David Knopfler, born 27 December 1952 in Glasgow, United Kingdom, is a British musician. By age 11, he owned a guitar, piano, and drums and performed original compositions in folk clubs at 14. In 1977, he co‑founded the rock group Dire Straits with his brother Mark Knopfler, bassist John Illsley and drummer Pick Withers. Knopfler played rhythm guitar on the band’s first two albums, Dire Straits (1978) and Communiqué (1979), before departing during the recording of Making Movies (1980). He launched a solo career with the 1983 release of Release, featuring Mark Knopfler and John Illsley, and followed with Behind the Lines (1985), Cut the Wire (1986), Lips Against the Steel (1988), and Lifelines (1991) recorded at Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios. Subsequent albums include The Giver (1993), Small Mercies (1995), the collaborative Wishbones (2001), Ship of Dreams (2004), and Songs for the Siren (2006). Knopfler’s work extended to film soundtracks, scoring titles like Shergar (1984) and Laser Mission (1989). His later releases include Acoustic (2011), Made in Germany (2013), Last Train Leaving (2020), and Crow Gifts (2024).
