Dire Straits: Brothers, Innovators, and Signature Sound-Makers

From Dire Straits to Sultans of Swing

In the mid-‘70s, Mark devoted most of his energy into his next group that called themselves the Café Racers. His brother David followed him afterward to London, where he became roommates with another future Dire Straits member, bassist John Illsley. At the time, Mark was working as a teacher, John was studying at college, and David was a social worker.

Mark Knopfler and Dire Straits

Mark Knopfler and Dire Straits. Photo By ITV/Shutterstock

By 1977, the guys formed a group and called themselves Dire Straits – a name given to them by a musician and roommate of Withers. The meaning? It basically represented the financial situation that they found themselves in at the time. The freshly formed group then went ahead and recorded a five-song demo tape, including their future hit single, Sultans of Swing.