Your earliest Knopfler Memory...

[Robson]

Love Over Gold album cover in a small music store - I don't remember the year. Maybe 1988/89
Money For Nothing and Walk Of life music videos - I don't remember the year but I remember that I wanted to know everything about this band
My first Brothers In Arms CD (Thank you Mom)
1990 music magazine about The Notting Hillbillies article and waiting for the album on every street.

[Pierre]

It must have been in 1993 or 94, I was 12 or 13.

You Latest trick live kept playing on NRJ, a French Radio that I listened to as a teen , I really like that song, there was something so melodic and straightforward and the fact it was a live version made it somehow supernatural for young me.

At that time they also broadcast Walk of Life and Money for Nothing which I knew to be from the same band but those I just kind of liked.

Then I heard Sultans, I knew it was awesome straight away but when my father pointed me to the first solo telling me how good it was I realised why I loved the song: because of the guitar-playing, a thing I had never really paid attention before.
I kept calling my dad whenever the song was aired and we listened to it religiously hanging at every note on my small radio. 

When I realised that Sultans and You latest trick were by the same band (I discovered only months later it was in fact by the same man) I was hooked for life. My father got me the Money for Nothing compilation and I started playing the guitar after that.
I went to Beziers les Arènes in 1996 for my first MK concert, and probably the one I will dream about for the rest of my life. I'll always remember how Lightnings started flashing soundlessly as a sublime backdrop during the last few songs.

After 6 months on the guitar I couldn't strum a chord properly or go from a Em to a G not to mention holding a F but I could play Sultans solos note for note finger-style. I though I could play the guitar then. 25 years later I know I am still far from it. 

 

[quizzaciously]

My story is extremely simple and straightforward. Long story short, I first saw and heard Mark on the show in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on the 28th of April in 2005.

I was 15, my dad bought a ticket and said: "There's a great guitar player in town, you must check him out". I don't know where he knew about it because I can't say he's an avid rock fan or avid music fan in general. But we came there, with him and my brother, and it was love at first sight or at the first note for that matter. I've been on several shows at this point, but I was blown away by the music and actually recognised a lot of tunes. And the rest is history, for the last 15 years, I'm a die-hard MK fan. I don't have any signatures obviously since we've never met, been only on 3 shows in 15 years. I don't even own many of his albums. I do own the Tracker box set (gift), signed Sailing To Philadelphia (gift) and The Ragpicker's Dream LP and that's it lol. I'm the guy of new formation, so streaming is my weapon of choice for listening to music.

[2manyguitars]

Just a quick addendum to this thread.

Thanks for all your lovely stories. They brought back  memories for me and a smile to my face.

The next time we disagree about Kempers, equipment, strings, or anything else MK related we should come back here and take a look. Because this is what unites us.

Respect to you all 

[kurtbeck]

March 17th, 1979, German Radio, Sultans Of Swing, I was 15 ys old,
Great Forum, thank you very much
Stefan

[Knopflerfan]

For me it was 1985 aged 10 and watching my guitar hero Hank Marvin play a rather lovely tune with a chap with a headband on!!

yes indeed as it transpired it was Hank & MK playing 'Local Hero' Live at Wembley during the BIA tour....

I from that moment on have never looked back and the rest they say is history culminating in meeting 'the master' himself in 2013

[Mossguitar]

1985, Live Aid, I was 14 and watched the whole show on TV with my family while on summer vacation in my grand parents house.