Hi,

The year ahead promises to be a very busy one but first of all I know you will join me in congratulating Mark and Kitty on the birth of their daughter, Isabella Mary Alice, who was born on 17th January - Mum, Dad and baby, are all doing fine!

Dates have now been fixed for the NHBs to play two residencies in July. Personnel will be the same at last year i.e., Mark, Ed, Steve, Brendan, Guy and Marcus. They will be appearing at Ronnie Scotts in Birmingham from Friday 10th July until Thursday 16th July (ecxcluding Sunday 26th July) and Ronnie Scotts in London from Monday 20th to Saturday 1st August (excluding Sunday 26th July). These are intimate, small audience, great atmosphere night clubs so expect a late finish! One or two guest artists' may appear in London - no promises - we'll have to wait and see. Seating will be around tables at both venues, plus some standing room. You can enjoy a good meal and watch the show! Dress will be informal. There will be no tour programme or merchandising but maybe a few CDs will be on offer.

Ronnie Scotts Birmingham has a capacity of just 275. Doors open at 8.30 pm. There are no tickets, you have to make a reservation and you will need a credit card to secure your reservation. The cost is £17.50 (members of the club get a discounted price, ring for details) you can make your reservation by telephoning Ronnie Scott Birmingham on 0121 643 4525 or Fax them on 0121 643 8086. If you fax give the time you will arrive at the club, your name, how many reservations you wish to make with date(s) and a contact number. Membership can be obtained at a cost of £65 but you do not have to be a member to make a reservation. You can also book a meal, ask for details when making a reservation. The address of the Club is Ronnie Scotts, Broad Street, Birmingham, B1 2HS, England. The club is opposite the side of the Symphony Hall. There is a house trio which will be used as the support act. On Friday 10th and Saturday 11th, the house trio will perform from 8.15 - 9.00 and the NHBs will play two sets 10.00 - 11.00 and 11.25 - 12.45. On Monday 13th to Thursday 16th the house trio will be on stage from 8.15 - 9.00 and the NHBs will perform from 9.15 - 10.15 and 10.40 - 12.00 midnight.

Ronnie Scotts London has a slightly larger capacity - 300! Again, you have to make a reservation by telephoning 0171 439 0747 or you can Fax them on 0171 437 5081. Don't forget to give your arrival time, name, how many reservations you wish to make with date(s) and a contact number. You can write to them at Ronnie Scott, 47 Frith Street, Soho, London, W1. You can get membership of Ronnie Scotts London for a mere £45 which entitles you to discounts etc. so if you are likely to visit the club often it could pay you become a member! The cost of NHBs shows is £20 for the Monday. Thursday show and £25 for the Friday and Sunday shows (club members will pay £15 Mon-Thurs and £20 Fri and Sat) Doors open 8.30 pm. The support will be Ronnie Scott resident John Critchinson Quartet featuring Pat Crumly on saxophone. They have recently done a tribute to Ronnie Scott partly funded by Ed and Mark! The money raised from the album will be used to send young Jazz musicians to Berklee College in Boston. It will be available soon on Ronnie Scott's Jazz House record label so go out and buy it! Monday - Thursday the Quartet will be on stage from 9.45 - 10.45 and the NHBs 11.00 - 12.00 and 12.15 - 1.30 am. On the Friday and Saturday gigs the Quartet will perform 10.00 - 11.00 and the NHBs from 11.15 - 12.15 and 12.30 - 1.45 am!

On Saturday 18th July the NHBs will be playing a 60 - 75 minute set at an outdoor Jazz and R&B charity gig on behalf of War Child in the Maidenhead area. Interested fans will have to see local press and tune-in local radio for details - do not contact me or Damage about his one! Tickets should go on sale late April/early May.

Most of you should by now have purchased the Wag The Dog soundtrack mini-album which was released worldwide on 19th January on the Mercury label, if you haven't go and get it! The film is doing very well and is already moving into profit! It was screened in LA and New York last December to enable it to quality for this year's Oscars and went nationwide in the US on 26th January. It will be released in the UK around the 13th March and then in Europe shortly afterwards. A video has been done to promote the Wag The Dog title track by Tom Bird at Mercury Records' own in-house video studio. Metroland is now scheduled for release in UK in September and the soundtrack album will be released at the same time. The musicians who worked with Mark on both scores are Richard Bennett, Jim Cox, Guy Fletcher, Glenn Worf and Chad Cromwell. Chuck Ainley was co-producer with Mark and he will be co-producing Mark's second album. Chuck will be in the UK later this year to work on the new solo album. Mark still has quite a lot of vocal and guitar work to do so the album will not be released this year. Expect a release date of around late spring/early summer 1999 with a possible promotion tour.

