Dire Straits

‘Sultans of Swing’ was both the first single from Dire Straits’ debut album and a revealing first-person account of the average working band’s hardscrabble, often thankless existence playing British pubs during the '70s. It’s only fitting, therefore, that Dire Straits leader Mark Knopfler was inspired to write the tune in a pub, pint in hand, whilst watching just one such band calling themselves – you guessed it – the Sultans of Swing.

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He's a multiple Grammy winner, one of rock's most respected guitarists, and a founding member of the multiplatinum AOR legends Dire Straits -- and yet Mark Knopfler's new album doesn't have an American release date. What gives?

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It's a difficult thing to etch out your own style among all of the talented musicians in the rock world world, but Dire Straits guitarist Mark Knopfler, who turns 63 on Aug. 12, was able to do so quite well.

Forming the band in 1977

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A new Burger King commercial looks to tie their food in with your summer traditions. The one-minute ad uses Dire Straits' 1985 Top Ten hit, 'Walk of Life.'

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‘Sultans Of Swing’ was Dire Straits’ debut single. Let that sink in -- the fully-formed, blues-drenched tune was the first song many heard from the British act.

However, its appeal was evident long before it hit No. 4 on the Billboard singles chart in 1979, or our Top 100 Classic Rock Songs list: A 1977 demo version of the song reportedly earned the band a record deal.

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The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC) announced that the eight-month ban on Dire Straits’ ‘Money For Nothing’ has been lifted! The song was yanked from national playlists on radio stations in Canada in January after a listener complained about the usage of the word “faggot” when said listener heard the song on CHOZ-FM in Newfoundland.

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Mark Knopfler is currently in the studio working on his next solo disc, although the album will not see the light of day until at least 2012. The former Dire Straits frontman also appears as a guest musician on a couple of recent releases.

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