Dire Straits Dire Straits Dire Straits were a British rock band formed in London in 1977 by Mark Knopfler (lead vocals and lead guitar), David Knopfler (rhythm guitar and backing vocals), John Illsley (bass guitar and backing vocals), and Pick Withers (drums and percussion). The band became one of the world's best-selling music artists, with album sales of over 100 million. Their first hit single "Sultans of Swing", from their self-titled debut album, reached the top ten in the UK and US charts in 1978. They released hit singles in the 1980s, such as "Private Investigations" (1983), "Money for Nothing" (1985), and
Sultans of Swing: The Very Best of Dire Straits features the music videos of all the songs on the first disc, in addition to short interviews with Mark Knopfler about each song. All songs were written by Mark Knopfler, except track 9, written by Knopfler and Sting. The following tracks were recorded live at the Royal Albert Hall on 23 May 1996 by Mark Knopfler. Sultans of Swing: The Very Best of Dire Straits Sultans of Swing: The Very Best of Dire Straits is the second greatest hits compilation by the British rock band Dire Straits, released on 19 October 1998 by Mercury Records internationally, and by Warner Bros.