For Illsley, becoming a pro musician was the realisation of a dream that formed listening to Little Richard and Elvis on Radio Luxembourg, courtesy of his brother Wills crystal radio set at home in Market Harborough. It gets a good reaction. There is another noteworthy aspect to the success of Brothers In Arms. In the mid-1970s, Pick Withers is the house drummer at Dave Edmunds Rockfield Studios recording facility in Wales. 47), is released on the same date as the album with songs that were also recorded in May 1992. On the other hand, they had a liberal bias for letting us follow our own path. On their first album, Opening Time (1972), Brewers Droop consists of: Ron Watts (vocals, percussion), John Alimony Slim Mackay (guitar, vocals), Steve Darrington (keyboards, reeds), Malcolm Barrett (bass) and Bob Walker (drums). An additional live EP, Encores (UK no. That is probably not the case. Note: Man was formed in 1969. The demo recording is taken to MCA in Soho, but that record label rejects the group. The Netherlands receive Ticket To Heaven, a sort of old-fashioned pre-rock song marked by soaring strings and acoustic guitar. With Dire Straits, John has been the and later settled in Hampshire with his four children and his wife, Stephanie. John Illsley Although this is not the first time Mark Knopfler has written in the voice of a different persona (e.g. 46, AUS no. Dire Straits are in the wrong time, wrong place. Their style of music seems to come from somewhere else altogether. The remaining song from the demo guitarist David Knopflers Sacred Loving does not appear. Mel Collins makes a guest appearance on saxophone on this EP. David adds, He was actually rather humble at that point[Bassist ] John Illsley and I pretty much dragged him to the altar all the way. It is hard to conjure a less likely rock star than [Mark] Knopfler, [who is] balding and outwardly taciturn., As well as being the frontman of Dire Straits, the bands lead vocalist and lead guitarist, Mark Knopfler writes almost every song the group records. 69); All The Roadrunning (2006) (UK no. John Illsley Mark Knopfler is said to have cut his first single at 16 but it is never released. 14, AUS no. Although Mark is left-handed in all other ways, he plays guitar right-handed. We ended up with 150 roadies, it became a massive machine.. Guitarist Deke Leonard and bassist Martin Ace both work with Williams in The Smokeless Zone and Dream and will work with him again. John marries his second wife, Stephanie, John was the child of Richard Ilsley and Joanne Jane Lewes. But they would have preferred us to be architects or lawyers, It is probably around this time that Mark Knopfler meets Kathy White since she is described as his long-time girlfriend from school days.. 25), The Welsh Connection (1976) and Alls Well That Ends Well (1977). His wife, Pauline, is an Australian woman. The album is limited to seven comparatively lengthy songs. At 18, Will invited him to join his covers band, The Knott and built him a bass guitar. The first seven tracks on this set were recorded for BBC Live in Concert on 22 July 1978; the eighth track, Tunnel Of Love, comes from The Old Grey Whistle Test on 31 January 1981. Mark Knopfler more fully renounced his rock star status after Dire Straits folded. At the time, Gillett hosts a program called Honky Tonk on BBC Radio, London. He first starts playing the drums in the Boys Brigade, a Christian youth organisation in England. Although The Notting Hillbillies look like an ongoing project, they release only one album, MissingPresumed Having A Good Time (1990) (UK no. Perhaps the most interesting of the remaining songs on the debut album is In The Gallery. I wasconcerned about words. After that we sat in the pub one night and decided to start our own band.. In April 1977 Mark moves out of his Buckhurst Hill flat and moves into a flat where his brother, David, is living. Next, Terry Williams has a short stint in Neverland Express (1981-1982), the backing group for U.S. singer Meatloaf. 