OLD NEWS......

MK ON NEW GEORGE JONES CD: George Jones is releasing a duets album Burn Your Playhouse Down on August 19th, 2008. The album is a collection of never before heard duets recorded between Jones and many illustrious guests. Mark is featured on the the track I Always Get Lucky With You. (03/07/08)

SAVING THE WOLF: A charity compilation CD which includes the track Coyote from Mark's The Ragpicker's Dream album, has been released by the environmental organisation, the Green Warriors of Norway. Put together by Dag Warner, the release aims to draw attention to the plight of the Norwegian wolf, numbers of which have fallen so low that they are now on the endangered species list. The CD, Mother Earth Blues Vol 1, is available in Norway, Eire and the UK, and via the internet. Go to motherearthblues.com for more info, you can also listen at myspace.com/wolvesofnorway.

(25/07/07)

PICTURES FROM KTGC SHOWS: To take a look at MK fan Morten Byskov's galleries from Kelowna Thanks to all who sent in links to pics, we now have enough so no need to send any more.

Peter de Bock's pics from the Amsterdam

Dennis Brouwer's galleries: 1 2 3

Pics of the Warsaw gig by Chris

Daniel Wardaschko's pics from Stuttgart

Massimiliano Bucciol's pics from Bolzano

(updated: 14/07/08)

JOE BROWN CONCERT: Mark was among the guests appearing at Joe Brown's 50th Anniversary Celebration Concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London on the 24th of September. Mark and Joe played Darling Corey, Donegan's Gone and A Picture of You. Other guests included Jools Holland, Dave Edmunds and Dennis Locorriere. (updated: 25/09/08)

SPECIAL CHARITY AUCTION: This top quality musician's chair, signed by Mark and all the members of the KTGC touring band, was auctioned on Ebay and sold for £720. Proceeds go to the Bradley Downes Fund. Thanks to all who bid.

(updated: 22/09/08)

JOHN ILLSLEY CD: John has released a CD of a gig he did with Cunla and Greg Pearle in France last year. Recorded live in Provence, John Illsley with Cunla & Greg Pearle - Live in Les Baux de Provence on Creek Records (CREEKCD1 5037300745329). It is also available as a download. Seven of the sixteen tracks are DS songs. You can buy a copy from amazon.com or from John's website at www.johnillsley.com

(updated: 02/10/07)

KILL TO GET CRIMSON: Released worldwide on or around the 17th of September, 2007,Mark's latest solo album is called Kill To Get Crimson. The title is taken from a line in one of the songs. The CD cover image is taken from a painting by John Bratby (1928-1992) called Four Lambrettas and Three Portraits of Janet Churchman painted in 1958. More info on the releases page.

(updated: 21/09/07)

ALAN CLARK: Back in February 2008 Alan was Musical Director for a charity show held at the City Hall in Newcastle. He also played keyboards with the house band at the event which was a fund-raiser for the Sammy Johnson Memorial Fund. The show has now been released on DVD and 75% of the proceeds from sales will be donated to the fund. For further info and to order your copy of the DVD please go to the Billy Mitchell store

(19/05/08)

KTGC GIGS2 AT THE RAH: Each night of Mark’s 2008 KTGC shows at the Royal Albert Hall was dedicated to a different charity. To find out more about these worthy causes, and the inspirational organizations behind them, you can visit their websites:

Sunday 25th May: Kidney Research UK
Monday 26th May: Barnardo’s
Tuesday 27th May: Amref
Wednesday 28th May: Great Ormond St Children’s Hospital
Thursday 29th May: Trinity Hospice
Friday 30th May: Starlight

(22/05/08)

MKNEWS ON RADIO 4: MKNews was the featured website recently on BBC Radio 4. (24/06/08)

SEEING IN THE DARK: Mark and Guy have collaborated to produce the music for a major TV documentary called Seeing In The Dark to be aired by PBS in N America on Wednesday the 19th September (check local listing for times, etc). The hour-long film is the work of award-winning journalist and film-maker Timothy Ferris. Based upon Ferris' best-selling book, it charts the rise and success of amateur astronomers. (06/09/07)

BROTHERS IN ARMS, SINGLE: Brothers in Arms has been re-recorded for the BBC in a one-take live session at London's Abbey Road studios. Monies raised from the release of the track are to go to the South Atlantic Medal Association (SAMA) to assist with their programme of treatments for Falklands War veterans who continue to suffer the effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

More Falklands veterans have died from suicide than were killed in the conflict itself and others have had their lives shattered by PTSD. A very successful part of the treatment offered by SAMA is a return to the Falklands helping victims of PTSD to come to terms with their involvment in the war. SAMA tells us that as far as they are aware, none of the veterans who have made the return to the remote islands in the South Atlantic have subsequently taken their own lives.

