One of the most celebrated British guitar heroes to emerge in the late 1970s and '80s, Mark Knopfler first rose to fame as the leader of Dire Straits, where his songwriting and incisive guitar work played a decisive role in making them an international success story. Landing major chart hits on both sides of the Atlantic with songs like 1978's "Sultans of Swing" and 1985's "Money for Nothing" (the latter anchoring their landmark 1985 album Brothers in Arms), Knopfler's dry wit and smooth, earthy guitar style helped Dire Straits cut a unique throughline that somehow traversed both the more traditional pub rock style of the '70s and the excess of the MTV era. Meanwhile, he began to accumulate an impressive résumé as a producer, sideman, songwriter, and film composer in the '80s, eventually moving on to a successful career as a solo artist in which he continued to explore his interest in country, Americana, and roots music. With albums like 2004's Shangri-La, the 2006 Emmylou Harris duets album All the Roadrunning, and 2012's Privateering, Knopfler established himself as an organically rooted solo act and collaborator with a widespread global audience.