1995, following the release of Live at the BBC (a contractual release to Vertigo Records ), Mark Knopfler quietly dissolved Dire Straits and launched his career as a solo artist. Knopfler later recalled that, "I put the thing to bed because I wanted to get back to some kind of reality. It's self-protection, a survival thing. That kind of scale
5734-436: The Order of the British Empire for Gallantry received promotion within the order, whether for gallantry or otherwise, they continued to wear also the insignia of the lower grade with the oak leaves; however, they used only the post-nominal letters of the higher grade. When the order was founded in 1917, badges, ribands and stars were appointed for wear by recipients. In 1929 mantles, hats and collars were added for recipients of
5856-456: The Order of the British Empire. In 2024 appointments to the order were made by the governments of: Most members of the order are citizens of the United Kingdom or Commonwealth realms that use the UK system of honours and awards. In addition, honorary awards may be made to citizens of nations where the monarch is not head of state ; these permit use of post-nominal letters, but not the title of Sir or Dame . Honorary appointees who later become
5978-404: The Order, however, are not assigned any special precedence. As a general rule, only wives and children of male recipients are afforded privileges. Knights and Dames Grand Cross are also entitled to be granted heraldic supporters . They may, furthermore, encircle their arms with a depiction of the circlet (a circle bearing the motto) and the collar; the former is shown either outside or on top of
6100-489: The Roadrunning (with Emmylou Harris), Kill to Get Crimson , Get Lucky and One Deep River . In October 2008 Knopfler declined a suggestion by John Illsley that the band should reform. Illsley said that a reunion would be "entirely up to Mark"; however, he also observed that Knopfler was enjoying his success as a solo artist. When asked about a possible reunion, Knopfler responded, "Oh, I don't know whether to start getting all that stuff back together again", and that
6222-596: The Roadrunning was nominated for "Best Folk Rock/Americana Album" at the 49th Grammy Awards (11 February 2007) but lost out to Bob Dylan's nomination for Modern Times . Joined by Emmylou Harris, Knopfler supported All the Roadrunning with a limited—15 concerts in Europe, 1 in Canada, and 8 in the United States—but highly successful tour of Europe and North America. Selections from the duo's performance of 28 June at
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#17327721537326344-732: The Top 10 in the UK Singles Chart in February 1983, taken from the album "Phil Everly". Knopfler had also expressed his interest writing film music, and after producer David Puttnam responded he wrote and produced the music score to the film Local Hero . The album was released in April 1983 and received a BAFTA award nomination for Best Score for a Film the following year. Alan Clark also contributed, and other Dire Straits members Illsley, Lindes and Williams played on one track, "Freeway Flyer", and Gerry Rafferty contributed lead vocals on "The Way It Always Starts". The closing track on
6466-721: The UK Singles Chart for three weeks in March 1987. Knopfler wrote the music score for the film The Princess Bride , released at the end of 1987. It featured the song "Storybook Love" with Willy DeVille . Mark Knopfler also took part in a comedy skit (featured on the French and Saunders show) titled "The Easy Guitar Book Sketch" with comedian Rowland Rivron and fellow British musicians David Gilmour , Lemmy from Motörhead, Mark King from Level 42, and Gary Moore . Phil Taylor explained in an interview that Knopfler used Gilmour's guitar rig and managed to sound like himself when performing in
6588-487: The UK and 18 September in the United States. During the autumn of 2007 he played a series of intimate 'showcases' in various European cities to promote the album. A tour of Europe and North America followed in 2008. Continuing a pattern of high productivity through his solo career, Knopfler began work on his next studio album, entitled Get Lucky , in September 2008 with long-time bandmate Guy Fletcher, who again compiled
6710-486: The UK continue to make appointments to the order. Honorary awards may be made to citizens of other nations of which the order's sovereign is not the head of state. The five classes of appointment to the Order are, from highest grade to lowest grade: The senior two ranks of Knight or Dame Grand Cross and Knight or Dame Commander entitle their members to use the titles Sir for men and Dame for women before their forenames, except with honorary awards. King George V founded
