Musician. Born in Glasgow and brought up in Newcastle (England), Knopfler was a founding member of the rock band Dire Straits with his better-known elder brother Mark (b.1949). Leaving the group in 1980 after its second successful album, Knopfler forged his own career as an independent singer-songwriter. His albums have included Release (1983), Behind The Lines (1985), Cut The Wire (1987), Lips Against The Steel (1988), The Giver (1993) and Ship of Dreams (2005).