CONGRATULATION to John Illsley and his new wife, Stefanie Lutham. John and Stephanie have been an item for quite a while now but they finally tied the knot Saturday, 19th June, at Beaulieu Abbey. This is John's second marriage and Mark was John's best man! After the wedding there was a reception at John's place with lots of food and wine, a disco, and a band. About 11 pm another band took to the stage for a highly impromptu performance. The personnel of this make-shift band will have a very familiar ring to all DS fans: Mark Knopfler on vocal and guitar, John Illsley, vocal and bass guitar, sharing the same keyboard were Alan Clark and Guy Fletcher, and then there was the drummer, a certain Ed Bicknell. Chris White was there but didn't have the sax with him - shame Chris! Surely, every fan will envy the guitar player with the other band, he ended up playing second guitar with MK and company! The guys played Walk of Life, Sultans of Swing, Money For Nothing, Nadine and Wild Theme from Local Hero (Mark and Guy). Oh yes, and before we get thousands of letters asking the question - NO, this does not mean that Dire Straits are getting back together or starting a world tour next week!

NEW GUITAR TAB BOOKS: New Dire Straits guitar tab/books have been launched onto the market. Hal-Leonard Publishers have produced a Mark Knopfler volume in their Guitar Signature Licks series (ISBN 0-7935-8129-X). Wise Publications are offering a Dire Straits volume in their The Cord Songbook series (ISBN 0-7119-7483-7) in addition to a Mark Knopfler volume in their Riff By Riff series (ISBN 0-7119-6607-9).

COMIC RELIEF FEATURE: Mark has agreed to write the theme song and music for a new animated children's feature for Comic Relief. The cartoon, called Robbie the Red Nosed Reindeer, will be shown on BBC1 at Christmas. It lasts about 30 minutes and will be released on video BBC Enterprises sometime in the new year.

MESSAGE FROM JACK SONNI: I have recently been in contact with Jack and asked him to let old DS fans know what he has been up to. Here is his reply dated 21/08.99.

"Old DS fans..well they'd have to be to remember me, or wouldn't they!!??!! Seems like another lifetime ago. Much has happened but the Reader's Digest version is over the past 13 years since my last contact with the DS crew, sometime just after the Nelson Mandela show, I've focused on building a life around my twin daughters, rather than around a career as a gypsy musician. I returned top university at one point to continue my education in literature and marketing. During much of this time, I was a single father, my daughters living with me full-time while I worked in Marketing for several Musical Instrument companies of note and, then, as a freelance writer and creative director for Television and Advertising agencies. About two and half years ago, I was asked to join a company called Line 6 as Director of Marketing. The company makes digital guitar amplifiers - most famous of which is a device called "POD" which I was instrumental in both design and marketing. It's an amazing product designed for musicians who record guitars and is rapidly becoming the industry standard in studios around the world. Music? Since I retired the professional scene, playing guitar has become what it become what it once was...FUN. I play at my local (a great Brit pub complete with Fuller/s ESB, Guiness and Abbott's on tap - it's Eric Idle's local also)...when and if I feel like it. I'll make a round of calls to see who's in town and we'll throw a gig together. (Doane Perry - drummer from Jethro Tull is a mate and usually joins us - among a large crew of LA session players or pros that live in the area). It's for giggles and grins...and more than a few pints. All in all, it's great. Grab a guitar, toss the amp in the trunk, rock the house and I'm home by 1am. I have nothing to prove, no one to impress and no worries about record deals. And I'm probably playing better than ever before. That's about it. I continue to write stories and essays and have starting gathering material to send to publishers. Who knows...stranger things have happened! All the best - and give my regards to Col. Parker and Elvis!! Jack"

NHBSs AT RONNIE SCOTTS: The Billies played six shows at London's Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club, Mon 19th - Sat 24th July, 1999. The support act was the Dave O'Higgins Quartet, featuring Dave on tenor sax. The set list for the first night was:

SET 1: Run Me Down/One Way Gal/Good Rockin' Tonight/Your Own Sweet Way/Railroad Worksong/Why Worry/Water of Love/ Mississippi Blues/Hobo's Lullaby/Meet Me In The Bottom

SET 2: Denomination Blues/KC Moan/Can't Be Satisfied/Blues Stay Away From Me/Calling Elvis/Cool Drink of Water/Mystery Train/Tomorrow Night/House Rockin' Boogie/Are We In Troble Now/Setting Me Up