6832-820: The UK in early 1990 with a limited number of shows. In this low-key tour the band packed out smaller venues such as Newcastle University. In 1990, Knopfler, John Illsley, and Alan Clark performed as Dire Straits at Knebworth , joined by Eric Clapton, Ray Cooper , and guitarist Phil Palmer (who was at that time part of Eric Clapton's touring band), and in January the following year, Knopfler, John Illsley and manager Ed Bicknell decided to reform Dire Straits. Knopfler, Illsley, Alan Clark, and Guy Fletcher set about recording what turned out to be their final studio album accompanied by sidemen Phil Palmer, pedal steel guitarist Paul Franklin , percussionist Danny Cummings and Toto drummer Jeff Porcaro . The follow-up to Brothers in Arms
6954-463: The United Kingdom; those who would formerly have met the criteria for the medal were instead made eligible for the MBE. In 2004, a report entitled A Matter of Honour: Reforming Our Honours System by a Commons select committee recommended phasing out the Order of the British Empire, as its title was "now considered to be unacceptable, being thought to embody values that are no longer shared by many of
7076-677: The United States and Canada, and finally the UK. The group's second album, Communiqué , produced by Jerry Wexler and Barry Beckett , followed in June 1979. Their third album, Making Movies , released in October 1980, moved towards more complex arrangements and production, which continued for the remainder of the group's career. The album included many of Mark Knopfler's most personal compositions, most notably " Romeo and Juliet " and " Tunnel of Love ", with its intro "The Carousel Waltz" by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II , which also featured in
7198-630: The album and on the credits in the film is the instrumental " Going Home: Theme of the Local Hero " which was released as a single and became a popular live staple for Dire Straits, entering the band's repertoire from 1983 onwards. "Local Hero" was followed in 1984 by Knopfler's music scores for the films Cal (soundtrack) and Comfort and Joy , both of which also featured Terry Williams, as well as keyboardist Guy Fletcher . Also during this time Knopfler produced Bob Dylan 's Infidels album, as well as Knife by Aztec Camera . He also wrote
7320-451: The album and the tour Paul Franklin was added to the line-up on pedal steel. The Notting Hillbillies sole studio album, Missing...Presumed Having a Good Time was released in March 1990, and Knopfler then toured with the Notting Hillbillies for the remainder of that year. He further emphasised his country music influences with his 1990s collaboration with Chet Atkins , Neck and Neck , which won three Grammy awards. The Hillbillies toured
7442-580: The album was minimal). The then permanent drummer Terry Williams was released from the recording sessions after the first month and temporarily replaced by jazz session drummer Omar Hakim , who re-recorded the album's drum parts within three days before leaving for other commitments. Williams would be back in the band as a full-time member for the music videos and the 1985–1986 Brothers in Arms world tour that followed. Released in May 1985, Brothers in Arms became an international blockbuster that has sold more than 30 million copies worldwide, and in 2006
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#17327721537327564-536: The album's title track . The band embarked on a 1985–1986 Brothers in Arms world tour of over 230 shows which was immensely successful. After the Brothers in Arms world tour Dire Straits ceased to work together for some time, Knopfler concentrating mainly on film soundtracks. Knopfler joined the charity ensemble Ferry Aid on " Let It Be " in the wake of the Zeebrugge ferry disaster . The track reached No. 1 on
7686-597: The album, like Van Morrison . On 15 September 1997, Knopfler appeared at the Music for Montserrat concert at the Royal Albert Hall , London, performing alongside artists such as Sting , Phil Collins , Elton John , Eric Clapton and Paul McCartney . In July 2002, Knopfler gave four charity concerts under the name of "Mark Knopfler and friends" with former Dire Straits members John Illsley, Chris White , Danny Cummings and Guy Fletcher, playing old material from
7808-414: The albums charts, the band released a four-song EP titled ExtendedancEPlay . Featuring the hit single " Twisting by the Pool ", this was the first output by the band that featured new drummer Terry Williams , (formerly of Rockpile and Man ). An eight month long Love over Gold Tour followed which finished with two sold-out concerts at London's Hammersmith Odeon on 22 and 23 July 1983. In March 1984
7930-402: The award of medal of the order to Lizzie Robinson, a munitions worker. The order had been established primarily as a civilian award; in August 1918, however, not long after its foundation, a number of awards were made to serving naval and military personnel. Four months later, a 'Military Division' was added to the order, to which serving personnel would in future be appointed. The classes were
8052-401: The band for a solo career. The remaining trio continued the album, with Roy Bittan from Bruce Springsteen 's E Street Band guesting on keyboards and session guitarist Sid McGinnis on rhythm guitar, although he was uncredited on the album. After the recording sessions were completed, keyboardist Alan Clark and Californian guitarist Hal Lindes joined Dire Straits as full-time members for
