The single " Sultans of Swing" first broke into the United States top five early in the spring of 1979-being a hit a full five months after the album was released there-and then rose to number eight on the British charts. The album was produced by Muff Winwood, and engineered by Rhett Davies. David played a black Fender Stratocaster and a Harmony Sovereign acoustic guitar. He played his 1938 National Style O 14 fret guitar (serial number B1844) on "Water of Love" and "Wild West End." He also used a black Telecaster Thinline (serial number 226254) on " Setting Me Up".
Knopfler used a few guitars for the recording, including a pair of red Fender Stratocasters-one from 1961 (serial number 68354) and one from 1962 (serial number 80470). Recordingĭire Straits was recorded at Basing Street Studios in London from 13 February to 5 March 1978. Two months later, Dire Straits signed a recording contract with Phonogram Records. Gillett liked what he heard and started playing "Sultans of Swing" on his show. The band respected Gillett and sought out his advice. After a few months of rehearsals, the band borrowed enough money to record a five-song demo tape, which included the song "Sultans of Swing." They took the tape to disc jockey Charlie Gillett, who had a radio show called "Honky Tonk" on BBC Radio London. A friend of Mark's helped give the group their name, a reference to their financial situation. They recruited drummer Pick Withers and began rehearsing. In 1977, Mark, John, and David decided to form a band. Following his divorce and struggling financially, Knopfler moved into his brother David's flat, where John Illsley also lived. Wanting to pursue a career in music, he took a teaching position at Loughton College while playing music at night, performing with pub bands around town, including Brewer's Droop and Cafe Racers. After graduating from college with a degree in English, Mark Knopfler took a job writing for the Yorkshire Evening Post. Dire Straits was certified double-platinum in both the United States and the United Kingdom.ĭire Straits came about through a musical collaboration between Mark and David Knopfler. The album reached the number one position on album charts in Germany, Australia and France, the number two position in the United States, and the number five position in the United Kingdom. The album produced the hit single " Sultans of Swing", which reached the number 4 position on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and number 8 on the UK Singles Chart. " Down to the Waterline / Water of Love"ĭire Straits is the debut studio album by British rock band Dire Straits, released on 7 October 1978 by Vertigo Records internationally, and by Warner Bros.