Mark Knopfler prepares for 'Lucky' trek

Renowned guitarist Mark Knopfler is planning ahead for a spring North American run behind his brand-new release, "Get Lucky."

The former Dire Straits frontman will begin the stateside tour with an April 8 performance in Seattle, followed by theater stops in 23 major markets through early May. Knopfler will then return to Europe for lengthy leg that currently extends into July.

The full list of North American shows is below, while information about the international dates is posted at Knopfler's website.

"Get Lucky," Knopfler's sixth solo studio album, hits US shelves today (9/15) and follows the Grammy winner's 2007 set, "Kill to Get Crimson."

"I do get a lot of pleasure from touring and playing live," Knopfler said in a recent interview with Billboard. "It's kind of an affirmation. It's certainly something I don't have to do financially; I just do it because I have a compulsion to go out and play every now and again, and it's an important part of what a traveling musician does."

Knopfler enjoyed three decades of multi-platinum success fronting British rock outfit Dire Straits before beginning his solo career in 1996 with the release of "Golden Heart." In 2003, Rolling Stone magazine listed Knopfler at No. 27 on their list of 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.