National Network for Equitable Library Service

Dire Straits filled giant stadiums around the world and sold hundreds of millions of records. Their classic songs-'Sultans of Swing', 'Romeo & Juliet', 'Money for Nothing', 'Brothers in Arms'-formed the soundtrack of a generation and live on today: still racking up sales, still being played on the radio on every continent. Starting with his own unlikely beginnings in Middle England, John Illsley recounts the band's rise from humble origins in London's spit-and-sawdust pubs to the best-known venues in the world, the working men's clubs to Madison Square Garden, sharing gigs with wild punk bands to the Live Aid stage at Wembley until, ultimately, the shattering demands of touring on a global scale and living life in the spotlight took their inevitable toll. John's story is also a tribute to his great friend Mark Knopfler, the band's lead singer, songwriter and gifted guitarist. They were the only band members to stay the fifteen-year distance. Told with searching honesty, soulful reflection and wry humour, this is the first and only account of that incredible story.