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Dire Straits was a British rock band, formed in 1977 by David Knopfler (guitar), his brother Mark Knopfler (guitar and vocals), John Illsley (bass) and Pick Withers (drums), and managed by Ed Bicknell. Although the band was formed in an era when punk rock reigned, Dire Straits worked within the conventions of classic rock, albeit with a stripped-down sound that appealed to modern audiences weary of the overproduced stadium rock of the 1970s (see 1970s in music).