8174-450: The band members had "reached the end of the road" after the end of their final world tour in 1992, and that he was "pretty happy" when the band's run came to an end, recalling feeling "mentally, physically and emotionally exhausted" by the time Dire Straits disbanded. At the time, Illsley also said "I can openly admit to you that I really enjoyed the success of the band, I'm speaking for Mark as well, we both really enjoyed [it]. It comes with
8296-413: The cathedral. That year, Commonwealth awards made up 40% of all OBEs and MBEs awarded (and 35% of all living recipients of the higher awards). Gradually that proportion reduced as independent states within the Commonwealth established their own systems of honours . The last Canadian recommendation for the Order of the British Empire was an MBE for gallantry gazetted in 1966, a year before the creation of
8418-402: The centre for awards in the military division). From time to time the order was expanded: there was an increase in the maximum permitted number of recipients in 1933, and a further increase in 1937. During the Second World War, as had been the case during and after World War I, the number of military awards was greatly increased; between 1939 and 1946 there were more than 33,000 appointments to
8540-418: The circlet. In 1929, to bring the order into line with the other orders of chivalry, members of the first class of the order (GBE) were provided with mantles, hats and collars. Only Knights/Dames Grand Cross wear these elaborate vestments; the hat is now rarely, if ever, worn. Use of the mantle is limited to important occasions (such as quadrennial services and coronations ). The mantle is always worn with
8662-440: The civil division were to be divided equally between UK and overseas awards. With regard to the Medal of the Order (but not the order itself), a distinction was made in 1922 between awards 'for gallantry' and awards 'for meritorious service' (each being appropriately inscribed, and the former having laurel leaves decorating the clasp, the latter oak leaves). In 1933 holders of the medal 'for gallantry', which had come to be known as
8784-444: The collar. Although the mantle was introduced in 1929, very few mantles would have been produced prior to the 1937 design changes, as there were few occasions for wearing them in the intervening years. On certain days designated by the sovereign, known as " collar days ", members attending formal events may wear the order's collar over their military uniform, formal day dress, evening wear or robes of office. Collars are returned upon
8906-479: The country's population". The committee further suggested changing the name of the award to the Order of British Excellence, and changing the rank of Commander to Companion (as the former was said to have a "militaristic ring"), as well as advocating for the abolition of knighthoods and damehoods; the government, however, was not of the opinion that a case for change had been made, and the aforementioned suggestions and recommendations were not, therefore, pursued. In
9028-403: The death of their owners, but other insignia may be retained. The six office-holders of the order wear pearl-grey mantles lined with rose-pink, having on the right side a purple shield charged with the roundel from the badge. Each of these office-holders wears a unique badge of office, suspended from a gold chain worn around the neck. The British Empire Medal is made of silver. On the obverse
9150-626: The distinction between ranks in military operational gallantry awards will cease'. The reforms affected the order at various levels: for example the automatic award each year of a GBE to the Lord Mayor of London ceased; the OBE replaced the Imperial Service Order as an award for civil servants and the number of MBEs awarded each year was significantly increased. As part of these reforms the British Empire Medal stopped being awarded by
9272-689: The double album Alchemy Live was released, which documented the recordings of these final two live shows. It was also released in VHS video and reached number three in the UK Albums Chart , and was reissued in DVD and Blu-ray format in 2010. During 1983 and 1984, Mark Knopfler was also involved with other projects outside of Dire Straits, some of which other band members contributed towards. Knopfler and Terry Williams played on Phil Everly 's and Cliff Richard 's song " She Means Nothing To Me ", which reached
9394-590: The end of 1984 at George Martin 's AIR Studios in Montserrat with Knopfler and Neil Dorfsman producing. There were further personnel changes. Guy Fletcher joined the band as a full-time member, so the group now had two keyboardists, while second guitarist Hal Lindes left the band early on during the recording sessions and was replaced in December 1984 by Jack Sonni , a New York-based guitarist and longstanding friend of Knopfler (although Sonni's contribution to
