Dire Straits

Were a British rock band, formed in 1977 by Mark Knopfler (guitar and vocals), his brother David Knopfler (guitar), John Illsley (bass), and Pick Withers (drums), and subsequently managed by Ed Bicknell.

Dire Straits (so called due to the financial condition in which the four band members were living in at the time), recorded a five-song demo tape, which included their future single "Sultans of Swing". They took the tape to deejay Charlie Gillett, who had a radio show called "Honky Tonk" on BBC Radio London. Originally, they just wanted some feedback from Gillett, but the announcer liked the music so much, he played "Sultans of Swing" on the radio. Two months later, Dire Straits signed a recording contract with Phonogram Records.

Although the band was formed in an era when punk rock reigned, Dire Straits worked within the conventions of classic rock, albeit with a stripped-down sound that appealed to modern audiences weary of the overproduced stadium rock of the 1970s.

In their early days, Mark and David requested that pub owners turn down the amps so that patrons could converse while the band played — indicative of their unassuming demeanor. Despite this oddly self-effacing approach to rock and roll, Dire Straits soon became hugely successful, with their first album going multi-platinum globally.

The band's best-known songs include "Sultans of Swing", "Romeo and Juliet", "Tunnel of Love", "Telegraph Road", "Private Investigations", "Money for Nothing", "Walk of Life", "So Far Away", "Brothers in Arms" and "Calling Elvis".

Dire Straits and Mark Knopfler have sold in excess of 118 million albums to date.

From Wikipedia,