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
Dire Straits charts. It featured the hit single "Twisting By the Pool" which reached the Top 20 in the UK and Canada. The band won Best British Group at the 1983 Brit Awards. With session keyboard player Tommy Mandel added to the live line-up to help Clark cover the band's increasingly detailed arrangements, Dire Straits embarked on an eight-month-long world tour to promote "Love Over Gold", which finished with two sold out concerts London's Hammersmith Odeon on 22 and 23 July 1983. The double album "", was a recording of excerpts from these two concerts and was reportedly released without studio overdubs.