Mark has done some recording with Kris Kristofferson for Kris' new album, The Austin Sessions, which is on the Guardian label and scheduled for release on 24th March. Mark contributes to two songs, Please Don't Tell Me and For The Good Times. He is featured on Waylon Jennings' new album Cowboys, Sisters, Rascals and Dirt which comes out on the Ark 2 label on the 3rd March. Marl plays on a song called She's Too Good For Me along with Sting! The Monserrat benefit concert is out on video and laser disc. It includes all of Mark's performances except for Going Home. The video has 14 tracks and lasts 90 minutes. With the video is a CD single which includes Brothers in Arms The video has been issued by Eagle Rock Entertainment, No. GEG203.

Mark will be performing in a Chet Atkins/Johnny Cash/Waylon Jennings tribute concert in the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on June 24th. He will also be taking a guitar masterclass in Nashville with young musicians as part of the Chet Atkins Music Days programme. A tribute album to the great Dusty Springfield is to be produced with a MK contribution, no details as yet but possibly Mark will sing one of Dusty's hits, and there may be a new DS hits compilation CD at the end of the year. This will not contain any new material or re-mixes. Joan Armatrading is going to produce a compilation album of children's lullabys, she has been offered Hobo's Lullaby by the NHBs but I don't know if she has accepted it or not.

Steve Phillips and Brendan Croker are to tour together for the first time in over ten years. The dates are:

April 14 - Southampton, The Brook, 01703 555366
April 15 - Walvenden, The Stables Theatre, 01908 582522
April 16 - London, Banners, Crouch End, 0181 292 0001
April 17 - High Wycombe, Town Hall, 01494 514444
April 18 - Ebbw Vale, Beaufort Theatre, 01495 302112
April 23 - Grimsby, Grimsby College, 01472 349222
April 24 - Otley, Folk & Blues Festival, 01943 467189
April 25 - York, Fibbers, 01924 651250
April 26 - Sheffield, The Leadmill, 0114 275 4500
April 27 - South Shields, Customs House, 0191 454 1234
April 29 - Haywards Heath, Clair Hall, 01444 455440
April 30 - London, The Spitz, 0171 392 9032
May 1 - Lincoln Festival, contact Andy Watkins, 01522 569434
May 2 - Lincoln Festival, morning guitar workshop
May 2 - Stamford, Arts Centre, 01780 763203
May 7 - Leeds, Irish Centre, 0113 248 0613
May 8 - Blackpool, To Be Announced, contact Stuart Walmsley, 01772 684683
May 9 - Whitby, To Be Announced, contact Barry Claxton or Dorothy Elliot, 01947 606216
May 10 - Scarborught, To Be Announced
May 16 - Newark, "Jacksonville '98", contact Chris Jackson, 0115 939 0595

Steve and Brendan are also booked to appear at the Beverley Music Festival in June. So, if you can get along to any of these gigs, please do. They'll be glad to see you and say hello!

Steve is still working on his new album but I don't think it will be finished until later this year or even early 1999. He has been very busy building a new wooden bodied resonator guitar with a gold coverplate! He has also treated himself to a 1938 Gibson ES100 with a wicked Charlie Christian pick-up. Look out for these guitars in the summer!!

Some of you have asked if I will include For Sale items in my newsletter. I am happy to do this but make sure that I can clearly what you are selling, your address, etc. If I can't read it I will not include it! I have a spare copy of the Rock Royalties Bootleg CD (London gig, 1985) at £10 plus £2 post & package and there are still a few Swan Hunter CDs left. Anyone wanting photographs from last year's NBHs tour should write to Carolyn Dean at 264 Oaktree Cress, Bradley Stoke North, Bristol, BS32 9AH, United Kingdom. Marijn Schoo has good sound quality tapes of most of the shows from last year. He can also transfer your favourite MK/DS/NHBs taüe to CR-R. Write to Marijn at Ganzenwei 210, 2361 XT, Warmond, Holland.

Mark Knopfler News is complied by Terry ... The next newsletter is scheduled for September. If you would like a copy please send a stamped addressed envelope to Terry ...

Best wishes.......

Terry Kilburn