16); A Shot At Glory (2002) [soundtrack]; The Ragpickers Dream (2002) (UK no. While in London, John Illsley shares a flat with David Knopfler and that is how Illsley meets Davids elder brother, Mark. 1, US no. I feel really blessed. The debut album, Dire Straits (1978) (UK no. The opening track and longest song (8:09) Tunnel Of Love (UK no. John Illsley With John Illsley are: Steve Smith - keyboard/vocals The group performs two songs: Money For Nothing (with a guest appearance by Sting) and Sultans Of Swing. Yet many of the songs on Dire Straits reflect Knopflers experiences in Newcastle, Leeds and London. Perhaps it is this more personal than usual dimension, coupled with the grainy musical textures, that makes this the best album in the Dire Straits catalogue. Around this time, Dire Straits bassist John Illsley marries. Jeff Jones plays drums on their first two albums, Revelation (1969) and 2 Ozs Of Plastic With A Whole In The Middle (1969). Cal (1984), released on 24 August, is another Mark Knopfler composed movie soundtrack. Mark Knopfler wrote Sultans Of Swing after seeing a jazz band playing in the corner of a virtually deserted pub in Deptford, South London. 57), is a tone poem soldiers lament. WebA gentle man with his gracious wife They had their dreams of a perfect life Worked the land until the sun went down They were lovers then in that market town The battle ground had left its legacy No words he spoke of this victory He built a world that was safe and sound Life was good in that Market town 47); Shangri-La (2004) (UK no. And who knew that the 80s megastars owed their entire existence to a grotty south London council estate? It was like the Wild West. He is the son of Erwin Knopfler and Louisa Mary Knopfler. Other acts to whom Alan Clark lends his services include Splinter, Gallagher & Lyle and Lindisfarne. David Knopfler is already sharing his abode with John Illsley. When Mark Knopfler is 7 and younger brother David is 2 the family moves to England. 46) reaches the singles chart. Inspired by the Beatles, he saved his pocket money for months to buy a Rosetti Lucky Seven guitar. Knopfler preferred musical ensembles like Dire Straits or his soundtrack work to occupying the spotlight. When Dire Straits go on a concert tour in 1980 to promote Making Movies, the group expands to a five-piece outfit with two new official members: Alan Clark (keyboards) and Hal Lindes (guitar). Alan Clark is born on 3 March 1952 in Great Lumley, County Durham, England. Biography Dire Straits - John Illsley Firstly, Money For Nothing (UK no. 5), released on 10 May, is a live album by Dire Straits. Love Over Gold is produced by Dire Straits leader Mark Knopfler. Their U.K. success has been fairly consistent but, after their debut album, the groups fortunes in the U.S. had been less impressive until Brothers In Arms. John Illsley - VIII (Album Review) March 04, 2022 in Album Reviews, Classic Rock, Singer-Songwriter For many, John Illsley will always be the imposing figure standing next to Mark Knopfler as Dire Straits left the London pub circuit behind and achieved worldwide domination via their fifth album Brothers In Arms'. 65, AUS no. 10) which Sting wrote. 11, US no. Italy wasnt quite so friendly. His companions in this project are: Phil Palmer (guitar), Chris White (saxophone) and Steve Ferrone (drums). The Way It Always Goes shows up on a movie soundtrack Mark Knopfler goes on to create. Fletcher also has a solo career, releasing the following albums under his own name: Inamorata (2008), Stone (2009), Natural Selection (2010) and High Roads (2016). The album Dire Straits is a slow burn success. Mark Knopfler says, My idea of heaven is a place where the Tyne meets the Delta, where folk music meets the blues. While this approach may initially see Dire Straits being out of step with the times, this individuality serves them well in the long run. Illsley found his future bandmate lying comatose on the concrete floor of his flat with a Gibson electric guitar across his chest, surrounded by a detritus of dog ends and empty Newcastle Brown bottles. