(Credits: Far Out / Aherrero)
Mon 27 October 2025 11:27, UK
For an artist who has sold over 120 million records, Mark Knopfler carries himself without an ego that’s the size of his vast achievements.
Knopfler is a musical purist who believes that songs, rather than showmanship or gimmicks, are what it takes to be recognised as a great. Over his career, Knopfler has taken the opportunity to study from the best and never allowed himself to let the fire in his belly that started his voyage fizzle out.
With Dire Straits, Knopfler lived out his wildest fantasies and achieved success beyond his most extravagant dreams. In a short time, the group went from being a time-killing hobby between friends to being internationally renowned, which provided Knopfler with the keys to collaborate with a selection of his heroes.
As much as he’s known for his licks, words were Knopfler’s first passion rather than the guitar. Before Dire Straits took flight to the big leagues, Knopfler trained as a journalist. It had been a long-held passion since he started assisting at his local paper as a teenager, and his love of telling stories manifested in his songwriting.
When Dire Straits began, Knopfler was working as a lecturer. However, after the release of their hit single ‘Sultans of Swing’, it became clear that Knopfler had no choice but to focus on band commitments. Not only did sold-out shows follow, which took him globetrotting, but his musical hero, Bob Dylan, was also a fan.
In the eyes of Knopfler, Dylan is the gold standard that all songwriters should aspire to replicate. While many in his position would have seen themselves as too successful to have been anybody’s second-in-command, Knopfler wasn’t going to let anything stop him from working with an all-time great.
Bob Dylan heavily influenced Mark Knopfler. (Credits: Album Cover)
Dylan had his finger on the pulse with Dire Straits, attending their show in Los Angeles. The singer-songwriter left the venue particularly impressed with what he saw from Knopfler, and asked him to contribute to Slow Train Coming, marking the start of a fruitful relationship.
Although Knopfler, if he had his business head on, likely should have focused on Dire Straits, he’d have been living with the regret of rejecting Dylan to this day. While the work they conjured up polarised Dylan’s fanbase, Knopfler remains exceptionally proud to have worked with the artist responsible for his career.
During an episode of his The British Grove Broadcast, Knopfler played ‘Blind Willie McTell’ and told listeners: “The most important songwriter for me growing up was Bob Dylan. From the age of 12, really, it hasn’t changed that much.”
Additionally, when Knopfler reflected on his illustrious career with the Big Issue in 2018, he singled out his work with Dylan as a highlight. “I really have managed to make a few dreams come true. And I mean childhood dreams, childish dreams. Like playing with people like Bob Dylan or Randy Newman. When you do that you connect with your childhood,” he remarked.
Knopfler continued: “Then one day later I found myself in a band with the Everly Brothers. And they were playing a song I’d written. When I was a kid I idolised the Everly Brothers. I thought, wow, my goodness me, who would have thought? Or to be at Bob Dylan’s house in Santa Monica, in his office, running down songs for an album, then going to record with him. I was still officially living in my council flat in Deptford when I did that. It’s been phenomenal.”
Despite everything he’s achieved in his career, Knopfler has never let go of his childlike enthusiasm, which too many others have allowed to be diluted once they get a taste of fame.
Admittedly, it does look mightily impressive when guests come over to have a cabinet filled with platinum discs and Grammys in the house. However, becoming Dylan’s right-hand man is an accomplishment that means more to him than any award or number one hit.
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