His collection of guitars include, 1962 Gretsch Country Gentleman (acquired from The Who's John Entwistle), 1964 Gibson ES-335, 1960 Fender Stratocaster (Mark Knopfler signature), 1965 Fender Telecaster and his constant 1963 Fender Jazz Bass. Illsleys seven-track release is co-produced by another longtime Dire Straits and Knopfler collaborator, Guy Fletcher, along with Steve Smith and Illsley himself. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. John Illsley's net worth He is a member of famous Actor with the age 74 years old group. Illsley will be on tour across the UK from 14-25 March, in a show titled The Life And Times Of Dire Straits (An Evening of Music and Memories). Illsley fronted a Sky series called Guitar Heroes and appeared on Rick Steins Secret France, but like the rest of Dire Straits, he never courted celebrity. Success yes, fame no thank you, he says. Mark likened fame to the fumes that come out of a car exhaust. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. WebDire Straits bassist John Illsley will release his new memoir, My Life in Dire Straits, which offers a fascinating bird's eye view of the band's history. We toured as a band for around 16 years I love the family atmosphere you get on the road. We were living on next to nothing and werent even able to pay the gas bill, Illsley says, adding that they werent called Dire Straits for nothing. Fauci says the general public somehow didnt get his messaging that the vulnerable are really, really heavily On Thursday, Lyfts new CEO laid off over 1,000 employees. He says: I think it took us by surprise. We stayed on a campsite and misbehaved for a month. [February 2003]. FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. He could hardly forget the day he met Mark, though. Illsley found his future bandmate lying comatose on the concrete floor of his flat with a Gibson electric guitar across his chest, surrounded by a detritus of dog ends and empty Newcastle Brown bottles. They even said to us, Look, we dont expect you to start selling records until at least the second or third album. Shabby chic: John is heading to Cuba where he's looking forward to seeing Havanas old architecture (pictured). Subscribe to Well Adjusted, our newsletter full of simple strategies to work smarter and live better, from the Fortune Well team. White House Correspondents Association Dinner 2023: Celebrity I did say to the publishers that this was not going to happen unless its got the blessing of the partner in crime. Published: 10:09 BST, 30 April 2022 | Updated: 07:31 BST, 1 May 2022. ROCKER John Illsley has revealed how he first met Dire Straits legend Mark Knopfler when the singer was lying in a crumpled heap on the floor of his council flat. As the supergroup celebrate their 40th anniversary, the bass guitarist also explains how the band really was in a serious financial fix when they got together in 1977.