One of rock music’s most distinctive guitarists is celebrating a milestone birthday.
Mark Knopfler, the singer, songwriter and guitarist who rose to fame as the frontman of Dire Straits, turns 77 on Wednesday, Aug. 12. Nearly five decades after “Sultans of Swing” introduced the band to a worldwide audience, Knopfler remains celebrated for a playing style that has always sounded unmistakably his own.
Born in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1949, Knopfler formed Dire Straits with his younger brother David Knopfler, John Illsley and Pick Withers in London in 1977. The group’s fortunes changed dramatically with a song inspired by something Knopfler witnessed in a nearly deserted London pub.
That song was “Sultans of Swing.”
Knopfler wrote “Sultans of Swing” after watching a struggling jazz group perform to a largely uninterested audience. The band’s grandiose name, the Sultans of Swing, struck him as amusing given the decidedly unglamorous surroundings.
Dire Straits recorded the song for its self-titled 1978 debut album, and after initially attracting attention in the U.K., “Sultans of Swing” became the band’s international breakthrough. It reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1979 and helped send Dire Straits to No. 2 on the Billboard 200.
The song also introduced millions of listeners to Knopfler’s unusual approach to the guitar. Rather than relying on a pick, he developed an intricate fingerstyle technique that became one of his signatures.
Decades later, the admiration for that playing has hardly diminished. Classic Rock described Knopfler as “peerless as craftsman and virtuoso,” while Rolling Stone has also recognized the guitarist for his distinctive fingerstyle technique and singular sound, ranking him No. 27 on its list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.
“Knopfler emerged at a time when guitar virtuosos were spurned by punks and New Wavers. Yet from the first stinging notes of “Sultans of Swing,” Knopfler’s roots-based approach and supple, burnished leads found almost universal appeal,” wrote Rolling Stone, adding that Knopfler is “known for his rich tone, sinuous melodicism and rangy, fluid solos.”
And new listeners are still discovering exactly what made Knopfler’s playing so arresting.
Content creator Polo Mars went into a reaction to a live performance of “Sultans of Swing” knowing virtually nothing about Dire Straits, explaining at the beginning that the video would be his “introduction to the band.”
His verdict changed rather quickly.
After marveling at the different guitar riffs that followed the song’s verses, Mars declared, “This is a masterpiece.” He praised the layers within the performance and said he wanted to hear more from the band.
By the time Knopfler really cut loose, Mars was ready to reconsider his entire guitar hierarchy.
“I’m not picking any more favorite guitar players,” he joked.
Mars ultimately called the performance one of the greatest he’d ever seen, placing it in his personal top 10 after reacting to more than 1,000 videos.
But “Sultans of Swing” was only the beginning.
Dire Straits went on to release albums including Communiqué, Making Movies and Love Over Gold before becoming one of the biggest bands in the world with 1985’s Brothers in Arms.
The blockbuster album included “Money for Nothing,” “Walk of Life,” “So Far Away” and the title track. “Money for Nothing,” featuring Sting, became Dire Straits’ only No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, while Brothers in Arms topped the Billboard 200 and became one of the defining albums of the decade.
Knopfler’s talents weren’t confined to Dire Straits. He also became an in-demand producer, collaborator and film composer, working with artists including Bob Dylan, Tina Turner, Randy Newman, Van Morrison and Chet Atkins. His film-score credits include Local Hero, The Princess Bride and Wag the Dog.
After Dire Straits disbanded in the 1990s, Knopfler built an extensive solo career, beginning with Golden Heart in 1996 and continuing with a long run of albums that allowed him to explore folk, country, blues and roots music beyond the stadium-rock scale of his former band.
Dire Straits was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2018, more than 40 years after Knopfler and his bandmates first came together.
And the song that started their ascent continues to introduce new generations to his playing. Nearly 50 years after “Sultans of Swing” helped transform an unknown British band into international stars, Knopfler’s famously understated guitar work is still capable of making a first-time listener stop, rewind and reconsider who belongs on their list of favorite guitarists.
Related: Founding Member of Legendary ’70s Rock Band, Who Turned Down Jimi Hendrix, Turns 80