Mark says "I'm touched that my song 'Brothers in Arms', which I wrote at the time of the Falklands war, has been chosen to support the many veterans who are still suffering from the effects of that conflict."

This new version of Brothers in Arms was released as a digital download via iTunes and similar at 10 a.m. (BST) Tuesday 29th of May, timed to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the British victory at Goose Green,

Download available (UK and Ireland only) from:

Musicbrigade (audio)/Orange/HMV/Tesco/O2/OD2/Orange (Musiwave Online)/Apple Europe/Wippit/DX3 Download Store/3UK (groovemobile)/247/O2 Mobix/7Digital/Virgin Direct/Vodafone Music Service (Sony)/3UK (247)/T-Mobile UK/Napster/Sony/Vodafone (Musiwave)/Samsung/3UK (PC)

There was also a CD format of the track available only from www.falklands25.com and www.sama82.org.uk.

Musicians:

Mark Knopfler (guitar & vocals)
Luke Brighty (guitar)
Marcus Cliffe (bass)
Danny Cummings (drums)
Guy Fletcher (keyboards)
Bobby Valentino (Violin & other strings)

(updated: 21/08/07)

MARTIN MK ACOUSTIC: Mark asked C.F. Martin to undertake a second collaboration; a guitar with many of the same appointments as his original Signature Edition, but one designed for his incredible fingerstyle playing. The fruit of this new collaboration is the 000-40S Mark Knopfler “Ragpicker’s Dream” Signature Edition, a fingerstyle dream that even strummers will love.

For this new Signature Edition, Mark selected Martin’s traditional 000 12-fret body style with the long 25.4-inch scale, considered by many to be among the most beautiful and best sounding designs Martin ever made. Many of the elements that make the Martin 000 12-fret guitars from the late 1920s so prized are here. In ornamentation and premium solid tonewoods, the new Mark Knopfler Signature Edition 000 bears a striking resemblance to his Signature Edition dreadnought.

The body combines a top of rare Italian alpine spruce (the same wood used by Antonio Stradivari) with back and sides of beautiful East Indian rosewood. The neck is carved from genuine mahogany, while the fingerboard and bridge are crafted from African black ebony. Both body and neck are protected by Martin’s beautiful polished gloss lacquer finish. Mark’s signature is inlaid in mother of pearl between the 18th and 20th frets. For more info click here and for full specs click here. (24/07/06)

POLLS: Talking of Brothers in Arms, there are so many polls being done by radio and TV these days its getting hard to keep track of them ! One of the latest comes from the BBC, a best album of all time poll, in which Dire Straits' Brothers in Arms took second place behind Bruce Springsteen's Born in the USA. (15/05/07)

GUITAR LESSON WITH MK: Breast Cancer Haven held its big fundraising ‘Blush Ball’ at the fabulous Natural History Museum in London on Thursday 3rd May, 2007. During the evening an auction was held and one of the items up for grabs was a half-hour guitar lesson with Mark at his British Grove Studio. In addition, the winning bidder received a copy of Mark and Emmylou’s All The Roadrunning CD signed by Mark. Over £200,000 was raised for the charity and we are delighted to announce that the winning bid for the guitar lesson with Mark was a fantastic £35,000 made by a genuine fan from the UK who read about the auction here on MKNews. (Updated: 09/05/07)

PLAY IT AGAIN: The BBC broadcast the last programme of their Play It Again series on Monday 7th of May. This final episode followed naturalist, and former Goodie, Bill Oddie's attempts to learn guitar so he could play with his daughter's band at her birthday bash. Bill struggled with the practising so called upon a few choice players such as Albert Lee and Dave Davis to lend a hand. He also popped over to British Grove Studio to get some tips from Mark. To see the clip from the programme where Mark helps out and shares a few few licks with Bill click here. (09/05/07)

