My musical hero

Here you are an example:

Mark Knopfler and Dire Straits

Dire Straits were a British rock band, formed by Mark Knopfler (vocals and lead guitar), his younger brother David Knopfler (rhythm guitar and vocals), John Illsley (bass guitar and vocals), and Pick Withers (drums and percussion), and managed by Ed Bicknell, active between 1977 and 1995. Although the band was formed in an era when punk rock was at the forefront, Dire Straits played a more conventional style, although with a stripped-down sound that appealed to audiences *weary of the overproduced stadium rock of the 1970s. In their early days, Mark and David requested that pub owners turn down their sound so that patrons could converse while the band played, an indication of their *unassuming *demeanor. Dire Straits soon *became hugely successful, with their first album going multi-platinum globally.

Throughout the band's career Mark Knopfler was the songwriter and driving force behind the group. The band's best-known songs include "Sultans of Swing", "Romeo and Juliet", "Tunnel of Love", "Telegraph Road", "Private Investigations", "Money for Nothing", "Walk of Life", "So Far Away", "Brothers in Arms", "On Every Street" and "Calling Elvis". Dire Straits and Mark Knopfler have sold *in excess of 120 million albums to date.

Mark Knopfler is coming to Spain next July 2010.

DIFFICULT VOCABULARY
weary - cansado, harto
unassuming - sencillo, sin pretensiones
demeanor - comportamiento, conducta
become hugely successful - tener un éxito arrollador
in excess of -superior a

'Walk of life' is one of their most famous songs. To watch the original video click here. If you want to read the lyrics while you listen to the song, click here.

Bruce Springsteen turns sixty

Rock legend Bruce Springsteen - also known as The Boss to his legion of loyal fans - has turned 60. He celebrated his birthday yesterday, 23rd September.

The prolific singer-songwriter has been a permanent figure on the music *landscape since the early Seventies. His first album, Born to Run, *released in August 1975, is considered by fans to be one of his greatest *achievements. But the singer is probably more widely recognised for his commercially and critically acclaimed 1984 hit album Born in the USA.

Here you are some curious facts about his life:

• Full name: Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen.


• Springsteen has so far won a total of 18 Grammy Awards.


• He dreamed of becoming a baseball star as a child.


• He nearly gave up on his other dream of becoming a guitar player - believing his hands were too small to play the instrument.


• He received his first guitar at the age of five as a gift from his mother.


• He sold more than 65 million albums in America alone, and 120 million worldwide.

landscape - paisaje

release - sacar a la venta

achievement - logro

Here you are a beautiful balad from his last album. Happy birthday, BOSS!!!

Lyrics | Bruce Springsteen lyrics - Working On A Dream lyrics

Music

I'm sure you love music and you like learning about some of your favourite artists. Here you are a great link:

Music Artists

And if you want to practise your vocabulary about this topic:

• Instruments crossword
• Instruments wordsearch