9516-529: The former was to be responsible for recording all proceedings connected with the order, issuing warrants under the seal of the order and making arrangements for investitures, while the latter (at that time the Permanent Secretary to the Treasury ) was responsible for collecting and tabulating the names of those who were to receive an award. The office of Dean was added in 1957. The King of Arms
9638-670: The global fame Dire Straits achieved in the 1980s "just got too big". In 2018, the band were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Knopfler did not attend the induction ceremony, however remaining members John Illsley, Guy Fletcher and Alan Clark were in attendance to accept the award on behalf of the band. In November 2021 John Illsley published his autobiography My Life in Dire Straits , in which he confirms that Knopfler has no interest in reforming Dire Straits, which he again reiterated in an interview in November 2023. He reflected that
9760-401: The governments of overseas dominions to make their own nominations; Canada and South Africa began doing so in 1942, followed by Australia, New Zealand and other Commonwealth realms. In May 1957, forty years after the foundation of the order, it was announced that St Paul's Cathedral was to serve as the church of the order, and in 1960 a chapel was dedicated for its use within the crypt of
9882-450: The highest class of the order (GBE). The designs of all these items underwent major changes in 1937. The badge is worn by all members of the order; the size, colour and design depends on the class of award. The badge for all classes is in the form of a cross patonce (having the arms growing broader and floriated toward the end) with a medallion in the centre, the obverse of which bears a crowned image of George V and Queen Mary within
10004-446: The insignia to Buckingham Palace and by ceasing to make reference to their honour, but they still hold the honour unless and until annulled by the monarch. In 2003, The Sunday Times published a list of the people who had rejected the Order of the British Empire, including David Bowie , John Cleese , Nigella Lawson , Elgar Howarth , L. S. Lowry , George Melly , and J. G. Ballard . In addition, Ballard voiced his opposition to
10126-640: The junior post-nominal letters. The British sovereign is the sovereign of the order and appoints all other officers of the order (by convention, on the advice of the governments of the United Kingdom and some Commonwealth realms ). The second-most senior officer is the Grand Master (a 'Prince of the Blood Royal, or other exalted personage' appointed by the sovereign, who, by virtue of their appointment, becomes 'the First or Principal Knight Grand Cross of
10248-528: The latter. Knights and Dames Commander and Commanders may display the circlet, but not the collar, surrounding their arms. The badge is depicted suspended from the collar or circlet. See List of current honorary knights and dames of the Order of the British Empire Only the monarch can annul an honour. The Honours Forfeiture Committee considers cases and makes recommendations for forfeiture. An individual can renounce their honour by returning
10370-463: The left breast, by Knights and Dames Grand Cross; Knights and Dames Commander wear a smaller star composed of 'four equal points and four lesser'. The star is not worn by the more junior classes. Prior to 1937 each star had in the centre a gold medallion with a figure of Britannia, surrounded by a crimson circlet inscribed with the motto of the order ('For God and the Empire'); since 1937 the effigies of King George V and Queen Mary have been shown within
10492-467: The maxi-single, was featured in the 2001 film America's Sweethearts . All tracks are written by Mark Knopfler " Cannibals " is the second single from the album. It is very similar in sound and structure to the Dire Straits hit single " Walk of Life ", also written by Knopfler. "Cannibals" is taken from the album. "Tall Order Baby" and "What Have I Got to Do" are outtakes from the album. The song
10614-630: The musical effect of Knopfler's eclectic and newly introduced acoustic bass, string arrangements or traditional Irish accompaniments and concluded: Knopfler hadn't used the opportunity of a solo album to challenge himself, and at the same time he had lost the group identity (however illusory) provided by the Dire Straits name. The result was listenable but secondhand. All tracks are written by Mark Knopfler Music Production Sales figures based on certification alone. Shipments figures based on certification alone. Mark Knopfler Mark Freuder Knopfler OBE (born 12 August 1949)
10736-473: The names of the former are written out in their fullest forms. Male clergy of the Church of England or the Church of Scotland do not use the title Sir (unless they were knighted before being ordained) as they do not receive the accolade (they are not dubbed "knight" with a sword), although they do append the post-nominal letters ; dames do not receive the accolade, and therefore female clergy are free to use