DARFUR: Groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have launched a campaign to urge world leaders to take action over the bloodshed in Darfur. Along with other musicians, including Sir Mick Jagger and Sir Elton John, Mark turned over and then dropped an hour-glass filled with fake blood, symbolic of time running out for the people of Darfur, in an effort to demonstrate that action needs to be taken now. Thousands more hour-glasses were turned on Sunday 29th April, the fourth anniversary of the start of the conflict, designated Global Day for Darfur and aimed at increasing awareness of this on-going tragedy. For further details click here (30/04/07)

ATRR LIVE DVD: The Mark Knopfler-Emmylou Harris show at the Gibson Ampitheater at Universal City was filmed for a live ATRR DVD release entitled Real Live Roadrunning. The DVD will be released worldwide by Universal on 13th November (except in the USA where Warner Bros will release on the 14th November. Full details on releases page. (updated: 11/11/06)

HONORARY DEGREE: Following on from the Honorary Doctorate conferred in 1993 by the University of Newcastle and in 1995 by the University of Leeds, Mark has received a third Honorary Doctorate of Music. The degree was bestowed by the University of Sunderland on the 11th of July in recognition of Mark's “outstanding achievements in the field of music." For further info click here (updated: 13/07/07)

SEVEN AGES OF ROCK: Mark was recently interviewed for the current BBC TV series The Seven Ages of Rock shown on Saturday 16th June on BBC1, repeated on BBC2, Sunday 17th June at 11 pm. To watch Mark's contribution click here. (updated: 18/06/07)

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HAY FESTIVAL: Mark appeared at the Hay-on-Wye Literary Festival in Wales, UK, on Sunday 3rd of June. On stage for around an hour, Mark was interviewed by Matthew Evans. Accompanied by Guy Fletcher, Mark spoke of his career in music and played excerpts from Donegan's Gone, Rudiger, Romeo & Juliet and Sailing To Philadelphia. Song for Sonny Liston, Going Home and Secondary Waltz, were played in their entirity. (updated: 09/06/07)

GIBSON GUITARTOWN, LONDON: Mark and a host of other well-known British musicians, such as Rod Stewart, Ronnie Wood, Paul Weller and Brian May, joined forces with a number of British artists including Sir Peter Blake, Gerald Scarfe and Andrew Logan, to support Gibson Guitartown London, a major initiative launched in the UK by US guitar makers Gibson. The artists painted thirty 10ft high fibreglass models of the Gibson Les Paul which were displayed close to London’s Tower Bridge for ten weeks from late June. At the same time, thirty standard sized, hand-painted Gibson SG models were exhibited at The O2 in near-by Greenwich. One of the main aims of Gibson Guitartown London was raise funds for three well-known UK charities, The Prince’s Trust, Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy and Teenage Cancer Trust so each of the model guitars was signed by an associated musician and auctioned. For more information on Gibson Guitartown London, click here and to check out the 10ft Les Paul guitars click here.

As some of you may know, Mark is a patron of the charity Music in Prisons. One of the 10ft Les Pauls was made by inmates at Pentonville Prison in the UK under the collective name of 'the Ville Boys'. Art forms an important part of the prison’s rehabilitation programme and working in the prison’s Healthcare Department under the of art direction of Mike Cahillane, a member of the prison's Education Team, the Ville Boys intricately illustrated their 10ft guitar with a montage of images representing the influence the guitar and artists have had on music over the years.

	click pic for larger image

Mark paid a visit to the prison to meet the Ville Boys and signed the guitar at a specially arranged art exhibition.

“The guitar looks amazing", says Mark, "and the inmates at Pentonville have done an incredible job to capture the spirit of the featured guitar legends, I hope the guitar sells well when it goes under the hammer’’.

Nick Leader, Governor of HMP Pentonville, delighted with the staff and prisoners who worked on the project said "...has been collaboration between the main prison, Education and Healthcare departments. We are using this work to encourage change through personal development by empowering the prisoners with necessary skills. This work helps boost self esteem and confidence whilst nurturing creative abilities.’’

