Guitar legend Mark Knopfler mourns Dire Straits star Jack Sonni

Mark Knopfler has paid a moving tribute to Dire Straits guitarist Jack Sonni after his death at the age of 68.

Jack Sonni and Mark Knopfler on stage. Picture: Supplied

Dire Straits star Mark Knopfler has paid tribute to his former bandmate Jack Sonni after the guitarist’s death at the age of 68.

In a moving post, Knopfler recalled how he first met Sonni — who was widely known as the band’s “other guitarist” — when the American musician was working at a guitar shop in Manhattan.

“He joined us on tour during the Brothers in Arms era and took to life on the road with the band like a fish to water,” Knopfler wrote.

“Jack made friends wherever he went and will be missed by his many pals worldwide. Our thoughts are with his family at this time.”

Sonni’s cause of death has not been revealed.

Earlier this week, Dire Straits Legacy, an official group of musicians who toured with the band, announced Sonni had been dealing with health issues.

Jack Sonni (middle) with Dire Straits bandmates John Illsley (left) and Mark Knopfler (right). Picture: Getty Images

Dire Straits guitarist Jack Sonni has died at the age of 68. Picture: Supplied

“Dear fans, unfortunately, Jack Sonni will not be able to participate in our next gigs because of health problems. Jack get better soon, we are waiting for you! With love, the DSL family.”

Sonni was known as “the other guitarist” during the British band’s wildly successful Brothers in Arms era.

In interviews, Sonni joked about his nickname as “the other guitarist” in Dire Straits.

“Over the years, people introduced me as the guitar player in Dire Straits, and most folks would say, ‘But isn’t that Mark Knopfler?’” Sonni said in an interview.

“And I would say, ‘Yes, I’m the other guitar player.’”

Jack Sonni, with Mark Knopfler, always joked that he was the “other guitarist” in Dire Straits. Picture: Supplied

Brothers in Arms, which was released in 1985, was Dire Strait’s fifth album and is recognised as one of the best rock albums of all time.

The album spent 14 weeks at number one in the UK and nine weeks at number one in the US. It sold more than 30 million copies worldwide.

Jack Sonni (far left) with his Dire Straits bandmates during the successful Brothers in Arms era. Picture: Supplied

But Dire Straits’ success in Australia was unparalleled. Brothers in Arms spent a staggering 34 weeks at number one on the Australian charts and it remains the longest-running number one album in Australia.

The band’s 1986 tour of Australia and New Zealand set a record for tickets sold in Australasia. With 900,000 tickets sold, it was the biggest concert tour in Australasian music history, until it was overtaken in 2017–2018 by Ed Sheeran.

The Brothers in Arms tour ended at the then Sydney Entertainment Centre on April 26, 1986, where Dire Straits still holds the record for 21 consecutive shows at the venue.

CHANCE MEETING

Unlike his fellow Dire Straits bandmates, Sonni was American-born.

Sonni had been working at the famous New York guitar shop Rudy’s Music Stop in the 1970s when he first met Dire Straits’ co-founders David and Mark Knopfler.

He visited the Knopflers in London after David Knopfler left the band, and was asked to join the band for the 1984 recording sessions for Brothers in Arms.

Jack Sonni (middle), with Mark Knopfler and Sting, called performing at Live Aid in 1985 as a “dream come true”. Picture: Getty Images

Sonni played alongside Dire Straits during the 1985 Live Aid concert at Wembley Stadium.

He later described his experience at Live Aid as “exhilarating, surreal and a dream come true”.

“It was an amazing, special day not just for me but the world and I’m grateful and proud to have been a part of it.”

Music fans have paid tribute to Sonni as news of his death has emerged.

One fan reminisced that they saw him perform twice during The Brothers in Arms Tour and posted on X: “He made his red coat iconic in Live Aid.”

Jack Sonni (far left) at a press conference in Adelaide during the band’s record-breaking 1986 tour of Australia. Picture: Supplied

Another said: “Jack embraced a philosophy to Live Well and Live Now in pursuit of creating memorable moments with friends and family.”

Dire Straits’ fans said they remembered him for his performance of the group’s hit track Tunnel of Love in 1985.

According to The Sun, Sonni left Dire Straits in 1988 and quit the music industry before, in his words, getting “a day job in marketing and advertising and focused on raising my twin daughters”.

He worked first at Seymour Duncan, then Rivera Guitar Amplifiers before spending several years as the director of marketing communications at Line 6, a manufacturer of digital technology products for musicians.

In June 2021, Sonni was living in the tiny town of Taylor, Mississippi.

Speaking to The Martha’s Vineyard Times at the time about his life, he said: “Both my grandfathers were coal miners. One Italian and one Polish, and one of them lost an arm in a mining accident.

“Somehow it spurred this whole thing about mines and trying to escape where you come from, but you can’t.

“I’ve led a nomadic life for decades. For all my world travelling, I’m a kid from Western Pennsylvania.”

– with The Sun

Originally published as Guitar legend Mark Knopfler mourns Dire Straits star Jack Sonni