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Former Dire Straits bassist John Illsley meets Celtic rock band Cunla in 2005, an act whose chief songwriter is Greg Pearle and their violinist is Johnny Owens. This act consists of: Mick Dewhurst (vocals), Mark Knopfler (guitar), Dave Johnson (bass) and Paul Granger (drums). Together with the children from his first marriage, James (born in 1982) and Jessica (born in 1988), John Illsley is the father of four children. Jack Sonni goes on to work for Line 6, a digital technology organisation for musicians. The other musicians involved are: Terence Reis (lead vocals, guitar), Tim Walters (guitar, vocals), Simon Carter (keyboards), Danny Schogger (keyboards), Paul Geary (bass, vocals) and Chris Whitten (drums). Paul Franklin serves alongside Mark Knopfler in the 1990 Notting Hillbillies project before joining Dire Straits in 1991. Home of the Daily and Sunday Express. Mr Illsley has two children from his first marriage and two with wife Stephanie. Although future Dire Straits colleague Mark Knopfler also later works with Brewers Droop, Withers and Knopfler are not both in Brewers Droop at the same time. Although Guy Fletcher is added to Dire Straits in 1984 as a second keyboardist, his talents as a guitarist and backing vocalist are also put to use by the band. Famed guitarist Eric Clapton fills in for Jack Sonni on this occasion. 26) tries to recapture the vibe of Money For Nothing. Hes singing the song. The marriage of Dire Straits bassist John Illsley and his wife Pauline is described as being on [the] rocks in 1986 due to Johns relationship with Tracey Wallace, a former Penthouse magazine Pet of the Year. Whatever the stresses the couple may be experiencing, John and Pauline apparently reconcile sufficiently to have a second child together, their daughter Jessica (born in 1988). Given this family background, it is not surprising that Guy Fletcher also gravitates towards the music business. I needed a rest. As events unfold, Knopflers pronouncement of the bands dissolution proves to be a bit premature. 9, AUS no. I did a couple of gigs with Marks band because the bass players girlfriend was having a baby. Many years of medical treatments follow. 6), released in May 1978. She was working for Warner Bros. Records when Mark met her. John Illsley At one point, the songs narrator sneers, See the little faggot with the earring and the make-up? Dire Straits on concert in Paris, France 1983, Wise grandpa Paul McCartney tells stories on the buses of the 60's, Andrea Bocelli son Matteo Bocelli teases Solo acoustic version WATCH, Elvis: Girlfriend Linda Thompson 'Why I forgave every time he cheated'. 12);Altamira (2016) with Evelyn Glennie [soundtrack]; and Down The Road To Wherever (2018) (UK no. Sensitive to the comments, the offending lines are sometimes edited out of later editions of the song. WebJohn Illsley was born on 24 June, 1949 in Leicester, Leicestershire, England, UK, is an Actor, Music Department, Soundtrack. Love Sculpture (1966-1970) is a group fronted by noted Welsh guitarist Dave Edmunds. That was the heaviest. In Milan thousands of people broke into the stadium. Born in Bahrain in 1962, Kitty Aldridge was previously married to Neil Sundstrom. The third Dire Straits album, Making Movies (1980) (UK no. "A stunning This is initially sparked by their uncle Kingsley who plays both harmonica and boogie-woogie piano. John and a former girlfriend had opened a record store in Kentish Town three years before. Mark Knopfler surfaces in the company of The Notting Hillbillies in 1990. 26) features a smoky saxophone part by Michael Brecker. Two months later, Dire Straits are signed to a recording contract with the Vertigo label, a division of Phonogram Inc. 43); Knopfler produces Bap Kennedys The Sailors Revenge (2012); Privateering (2012) (UK no. Relationships John Illsley has been in a relationship with Tracey Wallace (model). Paul Cummins, our tour manager, got a gun pulled on him in Bologna. It has a steady rhythm framing the tale of a man who is High and dry in the long hot day / Lost and lonely every way. The guitar strains at the leash like it too wants the cool relief of Water Of Love. The albums cover painting by Chuck Loyola is an indistinct, blurry image of what appears to be a young woman on an upper storey of a bleak, spartan, high-rise building. 