(Updated: 15/06/07)

MK ON TONY JOE WHITE ALBUM: Mark is featured on the track Not One Bad Thought on Tony Joe White's new album, Uncovered, due to be released on September 5th. Tony Joe says they first worked on the song when he "built a big fire outside. [Mark and I] had steaks and cold beer, and we took the guitars out by the fire.”

MKNews teamed up with tonyjoewhite.com to run a great competition. The winner was Orazio Zappala from Germany. (updated: 04/10/06)

OTHER COLLABORATIONS: Mark and Jools Holland recently recorded a version of the Hank Williams track, You Win Again to be featured on the upcoming Jools Holland collaboration album Moving Out to the Country. The album will be released through Warners on November 20th. Other artists featured on the album include: Brian Eno, Richard Hawley, Bob Geldof, Lulu, Tom Jones, Marc Almond, India Arie, Paul Carrack, David McAlmont, Ruby Turner, Sam Brown, Dr John, Solomon Burke and Allen Toussaint

Mark also features on Paul Burch’s new album EAST TO WEST! For more info go to www.paulburch.com

Jimmy Buffett’s new album, Take The Weather With You, features a cover version of the Mark Knopfler track Whoop De Doo from the Shangri-La album. Mark plays guitar on the track. The album has debuted at No1 on the Billboard Country Chart and at No4 on the Billboard Top 200 listing. You can find more info at www.buffettworld.com

(updated: 27/10/06)

MARK LIVE IN MAINE: Mark performed a benefit concert at the Opera House at Boothbay Harbor on Wednesday, September 20th, accompanied by Guy Fletcher, Richard Bennett and Glenn Worf.

Set List:

Done With Boneparte
Sailing to Philadelphia
Donegan's Gone
Rudiger
The Trawlerman's Song
Romeo & Juliet (W/Richard doing end solo)
Song For Sonny Liston (MK & Glen)
Marbletown
Devil Baby
Baloney Again
Postcards From Paraguay
Whoop De Doo
All That Matters (MK, Richard & Guy)
A Place Where We Used To Live

Encores: Going Home - Wild Theme and If This Is Goodbye

All proceeds from this sell-out concert are to be be used to benefit The Opera House Challenge, a fundraising effort with a goal of $500,000 and an approaching deadline of September 30th. (updated: 21/09/06)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MKNEWS: MKNews is ten years old this month. It was set up after the demise of the Dire Straits Information Service in an effort to ensure fans worldwide continued to receive up-to-date, accurate information. The very first edition of MKNews, a hard copy newsletter, was issued in September 1996. The hard copy format continued until 1998 when MKNews went cyber. Since then, the MKNews website has had well over three million home page hits. Many thanks to all of you for your continuing support. (02/09/06)

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RON WATTS COMP WINNER: For six months from late 1973 Mark played lead guitar in a band called Brewer's Droop. The man behind the band was Ron Watts who was already heading the National Blues Federation in the UK and went on to promote great acts from Mississippi Fred McDowell, Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf, to the Sex Pistols at the fabled 100 Club in London's Oxford Street. Ron's autobiography, aptly titled Hundred Watts, A life In Music, has recently been published. It contains an introduction by former Sex Pistol Glen Matlock and, among other things, has an interesting section on how Ron came into contact with Mark and how Mark came to join the line-up of Brewer's Droop ...... but we won't spoil the story. The book will make a great Xmas pressie so go buy a copy and read it for yourself!

Congratulations go to the lucky winner of the MKNews competition to win a copy of Ron's book who is Carles Davì from Barcelona. Carles correctly identified the name of the studios where Mark recorded with Brewer's Droop as Rockfield Studios in Wales. (updated: 18/12/06)

DUTCH TOP 2000: Radio2 in the Netherlands is currently playing its all-time Top 2000. The list includes fifteen songs by Dire Straits and a further two from Mark's solo releases. Dire Straits have three songs in the top 50, the highest is Brothers in Arms at No 20, with Sultans of Swing close behind at No 27. For further info go to www.radio2.nl (27/12/06)

ECHO AWARDS, GERMANY: Mark has been nominated for the German music press's Echo 2007 award. The awards show will be broadcast on TV RTL at 20:15 on Sunday 25th of March 2007. (27/01/07)

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