10858-454: The numbers restricted to the order as full members do. Although the Order of the British Empire has by far the highest number of members of the British orders of chivalry, with more than 100,000 living members worldwide, there are fewer appointments to knighthoods than in other orders. From time to time, individuals may be promoted to a higher grade within the Order, thereby ceasing usage of
10980-402: The only guitar available was an old acoustic with a badly warped neck that had been strung with extra-light strings to make it usable. Even so, he found it impossible to play unless he finger-picked it, leading to the development of his signature playing style. He said in a later interview, "That was where I found my 'voice' on guitar." After a brief stint with Brewers Droop, Knopfler took a job as
11102-620: The order alongside its own honours until the establishment of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 1996. Other Commonwealth realms have continued to use the Order of the British Empire alongside their own honours. In 1993 the Prime Minister, John Major , instituted a reform of the honours system with the aim 'that exceptional service or achievement will be more widely recognised; that greater importance will be given to voluntary service; that automatic honours will end; that
11224-581: The order to fill gaps in the British honours system : In particular, George V wished to create an order to honour the many thousands of individuals from across the Empire who had served in a variety of non-combat roles during the First World War . From its foundation the order consisted of five classes (GBE, KBE/DBE, CBE, OBE and MBE) and was open to both women and men; provision was also made for conferring honorary awards on foreign recipients. At
11346-409: The order was celebrated with a service at St Paul's Cathedral. The order is limited to 300 Knights and Dames Grand Cross, 845 Knights and Dames Commander, and 8,960 Commanders. There are no limits applied to the total number of members of the fourth and fifth classes, but no more than 858 officers and 1,464 members may be appointed per year. Foreign appointees, as honorary members, do not contribute to
11468-410: The order's establishment, Queen Mary had made it known that pink would be her preferred colour for the riband of the proposed new order, but, in the event, purple was chosen. Following her appointment as Grand Master of the order in 1936 a change was duly made and since 9 March 1937 the riband of the order has been 'rose pink edged with pearl grey’ (with the addition of a vertical pearl grey stripe in
11590-402: The order. The order was established on 4 June 1917 by King George V , who created the order to recognise 'such persons, male or female, as may have rendered or shall hereafter render important services to Our Empire'. Equal recognition was to be given for services rendered in the UK and overseas. Today the majority of recipients are UK citizens, though a number of Commonwealth realms outside
11712-578: The promo for Shangri-La on his official website, he said his current line-up of Glenn Worf (bass), Guy Fletcher (keyboards), Chad Cromwell (drums), Richard Bennett (guitar), and Matt Rollings (piano) "...play Dire Straits songs better than Dire Straits did." The Shangri-La tour took Knopfler to countries such as India and the United Arab Emirates for the first time. In India, his concerts at Mumbai and Bangalore were well received, with over 20,000 fans at each concert. In November 2005
11834-728: The release of Golden Heart with the Golden Heart Tour of Europe, which started on 24 April 1996 in Galway, Ireland, and included 84 concerts in 66 cities, ending in Antibes, France, on 4 August 1996. One of the early shows was recorded on video and was released as a DVD titled A Night in London . The tour lineup included Mark Knopfler (guitar, vocals), Guy Fletcher (keyboards), Richard Bennett (guitar), Glenn Worf (bass), Chad Cromwell (drums) and Jim Cox (keyboards). This initial touring group later became known to Knopfler fans as
11956-603: The same Order'). The position of Grand Master has been held by the following people: In addition to the sovereign and the grand master , the order has six further officers: At its foundation the order was served by three officers: the King of Arms, the Registrar & Secretary and the Gentleman Usher of the Purple Rod. In 1922 the Prelate was added, and the office of Registrar was separated from that of Secretary:
12078-466: The same as for the Civil Division (as it was now termed), but military awards were distinguished by the addition of a central vertical red stripe to the purple riband of the civil awards. In 1920 appointment as an MBE 'for an act of gallantry' was granted for the first time, to Sydney Frank Blanck Esq, who had rescued an injured man from a burning building containing explosives. In December 1922
12200-570: The same time, alongside the order, the Medal of the Order of the British Empire was instituted, to serve as a lower award granting recipients affiliation but not membership. The first investiture took place at Ibrox Stadium , as part of a royal visit to the Glasgow shipyards, with the appointment of Alexander Ure, 1st Baron Strathclyde as a GBE (in recognition of his role as chairman of the Scottish War Savings Committee) and
