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