The Notting Hillbillies

The Notting Hillbillies is a British country rock and Americana band that was founded in Leeds in 1986. The group was formed as a side project by Mark Knopfler, the frontman of Dire Straits, together with Brendan Croker, Steve Phillips and Guy Fletcher. Other musicians involved are Paul Franklin on pedal steel guitar, Marcus Cliffe on bass and Ed Bicknell on drums. The band's musical repertoire includes a mixture of country, blues, folk and rock. In 1990, The Notting Hillbillies released their only studio album Missing... Presumed Having a Good Time, which reached number 52 on the US Billboard 200 and number 2 on the UK album charts. The album includes the single "Your Own Sweet Way", which makes it into the British charts. Other well-known tracks include "Railroad Worksong", "Will You Miss Me" and "Feel Like Going Home". Stylistically, the songs are characterized by acoustic guitars, pedal steel and polyphonic vocals. Although the band never officially disbanded, there were only a few live appearances, including in the UK in 1990 and again in 1997 and 1998 with a different line-up. Brendan Croker dies on September 10, 2023.