12322-453: The skit. Dire Straits regrouped for 11 June 1988 Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute concert at Wembley Stadium , in which they were the headline act, and were accompanied by Eric Clapton , who by this time had developed a strong friendship with Knopfler. Jack Sonni and Terry Williams both officially left the band shortly afterwards. In September 1988 Mark Knopfler announced the official dissolution of Dire Straits, saying that he "needed
12444-409: The song " Private Dancer " for Tina Turner 's comeback album of the same name to which other Dire Straits members John Illsley, Alan Clark, Hal Lindes and Terry Williams contributed. Knopfler also contributed lead guitar to Bryan Ferry 's album Boys and Girls , released in June 1985. Dire Straits' biggest studio album by far was their fifth, Brothers in Arms . Recording of the album started at
12566-408: The soundtrack for the movie Wag the Dog . During that same year Rolling Stone magazine listed Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll , which included " Sultans of Swing ", Dire Straits' first hit. 2000 saw the release of Knopfler's next solo album, Sailing to Philadelphia . This has been his most successful to date, possibly helped by the number of notable contributors to
12688-461: The standard of the George Medal (even though, as appointments to an order of chivalry, they were listed before it on the Order of Wear . In contrast to awards for meritorious service, which usually appear without a citation, there were often citations for gallantry awards, some detailed and graphic. From 14 January 1958, these awards were designated Commander, Officer or Member of the Order of
12810-416: The statutes of the order were amended; there having been a large number of awards for war work prior to this date, these amended statutes placed the order on more of a peacetime footing. For the first time numbers of appointments were limited, with the stipulation that senior awards in the Civil Division were to outnumber those in the Military Division by a proportion of six to one. Furthermore appointments in
12932-506: The title Dame . Knights and Dames Grand Cross use the post-nominal GBE; Knights Commander, KBE; Dames Commander, DBE; Commanders, CBE; Officers, OBE; and Members, MBE. The post-nominal for the British Empire Medal is BEM. Members of all classes of the order are assigned positions in the order of precedence . Wives of male members of all classes also feature on the order of precedence, as do sons, daughters and daughters-in-law of Knights Grand Cross and Knights Commander; relatives of Ladies of
13054-522: The track 17 Hills . In February 2011, Knopfler began work on his next solo album, Privateering , once again working with Guy Fletcher. In July 2011, it was announced that Knopfler would take time out from recording his new album to take part in a European tour with Bob Dylan during October and November. The next year Knopfler covered a Bob Dylan song, " Restless Farewell ", for an Amnesty International 50th Anniversary celebration record. On 3 September 2012, Knopfler's seventh solo album, Privateering ,
13176-461: The various musical influences he'd engaged since emerging as a major recording artist in 1978. The album reached the top-10 position on charts in Austria, Belgium, Finland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The album peaked at 105 on the Billboard 200 in the United States. Following the release of Dire Straits' final studio album, On Every Street , and
13298-661: Was announced that this new album would be entitled Tracker , and that it would see a release in early 2015. European tour dates were also announced for Spring/Summer 2015. In 2016 he collaborated with the Italian bluesman Zucchero Fornaciari playing in Ci si arrende and Streets of Surrender (S.O.S.) contained in Black Cat . Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of
13420-473: Was finally released in September 1991. On Every Street was nowhere near as popular as its predecessor, and met with a mixed critical reaction, with some reviewers regarding the album as an underwhelming comeback after a six-year break. Nonetheless, the album sold well and reached No. 1 in the UK. Session drummer Chris Whitten joined Dire Straits as they embarked on a gruelling world tour featuring 300 shows in front of some 7.1 million ticket-buying fans. This
13542-402: Was first announced at the end of December 2006, and is available to recipients of all levels of the order, as well as to holders of the British Empire Medal . The pin design is not unique to any level. The pin features the badge of the order, enclosed in a circle of ribbon of its colours of pink and grey. Lapel pins must be purchased separately by a member of the order. The creation of such a pin
