What is Dire Straits?
{{Infobox musical artist | Name = Dire Straits | Img = Dire straits 22101985 23 800.jpg | Img_capt = Dire Straits live in [[Norway]] in 1985 | Img_size = 250 | Landscape = Yes | Background = group_or_band | Origin = [[London]], [[England]] | Genre = [[Rock music|Rock]] | Years_active = 1977 – 1995 | Label = [[Phonogram Records|Phonogram]]<br/>[[Warner Bros.]]<br/>[[Vertigo Records|Vertigo]] | Associated_acts = [[The Notting Hillbillies]] | Past_members = [[Mark Knopfler]]<br/>[[David Knopfler]]<br/>[[Hal Lindes]]<br/>[[Jack Sonni]]<br/>[[John Illsley]]<br/>[[Terry Williams]]<br/>[[Pick Withers]]<br/>[[Alan Clark]]<br/>[[Guy Fletcher]] }} '''Dire Straits''' were an [[England|English]] [[Rock music|rock]] band from [[London]], [[England]]. They formed in 1977 and have sold more than 120 million albums worldwide and also won three [[Grammy Award]]s. Dire Straits disbanded in 1995. ==Albums== ===Studio albums=== * ''Dire Straits'' (1978) * ''Communiqué'' (1979) * ''Making Movies'' (1980) * ''Love over Gold'' (1982) * ''[[Brothers in Arms (album)|Brothers in Arms]]'' (1985) * ''On Every Street'' (1991) ===Other albums=== *''ExtendedancEPlay'' *''Encores'' *''Alchemy'' *''On the Night'' *''Live at the BBC'' *''Money for Nothing'' *''Sultans of Swing: The Very Best of Dire Straits'' *''The Best of Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler: Private Investigations'' ==Members== <timeline> TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy ImageSize = width:750 height:250 PlotArea = width:700 height:200 bottom:22 left:22 Colors = id:canvas value:rgb(0.97,0.97,0.97) id:grid1 value:rgb(0.86,0.86,0.86) id:grid2 value:gray(0.8) id:bars value:rgb(0.96,0.96,0.6) id:bg value:white id:2color value:rgb(1,1,0.6) BackgroundColors = canvas:bg Period = from:1977 till:1995 ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:1 start:1977 gridcolor:grid1 BarData= barset:Bandmembers PlotData= # set defaults width:20 fontsize:m textcolor:black align