22 Sultans Of Swing (Mark Knopfler) (21 October 2008) via 5 (above) [Sultans Of Swing song], Communique Sleeve notes by Mark Cooper (Vertigo/Mercury Records Ltd, 1996 reissue) p. 2, amarkintime.org posting by jbaent (3 August 2015) [how Mark Knopfler met Holly Vincent and Lourdes Salomone], Written in my Soul by Bill Flanagan (1986) Mark Knopfler interview via 5 (above) [Money For Nothing song] and members.tripod.com (The Interview of Interviews), Love Over Gold Sleeve notes by John Tobler (Vertigo/Mercury Records Ltd, 1996 reissue) p. 2, Sunday Mail (U.K. newspaper) Loud Rock Music Wrecked my Hearing, says Dire Straits StarNow iPod Generation is at Risk John Illsley interview conducted by Bonnie Estridge (26 July 2009) (reproduced on dailymail.co.uk), Sydney Morning Herald (Sydney, Australia, newspaper) No Money for Nothing in Move from Bass to Brush John Illsley interview conducted by Samantha Selinger-Morris (27 July 2005) (reproduced on smh.com.au), oneverybootleg.nl as at 9 August 2017 [format of Mark Knopflers Comfort And Joy soundtrack], reneejohnsonwrites.com Jack Sonni Rocker, Writer, Gentleman Chef interview conducted by Renee Johnson (15 April 2015), The 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time Rolling Stone magazine (February 2004) p. 66, propertyobserver.com.au Dire Straits Guitarist John Illsley Lists Australian Bolthole as Point Piper Loses Some of its Pop by Jonathan Chancellor (31 January 2013), St Cloud Times (Saint Cloud, Minnesota, U.S.A., newspaper) no author credited (27 October 1986) [Mark Knopfler race car crash], upi.com Rock Singer Hurt in Race Crash no author credited (25 October 1986) [Mark Knopfler race car crash], Rolling Stone (U.S. rock magazine) Mark Knopfler interview conducted by Rob Tannenbaum (September 1988) via 5 (above) [Dire Straits], direstraitsexperience.com as at 30 September 2014, revolvy.com David Knopfler References Buffalo News (Buffalo, New York, U.S.A., newspaper) David Knopfler Performs Sunday at Sportsmens Tavern by Dan Herbeck (1 May 2013), The Daily Telegraph (U.K. newspaper) John Illsley: Four Kids, Two Dogs, a Pub and a Guitar interview conducted by Anna Tyzack (30 June 2015) (reproduced on telegraph.co.uk), The Liverpool Echo (U.K. newspaper) Preview: Jade Wright on an Evening with Pick Withers at the Green Room Liverpool (5 January 2011) (reproduced on liverpoolecho.co.uk), i-d.vice.com Staz Lindes, the Tumblr-Superstar who Stole our Hearts in Moschino Staz Lindes interview conducted by Stuart Brumfitt (8 April 2014), cataloguemagazine.com.au Staz Lindes Discusses Music, Modelling and Body Image no author credited (2014) [confirms mother is Mary Lindes], instantcheckmate.com as at 15 August 2017 [Misha Lindes is 26], dazeddigital.com Introducing Saint Laurents New Indie Kid Muses re: Staz Lindes and Misha Lindes by Ted Stansfield (2016), hero-magazine.com Meet SadGirl, the L.A. In 2013 he forms a band called SadGirl. Two more songs are lifted from On Every Street as singles but only for European markets. 127), a duet album with famed country music guitarist Chet Atkins. The promotion of Communique concludes with U.K. concerts, the last of which is on 21 December 1979 in London. The album is produced by two members of the band, leader Mark Knopfler and keyboardist Alan Clark. 