As he revealed in a new interview with Guitar Player, Mark Knopfler regrets something about the late Jeff Beck.
The guitarist disclosed their plans with Beck before he just died:
“Jeff was just something other, y’know? In fact, we’d just begun some talks, through management, about doing an album together. I’m really sorry we didn’t get to work together.”
Knopfler’s Most Recent Work
Knopfler recently re-recorded ‘Going Home (Theme From Local Hero).’ He did it to help Teenage Cancer Trust and Teen Cancer America. He got a bunch of famous guitarists to join him, like Slash, Eric Clapton, David Gilmour, Sheryl Crow, Tony Iommi, and Brian May. But the most special was Jeff Beck, who sadly passed away after this recording. Mark thanked all the artists who contributed in a statement:
“What I really want to do, more than anything else, is just to thank each and every one for this sterling response. I really had no idea that it was going to be like this. It hit Guy [Fletcher] and I quite early on that we had to extend this piece somehow, to take in the number of people who joined in.”
How Did The Collaboration Come Together?
The collaboration arrived on March 15 and also featured Roger Daltrey playing harmonica, Ringo Starr drumming with his son Zak Starkey, and Sting playing bass. The rocker further talked about this joint effort in a separate statement:
“Before I knew where I was, Pete Townshend had come into my studio armed with a guitar and an amp. And that first Pete power chord… man, I tell you. We were in that territory, and it was just fantastic. And it went on from there. Eric [Clapton] came in, played great, just one tasty lick after another. Then Jeff Beck’s contribution arrived, and that was spellbinding. I think what we’ve had is an embarrassment of riches, really. The whole thing was a high point.”
Beck died from bacterial meningitis in January 2023. After Beck’s passing, Knopfler paid tribute to the guitarist with a post on his social media. The singer described him as a ‘magnificent guitarist’ and as someone who can’t be replaced.