Suggestions on music my father might like based on these favorites?

[eriknm]

Hello everyone,

Mark Knopfler has been my father's idol ever since his early childhood. Knopfler and the Dire Straits motivated him to learn how to play the guitar, and he's been playing as lead guitarist in various bands, as a hobby, for the past 50 years or so. He absolutely loves that kind of guitar music.

As it's getting increasingly hard to come up with gift ideas for my father, I'd love to surprise him with some "Knopflerian" kind of music that he might not have discovered yet. In example, perhaps there's any modern artists who have been relatively successful at creating and playing music with the same kind of sound/style as Knopfler? Sorry if it's heresy to even ask that, but you get the idea. I'd greatly appreciate any tips, so that I can check them out on Spotify and hopefully give my father a pleasant surprise.

Here's some other bands/artists my father loves: The Travellin' Strawberries, The Notting Hillbillies, The Hollies, Eric Clapton, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Bruce Springsteen, and Chris Rea.

Thanks for your time! 

[Lis]

Hi eriknm, and welcome to AMIT 

I purchased the new Bap Kennedy CD (The Sailor's Revenge), and really enjoy it.  The Sailor's Revenge is produced by MK, and MK also plays on the CD (as well as Guy Fletcher, Glenn Worf, Michael McGoldrick and John McCusker). 

Here is a write up from http://www.bapkennedy.com/
Bap Kennedy's new album "The Sailor's Revenge" has now been officially released in America. It is the outcome of a creative collaboration between Bap & Mark Knopfler. All songs on the album have been written by Bap. The album was recorded at Mark's studio with Mark playing guitar on 6 out of 11 tracks & also singing some backing vocals.
It is rare for Mark to produce for another artist but he has been closely involved in The Sailor's Revenge form start to finish. The Sailor's Revenge features various members of Mark's band as well as top drawer musicians such as Jerry Douglas & Ian Thomas.

This is also available on Amazon.

Good luck!!

[eriknm]

Thanks Lis, that actually sounds quite perfect! Exactly what I was looking for. Hopefully he isn't aware of it himself yet, so it'll be a nice surprise. Just in case he already has it, I also ordered John Mayer's "Born and Raised" and Hank Marvin's "Guitar Man", based on some threads I perused at this forum and a bit of research on Spotify.

Thanks again for the excellent suggestion!

[Lis]

You're welcome... hope he likes it!! 

[JF]

I guess he already knows, but I try though :

- JJcale
- Richard Thompson
- if he likes the Rolling stones, especilaly the Taylor era (69-74) I recommend his solos album, a masterpiece IMHO : Mick Taylor 1979
- John Mayer is indeed abit like between EC and Mark
- Ry Cooder (mainly 70's stuff)
- if he likes Springsteen I would recommend Pete Seger, J Geils band, maybe Lynyrd Skynyrd
- if he likes beatles and stones, I would add The Who and the Kinks to complete the "cream" of 60s british rock
- I guess you meant the ravellin' wilburys. So I thinks he would love Harrison solo albums, as awell as Jeef Lynne, Tom Petty and heartbreakers....
- ih he likes the hollies, I would try CSN, Neil young, buffalo springfield, the Byrds

there are of course many live abums with all these well known musicians together, legendary concerts :
- the last waltz
- the concert for bangladesh
- woodstock


- many Mark's collaborations on other artists albums are worth listen, and have that Knopfler guitar sound : Bob dylan, John Illsley, Willy Deville, Steely Dan, Van Morrison, JohnFogerty, Tony Joe Wite,....

hope it helps 

[eriknm]

Thanks JF, those are very helpful suggestions as well! I've bookmarked this page for future Christmases and birthdays.

And yes, I most definitely meant the Traveling Wilburys, not the Travelin' Strawberries, which as it turns out exist but are something entirely different. 

[Justme]

Thanks JF, those are very helpful suggestions as well! I've bookmarked this page for future Christmases and birthdays.

And yes, I most definitely meant the Traveling Wilburys, not the Travelin' Strawberries, which as it turns out exist but are something entirely different. 

These guys are quite, errr, strange? At first I thought you must be joking. 

Then I'd like to throw in some names too:

JL Hooker
B.B. King
Howlin' Wolf
Wes Montgomery
Chet Atkins
Gary Moore

These are not quite "knopflerian" although there are some fingerpickers as well as musicians MK mentioned as an inspiration (e.g. Howlin' Wolf).

Some members at AMIT may remember a thread where a band from the Netherlands had been introduced. They started in 1979, or 1980 and their sound was very similar to the early Dire Straits. There were also some links to youtube included, unfortunately I can't find the thread right now.

[JF]

Then I'd like to throw in some names too:

JL Hooker
B.B. King
Howlin' Wolf
Wes Montgomery
Chet Atkins
Gary Moore

These are not quite "knopflerian" although there are some fingerpickers as well as musicians MK mentioned as an inspiration (e.g. Howlin' Wolf).

Gary Moore ? I like some of his stuff, but I wouldn't call him a "fingerpicker", he is more nearly a shredder 

of course many bluesmen are quoted by MK as influences.
I would add :
Son House
Bukka White
Blind lemon Jefferson
Robert Johnson
Muddy Waters

[Justme]

Didn't mean that all these names fall into the category "fingerpicker".
Okay, GM surely is (or was, sadly)  a shredder, but sometimes it's just what one needs, isn't it?

Then I'd like to propose to have a look at the walk-in playlists which Guy Fletcher puts together for the live shows. Some really interesting input now and then.

[Ar (aka Enlight)]

you can try Vince Gill's 1992 album "I still believe in you".
Vince did backing vocals on DS on every street album, and was even asked by Mark to join him on guitar! and vocals during the OES 1991/1992 world tour.
They way Vince plays guitar esp. on this album comes close to Marks kind of playing ( I remember when I heard it I rushed to the credits, but no Mark)
Listen here @2.24
   

Later Vince Gill did backing vocals  on some MK solo albums also.
On this album he is also joined by Richard Bennet who became a member of Marks band in 1995 ,
but there are also a bunch of other great musician , with room for a lot of different instruments.
see here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Still_Believe_in_You_(album)

If you are interested try to lay your hands on the European version which has more tracks.
see here, also to listen  fragments of all the songs on the album
  http://www.amazon.co.uk/I-Still-Believe-In-You/dp/B003RX99UE/ref=sr_1_2/279-1948292-3191755?ie=UTF8&qid=1372170997&sr=8-2&keywords=i+still+believe+in+you+album+vince+gill


good luck

[Roland Dent]

Try "Bad Company" with Howard Leese playing lead and/or Mick Relph playing: singer is Paul Rodgers.