13664-687: Was hired as a junior reporter in Leeds for the Yorkshire Evening Post . During this time, he made the acquaintance of local furniture restorer, country blues enthusiast and part-time performer Steve Phillips , one year his senior, from whose record collection and guitar style Knopfler acquired a good knowledge of early blues artists and their styles. The two formed a duo called "The Duolian String Pickers", which performed in local folk and acoustic blues venues. Two years later, Knopfler decided to further his education, and later graduated with
13786-726: Was involved in a motorbike crash in Grosvenor Road, Belgravia and suffered a broken collarbone, broken shoulder blade and seven broken ribs. The planned Ragpicker's Dream tour was subsequently cancelled, but Knopfler recovered and returned to the stage in 2004 for his fourth album, Shangri-La . Shangri-La was recorded at the Shangri-La Studio in Malibu, California , in 2004, where the Band had made recordings years before for their documentary/movie, The Last Waltz . In
13908-591: Was later to rejoin Knopfler in the short lived side exercise from Dire Straits, The Notting Hillbillies . Upon graduation in 1973, Knopfler moved to London and joined a band based in High Wycombe called Brewers Droop . This group had issued studio-recorded material before Knopfler joined, and went into the studio while Knopfler was a member -- but Brewer's Droop material with Knopfler remained unissued until appearing on their 1989 archival album The Booze Brothers . One night, while spending time with friends,
14030-469: Was made a substantive member and subsequently styled as Sir Terry Wogan). Although initially intended to recognise meritorious service, the order began to also be awarded for gallantry. There were an increased number of cases in the Second World War for service personnel and civilians including the merchant navy, police, emergency services and civil defence, mostly MBEs but with a small number of OBEs and CBEs. Such awards were for gallantry that did not reach
14152-585: Was recommended in Sir Hayden Phillips ' review of the honours system in 2004. The Chapel of the Order of the British Empire is in St Paul's Cathedral . It occupies the far eastern end of the cathedral crypt and was dedicated in 1960. The only heraldic banners normally on display in the chapel are those of the Sovereign of the Order of the British Empire and of the Grand Master of the Order of
14274-542: Was released in March 1996. It featured the UK single " Darling Pretty ". The album's recording sessions helped create Knopfler's backing band, which is also known as The 96ers . It features Knopfler's old bandmate Guy Fletcher on keyboards. This band's main line-up has lasted much longer than any Dire Straits line-up. Also in 1996, Knopfler recorded guitar for Ted Christopher's Dunblane massacre tribute cover, Knockin' on Heaven's Door . Knopfler composed his first film score in 1983 for Local Hero . In 1997, Knopfler recorded
14396-635: Was released. This was Knopfler's first double album solo release and contained 20 new songs. After a further tour with Bob Dylan in the US during October and November, the Privateering tour of Europe followed in Spring/Summer 2013. A short run of five shows were played in the US that Autumn. Knopfler began work on another studio album in September 2013, again at his British Grove Studios in London with Guy Fletcher co-producing. On 16 September 2014, it
14518-509: Was seven years old. Mark had attended Bearsden Primary School in Scotland for two years; both brothers attended Gosforth Grammar School in Newcastle. Originally inspired by his uncle Kingsley's harmonica and boogie-woogie piano playing, Mark soon became familiar with many different styles of music. Although he hounded his father for an expensive Fiesta Red Fender Stratocaster electric guitar just like Hank Marvin 's, he eventually bought
14640-470: Was the concert opener for the Kill to Get Crimson Tour in 2008. All tracks are written by Mark Knopfler " Rüdiger " is the third and final single from the album. "Rüdiger" is taken from the album. Rudiger was used on the soundtrack for the film The Bandits. "My Claim to Fame", "Tall Order Baby", and "What Have I Got to Do" are outtakes from the album. All tracks are written by Mark Knopfler Knopfler supported
14762-547: Was the fourth best selling album in UK chart history. Brothers in Arms spawned several chart singles including the US # 1 hit " Money for Nothing ", which was the first video played on MTV in Britain. It was also the first compact disc to sell a million copies and is largely credited for launching the CD format as it was also one of the first DDD CDs ever released, Other successful singles were " So Far Away ", " Walk of Life ", and
14884-406: Was to be Dire Straits' final world tour; it was not as well received as the previous Brothers in Arms tour, and by this time Mark Knopfler had had enough of such huge operations. Manager Ed Bicknell is quoted as saying "The last tour was utter misery. Whatever the zeitgeist was that we had been part of, it had passed." John Illsley agreed, saying "Personal relationships were in trouble and it put
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