When Mark left Brewers Droop, he took a day job teaching music at Loughton Collegein Essex but continued gigging with local pub bands including the Café Racers. (Video Courtesy: Mark Knopfler'sWorld Youtube Channel) During this time the acoustic guitars available to him were of inferior quality and in order to play them, he perfected his unique finger-picking style. He moved to London in 1973 and joined the band, Brewers Droop, appearing on the album The Booze Brothers. Still keen on music and writing songs he recorded a demo disk of "Summer's Coming My Way" in 1970 with Silverheels. Later he decided to further his studies, and completed a degree in English at the University of Leeds. Mark left school to study journalism and got his first job as a junior reporter at the Yorkshire Evening Post. (Video Courtesy: BruceEllis1964 Youtube Channel) (Video Courtesy: B B King Youtube Channel) The aspiring fingerstyle guitarist listened to Scotty Moore, B.B King, Django Reinhardt, and James Burton among others. Mark (aged)16, made his television debut as part of a harmony duo, with his classmate Sue Hercombe. By the time he got his first guitar a twin-pick-up Höfner Super Solid, he could play and soon joined schoolboy bands.
Mark was initially influenced musically by his uncle who played both harmonica and boogie-woogie piano. The family re-settled in Blyth, Northumberland, in North East England in 1954 and eventually both brothers went to Gosforth Grammar School. His father was an architect and a chess player and his mother was a teacher. Mark Freuder Knopfler was born in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1949.
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