Mark Knopfler (born August 12, 1949) is universally recognised as not only the front-man, but the driving force of Dire Straits. Knopfler first entered the music scene when he led a band called Brewer’s Droop. In 1977, he began playing with his brother Mark and friend John Illsley. With the help of drummer Pick Withers, they cut a demo tape, Sultans Of Swing. The song became a runaway hit, leading to an album release in 1978, which quickly entered the Top Ten both in Britain and America. Their second album, Communique (1979), sold three million copies worldwide, cementing their reputation as an A-list band. Their next two albums Making Movies and Love Over Gold had their share of hits, (including Romeo and Juliet, Skateaway & Private Investigations) but critics felt that they were not growing artistically.     Alchemy: Dire Straits Live followed in 1984. However, it was the release of Brothers in Arms in 1985 that rocketed the band to stardom. The cutting-edge video of Money For Nothing and Brothers In Arms helped the album to remain for nine weeks at the top of the charts. Other breakaway hits from the album included So Far Away and Walk Of Life, which resulted in sales of over nine million copies. As a band, Dire Straits ceased to exist for the rest of the decade with Knopfler and Illsley branching out on their own. In 1990, the band was reborn and went on to release On Every Street in 1991. However, the album was a disappointment as it failed to even enter the U.K. top 40 and only went platinum in America. The band went on a live tour to promote the album, and released a live album, On The Night,  at the end of the tour, in 1993. The band once again went into indefinite hibernation.     Mark Knopfler went on to launch a solo career with the 1996 release of Golden Heart. He also scored the music for movies like Wag The Dog and Metroland in 1998 and Shot At Glory in 2002. His non-soundtrack albums include Sailing To Philadelphia in 2000, Ragpickers Dream in 2002, Shangri-La in 2004 and Live From Shangri-La in 2005. He rounded out the year with the release of Private Investigations, The Best Of Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler in conjunction with his former band-mates. His latest release is All The Road Running created with eleven-time Grammy winner Emily Lou Harris.