MARK KNOPFLER
Mark Knopfler (born 12 August 1949) is a British songwriter, film score composer, guitarist, and record producer. He is best known as the lead guitarist, lead singer, and songwriter for the rock band Dire Straits, which he co-founded with his brother, David Knopfler, in 1977. Since Dire Straits disbanded in 1995, Knopfler has recorded and produced seven solo albums. He has composed and produced film scores for eight films, including Local Hero (1983), Cal (1984), The Princess Bride (1987), and Wag the Dog (1997). Knopfler is a fingerstyle guitarist and was ranked 27th on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. (More from Wikipedia)
Ron Franklin reminds me a lot of Bob Dylan – but of course, I suppose you would have to be someone like me who likes the way Dylan sings (there, I said it). I have told several people that I have always thought that Dire Straits frontman Mark Knopfler sounds just like Dylan, but no one seems to hear what I hear.
(January 2012)
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Returning to the albums, Slow Train Coming and the albums that followed it are notable for the all-star assistance that Dylan received in putting them together. Bob Dylan heard the Dire Straits hit single “Sultans of Swing” and contacted guitarist and lead vocalist Mark Knopfler about working on an album together.
Infidels marked a change in musical direction for Bob Dylan with the addition of Jamaican rhythm section Sly & Robbie; Mark Knopfler returned for that album, and the personnel also included Mick Taylor, who was with the Rolling Stones from 1969 to 1974.
(August 2014)