Photo: NurPhoto
Former Dire Straits guitarist Jack Sonni has passed away at the age of 68. Dire Straits shared the news on X (formerly known as Twitter) on Thursday, August 31st, with a photo of the legendary guitarist during his time with the band.
Sonni was born on December 9th, 1954 in Indiana, Pennsylvania. According to the Dire Straits Blog, Sonni learned how to play piano and trumpet in his early years, and went on to work at Rudy's Music shop in New York City in 1978. It was at this shop where the musician met David and Mark Knopfler who formed Dire Straits with John Illsley and Pick Withers in London just one year prior. During an interview conducted by the Norwegian Fan Club for Mark Knopfler and Dire Straits in 2010, Sonni detailed this meeting.
“I was working in a small but real guitar shop in Manhattan for a few years and Mark walked in one day. He was in town starting to record 'Making Movies' and was looking for a new guitar. We became fast friends and spent quite a lot of time together over the next four years. The subject of my playing with his band was never discussed. It wasn’t until December of 1985 that he asked me to come to Monserrat, finish the album, and go out on tour with him.”
Sonni joined the band and was known as "the other guitarist," playing on both the Brothers in Arms album in 1984, and “The Man’s Too Strong” in 1985. He toured the world with the Dire Straits from 1985 to 1986, and their final show in Australia was the last time that he ever saw the whole group together.
“I stood on the steps of the hotel and waved goodbye to the entire band as they left for the airport to fly back to the UK. I stayed in Australia and went surfing! Of course, I had no idea that was the last time I would see the band.”
The guitarist was slated to perform with a few former band members as part of the Dire Straits Legacy's 2023 tour which is set to kick off on September 15th.
In life, Sonni was very private about his family, but was believed to have a wife and two twin daughters. A cause of death has yet to be revealed as fans mourn the loss of the icon.