Jack Sonni: Dire Straits, The Other Guy, DSL, Podcast and More…
Exclusive interview by Karen Beishuizen
Dire Straits had 2 guitarists: Mark Knopfler and the other guy… Jack Sonni. He helped developed the POD for guitars. He performs with the Dire Straits Legacy comprised of former members who are on a worldwide tour. He has his weekly podcast “The Leisure Class” on Newsweek.
KB: How did you first meet Mark Knopfler and how did you become part of Dire Straits?
I met Mark in the summer of 1980, when he came into Rudy’s Music Stop on 48th Street in NYC where I was the manager, working days and playing the clubs at night. He was in the studio recording “Making Movies” and was looking for a new guitar.
KB: Where is that story coming from that refers to you as the other guitarist with 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?” And I would say, “Yes, I’m the other guitar player.”
KB: The 1985 album Brothers in Arms was the most successful one: Were you surprised it sold so many copies and what is the story behind that album?
I believe everyone was surprised except maybe Mark. The history of the making of that album is well documented and easily found on the web. It took a very long time to record, was done in 3 different studios – AIR Studios in Montserrat, Power Station in NYC, and AIR studios in London. There were personnel changes and studio musicians were brought in at times. My recollection is that when the band listened to the mastered album, there was a lot of doubt about whether it would be successful.
KB: How was it performing at Live Aid in July 1985 with a global audience?
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.
KB: You left in 1988 and ended your musical career? What did you do next?
Got a day job in marketing and advertising and focused on raising my twin daughters.
KB: You developed, named, and launched POD – to people unfamiliar with it: What is POD and what does it do?
POD is a portable guitar accessory that contains digital models of over a dozen vintage guitar amplifiers. I was part of the development team, and I not only had input into the feature set, but I came up with the unique shape as well. POD is a milestone product and truly changed the world of guitar players. POD made tones only available in a very expensive amplifier collection accessible to all players for about $200. POD and along the Line 6 products based on it have been used on countless albums since it was released.
KB: You did a lot of writing? About what? Did you publish any books or articles?
That is “do” not past tense as I write every day. I have a completed manuscript of a novel that is in the hands of several publishing agents as we speak. Fingers crossed!
KB: You are now part of Dire Straits Legacy project? Tell me a bit more about it and are you touring?
DSL is a band comprised of former members of Dire Straits anchored by keyboardist, Alan Clarke, who played with band from 1980 until the end. I was invited to join the project a few years back and the band performs DS material based mainly on the live arrangements from the tours. John Illsley has performed with the band at times. As Alan likes to say, “It’s as close to the real thing you can get.”
KB: Any current artists you would like to collaborate with?
I have my own project, working with some great Italian musicians. “Jack Sonni & the Leisure Class” is a band of players who share a passion for real rock n roll. We are finishing up our first album of original material with influences as wide-ranging as The Stones, Beatles, Black Crowes, Jimi Hendrix, and The Allman Brothers.
KB: How did you spend your time the last 2 years when the world was in lock down due to Covid and you couldn’t go anywhere?
I was locked down in Mississippi at the time. Like many other artists, I started to do Facetime Live events, just chatting, playing guitar, and singing tunes to have fun and entertain folks locked down as well. As I noticed more and more musicians doing the same, I had the idea to host “Livestream Festivals” in the hopes of all the artists helping reach a greater audience. For several month, I went live at 10am and I had organized musicians from Italy, Spain the UK, and across the United States – working thru all the time zones -to perform for about 45 minutes. We’d chat and take questions from people tuning in. These lasted 12 hours!!
They ended usually with friends on the West Coast and then I would sign off. Every Saturday for months. They were great, big fun and people really enjoyed them. I got a bit burnt out after a while and retired the idea. Afterwards I established a 24/7 Internet radio station that I ran for about a year, doing interviews, playing music that I love and turned people on to. I shut that down about 6 months ago and was offered my own podcast on Newsweek’s new podcast platform. We’ve done 7 episodes to date and have been getting a great reaction!
Check out Jack’s website: HERE
Follow his podcast “The Leisure Class” on Newsweek: HERE