Mark Knopfler gathers 60 guitar greats for special ‘Going Home’ charity recording
Melanie May | 15 February 2024 | News
Mark Knopfler is set to release a new, special recording of ‘Going Home (Theme From Local Hero)’ next month, to raise funds for Teenage Cancer Trust and its American equivalent Teen Cancer America.
Out on 15 March, the track is produced by Knopfler’s long-time collaborator Guy Fletcher, who has edited the contributions into a nine-minute piece, featuring 60 ‘Guitar Heroes’. They include David Gilmour, Ronnie Wood, Slash, Eric Clapton, Sting, Joan Armatrading, Bruce Springsteen, Pete Townshend, Nile Rodgers, Joan Jett, Brian May, Tony Iommi, and Sam Fender, while the track also opens with Jeff Beck’s final recording.
Roger Daltrey, Teenage Cancer Trust’s Honorary Patron and co-founder of Teen Cancer America (with Pete Townshend), has added the harmonica, and Ringo Starr is on drums along with his son Zak Starkey, while Sting plays a rhythm section on bass.
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Commenting, Mark Knopfler said:
“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 and I quite early on that we had to extend this piece somehow, to take in the number of people who joined in.
“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.”
The film Local Hero was released in 1983 and starred Burt Lancaster. It was Mark Knopfler’s first credit as a film composer and earned him a BAFTA nomination. The track is played at every Newcastle United game before the team take the pitch.
Net proceeds will go to the charities and the project is also supported by top guitar makers, who have donated 8 guitars to be signed by the contributing artists. 4 of the 8 have already been sold in the US for Teen Cancer America.
One of the guitars earmarked for Teenage Cancer Trust will be auctioned off by Knopfler at a private donor event in Newcastle on the evening of March 1, prior to Newcastle United taking the pitch on March 2 versus Wolverhampton Wanderers. A number of artists who performed on the song will attend the match, where a sneak peak of a portion of the song will be played for Newcastle United fans as the players enter the stadium.
In addition, an Ionic Original Disc of the master recording has been privately sold by NeoFidelity Recordings in advance of the single’s release, with the company making a six-figure donation to the charity.
Physical formats of the single will be available on CD, 12” with etched b-side and deluxe CD+BluRay, including sleeve notes by Paul Sexton, and digital formats include a Dolby Atmos mix.
A limited edition print run of 150 of Sir Peter Blake’s artwork for ‘Going Home UK’ is also available to purchase. Each print has been hand signed by Sir Peter Blake CBE and will be sold to benefit Teenage Cancer Trust.
A US version will be available to purchase at a later date to benefit Teen Cancer America.
The track follows a Christie’s auction in January, which saw Knopfler sell his guitar collection for over £8mn, with the Gibson Les Paul ‘Gold Top’ Standard, signed by many artists from the project, selling for over £403k. Also offered for auction were exclusive items of music memorabilia.
WATCH: Mark Knopfler’s Guitar Heroes – Going Home (Theme from Local Hero)
- Online rockstar auction raises £15,866 for Nordoff Robbins (16 November 2007)
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- David Gilmour guitar auction raises £21 million for climate change (26 June 2019)
About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.