Encores: I Feel Like Going Home/His Latest Flame/The Next Time I'm In Town

On the third night Mystery Train was removed from the set list and replaced by His Latest Flame which was moved out of the encores. This meant Steve had to sing four songs one after the other! Local Hero (Wild Theme) was added to the encores from Thursday night with Mark, Guy and Chris on stage. No other changes were made to the set list for the remainder of the shows. One of Steve's favourite songs, Tommy Johnson's atmospheric blues Cool Drink of Water, was brought into the set list and a rousing version of House Rockin' Boogie replacement for Bewildered which was not played this year. Steve took over on piano as Guy once again demonstrated his skills on lap steel guitar on Blues Stay Away From Me.

This year the Billies were joined by former Dire Straits saxophonist Chris White which helped bring a new dimension to many familiar Billies' numbers. It was great to see Chris on stage again with Mark and his playing was as wonderful as ever. Appearing with the Billies for the first three songs of Set One was saxophonist Dave O'Higgins. Set Two saw appearences by jazz-great Chris Barber and the fabulously talented fiddle -player, Bobby Valentino, whilst pedal-steel guitarist B.J. Cole appeared on the Wednesday and Friday nights.

Best show? Well, its hard to say really. This year there was very little to choose between show and different people nominated different nights. After speaking to many fans who attended all six shows, the consensus was that the Wednesday night was the best overall performance with the last night as runner up. Then again, some thought the Thursday night was the best. Others said the band just got better and better. Ed felt that some of the sets were the best ever played by the Billies, particularly Set One on the Friday nifght and Set Tw on the Saturday night.

LATEST ON NEW ALBUM: Mark is back from holiday and considering how to promote the new album. During November he will be in Nashville to finish the album. He has written twenty-six new songs but all may not get on the final track list.

STEVE PHILLIPS GIGS: Steve will be doing a number of gigs with the band The Rough Diamonds later this year. If you fancy a really rockin' good time, go and see them! Confirmed dates are....

26th November, The Station Hotel, Blackpool

27th November, Shibden Mill Inn, Shibden, Nr Halifax

3rd December, Otley, Nr Leeds, venue to be announced

4rd December, The Flowerpot, Derby

10th December, York, venue to be announced

17th December, Victoria Hotel, Robin Hood Bay, N.Yorks

19th December, The Purple Onion, Middlesborough

GUY FLETCHER and MARCUS CLIFFE appear on Jimmy Nail's recently released album Tadpoles In A Jar.

The 24th Annual Lunch of the Nordoff Robbins Therapy Centres was held on Friday, June 26th, 1999. Around £300,000 was raised to help fund the centres which cure for serverely disabled and autistic children. Mark presented a Lifetime Achievement Award to Pete King of Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club which is celebrating it's 40th Anniversary this year. Marl gave a speech in which he jokingly said that the third worst dressing room in the world was at Ronnie Scott's in London and the second worst dressing room in the world but according to Ed it was the one the NHBs used at last year's private Swan Hunter gig which had two inches of water for a carpet!!

FANS IN GERMANY and Switzerland might like to get hold of a new CD single by Killer called Bring It On which features Mark's guitar work from Brothers in Arms. The CD - Mercury catalogue number CD566737-2 is currently only available in Germany. There is also a new German compilation album on release which contains the full-length (6 mins, 39 secs) studio version of Brothers In Arms. The album, called Voices For Peace, aims to promote world peace and has been released on the BMG Ariola label, No 74321685132. It also features tracks by artists such as Paul McCartney, Elton John, Queen, Pink Floyd and Phil Collins. Among various comments from different people Mark writes in the sleeve notes, "Had my grandfather met during the First World War they would have has to try to kill eachother. Any small thing we can do to avoid the absurdity and calamity of war is to be given every encouragement."

Kris Kristofferson's The Austin Sessions album has at last been released. Mark plays on one track, Please Don't Tell Me How The Story Ends. Also featured on the album are Vince Gill, Steve Earle. Jackson Browne, Paul Franklin, Jim Cox and a few others.The album should have been released last year on the Guardian Record label but it has now been released by the Atlantic Recording Corporation, Cat No: 83208-2 Atlantic.

Hotspot Records, 29 St Michaels Road, Leeds, L6 3BG, UK, have a few copies of Steve Phillip's Steelrail Blues CD at £12.99 each.

Enclosure