Mark Knopfler

Mark, who was recently presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2012 Ivor Novello Awards (the UK’s highest song writing accolade) announces summer 2013 tour dates in support of his new album Privateering, released on 3rd September 2012, on Universal Records.

“Privateering” is Mark’s eighth solo studio album and its 20 original songs form Mark’s first ever double album in a 35 year recording career. “The older I get, the more I want to write” he says “I’m enjoying the process more than ever; writing, recording and playing live. I enjoy all of it. I’m almost tripping over songs”.

Knopfler and his full 8-piece band are looking forward to hitting the road once again in 2013. “It’s like being captain of a little fighting ship really, and I enjoy the team thing of being on the road”.

Amid the new material, when the audiences call for the songs that became part of all our lives, he will relish it. “The thing about the old Straits songs is that these things are signposts for people’s lives. Obviously I’ll play things differently here and there to keep it alive and meaningful to me, and away from a cabaret thing. But there are things, like the twiddly bits at the end of ‘Sultans,’ if you don’t do your twiddly bits, the world’s not right for people. I like playing the old songs, I wrote them and people like to hear them, it’s as simple as that.”

Mark released his first solo album Golden Heart in 1996, but then in the first decade of the 21st Century in an elongated hot streak of productivity, Mark released no fewer than 7 solo studio albums on Universal Music, namely:

Golden Heart (1996)
Sailing To Philadelphia (2000)
The Ragpickers Dream (2002)
Shangri-La (2004)
All The Road Running (2006)
Kill To Get Crimson (2007)
Get Lucky (2009)

Not only is Mark a prolific writer who can't seem to stop writing and recording songs, he has also toured extensively in Europe and the USA in support of all these albums.

Hailed as one of the greatest guitarists of all time, Mark has sold in excess of 120 million albums across his Dire Straits and solo career. 2012 marks 20 years since the final Dire Straits show.

A multiple Grammy award winner as the lead singer/songwriter for Dire Straits, Knopfler combined his wry lyrics with his guitar prowess to create such major hits as “Money For Nothing,” “Sultans Of Swing,” “Romeo and Juliet” and “Walk of Life.” He has produced records for Bob Dylan and Randy Newman as well as scoring several films including Cal, Local Hero, Princess Bride and A Shot at Glory.