Mark Knopfler is one of the greatest
and most influential musicians of our time. The former head and founder of Dire Straits has sold over 135 million albums in the course of his career and has won over half a dozen Grammy Awards in addition to the recently awarded Lifetime Achievement Award and numerous other prizes. Dire Straits enjoyed great success for almost two decades. The departure of mastermind Mark Knopfler in 1995 came as an even greater surprise to the public. Although the band never announced an official break-up, since Knopfler's departure there has never been any reconciliation between the guitar legend and the band.