62)) becomes Jack Sonnis mentor and encourages Jack to move to New York. Mark Knopflers vocals are more hushed and the guitar-picking is quietly reflective. Mark later says he is a Marxist agnostic. Mark Knopfler starts his education with two years at Bearsden Primary School in Scotland. By 12 or 13, I was listening to [folk rock icon] Bob Dylan, says Mark. It is not clear exactly when John Illsleys marriage to his first wife, Pauline, ended but it was probably sometime around 1988. The response was extraordinary. This album is co-produced by Jimmy Iovine and Dire Straits leader, Mark Knopfler. In 1968 Mark is hired as a junior reporter in the Leeds office of the Yorkshire Evening Post newspaper. In the smaller amount of Dire Straits live footage interspersed in the video, Knopfler wears a headband to hold back his thinning thatch of hair. Heavy Fuel is written in the voice of a roadie, the hard-labouring individuals who set up transport and stages for rock stars. Firstly, Hendrix and Clapton are products of the 1960s while Knopfler came to light in the more cynical 1970s when worshipping any guitarist was a less acceptable practice. In 1977 Pick Withers is briefly a member of folk rock act Magna Carta, a band fronted by Chris Simpson (vocals, guitar). After a while, though, the group just wasnt a good vehicle for the songs Id written, claims Mark Knopfler. Together with Marks twin sons Benji and Joseph (both born in 1987) from his second marriage to Lourdes Salomone, the guitarist has four children. When they sign to Phonogram at the end of 1977 Dire Straits also gain a manager, Ed Bicknell. 1, AUS no. When he is 15, Guy starts studying audio engineering at DJM Studios in London. John Ilsley, Sr Andy Canavan fills in on drums for a few gigs but, by the time Dire Straits embark on a world tour, Terry Williams is back on board. 58), the story of a roller girl skating around the big city, is a zippy number that gives the album its title: Shes making movies on vacation / She dont know what it means. Actually, a real title track Making Movies is recorded, but doesnt end up on the album. John is also best known as, Though he also recorded several solo albums , this British musician is most famous as the bassist of the Grammy-winning rock band Dire Straits. This rollicking tune is written from the viewpoint of a fan who believes Elvis is still alive. Jacks wife does not remain on the scene and so he raises the two girls as a single parent. Brothers in Arms, released in 1985, was the first album to sell a million copies in CD form and is the eighth bestselling album in UK history. Guitarist Mark Knopfler was in the words of younger sibling, David Knopfler what made Dire Straits exceptional rather than merely good. Knopflers playing is still well regarded, yet he is not usually mentioned in the same breath as such guitar heroes as Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton. As work begins on Dire Straits fifth studio album, guitarist Hal Lindes leaves the group. The contents of this EP are all uptempo songs, though they do sometimes sound rather old-fashioned. Erwin Knopfler is an architect and chess-player. (Note: Phil Palmer was never officially a member of Dire Straits but contributed guitar to the album On Every Street. On 14 February 1997 Mark Knopfler marries his third wife, U.K. actress Kitty Aldridge, in Barbados. Money For Nothing (1988) (UK no. As a 16 year old, Mark has a harmony duo with classmate Sue Hercombe and Mark and Sue appear together on a local television program. I dont regret playing there but I was happy on the plane flying out.. 75) is a humorous piece with a nod to Knopflers old band, Brewers Droop, as a doctor (played by Knopfler) remarks, Youve got smokers cough from smoking / Brewers droop from drinking beer. The opening track on the album, Telegraph Road (14:15), uses a sprawling musical epic to chronicle nothing less than the birth and growth of a city. Different jobs, building sites, factory, warehousing, farming, a lot of manual work.. I thought it was dull, but as soon as I bought my first Strat (i.e. In the second half, Knopfler is joined by Guy Fletcher (keyboards, guitar, backing vocals), Chris White (saxophone), John Illsley (bass) and Danny Cummings (drums) to play some Dire Straits songs. Mark Knopfler first meets Pick Withers when both of them work on an aborted solo recording by Rod Clements, the bassist of British folk rock band Lindisfarne. Other guests include Phil Palmer (guitar) [the nephew of Ray & Dave Davies of U.K. rock band The Kinks], Paul Franklin (pedal steel guitar) [from The Notting Hillbillies] and Danny Cummings (percussion).