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The story behind Mark Knopfler’s "Guitar Heroes" project is actually a combination of nostalgia, charity, and a massive gathering of rock legends. In 2024, Knopfler decided to record a new version of Going Home (Theme From Local Hero), the instrumental track he originally wrote for the film Local Hero. The goal was to raise money for the Teenage Cancer Trust and Teen Cancer America. What started as a charity project grew into something much bigger. Knopfler invited guitarist friends to each add a guitar part to the song.
Ultimately, more than 60 musicians participated, including:
Mark Knopfler: guitar
Joan Armatrading: guitar
Jeff Beck: guitar
Richard Bennett: guitar
Joe Bonamassa: guitar
Joe Brown: guitar
James Burton: guitar
Jonathan Cain: guitar
Paul Carrack: guitar
Eric Clapton: guitar
Ry Cooder: guitar
Jim Cox: keyboards
Steve Cropper: guitar
Sheryl Crow: guitar
Danny Cummings: percussion
Roger Daltrey: harmonica
Duane Eddy: guitar
Sam Fender: guitar
Guy Fletcher: keyboards
Peter Frampton: guitar
Audley Freed: guitar
Vince Gill: guitar
David Gilmour: guitar
Buddy Guy: guitar
Keiji Haino: guitar
Tony Iommi: guitar
Joan Jett: guitar
John Jorgenson: guitar
Sonny Landreth: guitar
Albert Lee: guitar
Greg Leisz: guitar
Alex Lifeson: guitar
Steve Lukather: guitar
Phil Manzanera: guitar
Dave Mason: guitar
Hank Marvin: guitar
Brian May: guitar
Robbie McIntosh: guitar
John McLaughlin: guitar
Tom Morello: guitar
Rick Nielsen: guitar
Orianthi: guitar
Brad Paisley: guitar
Nile Rodgers: guitar
Mike Rutherford: guitar
Joe Satriani: guitar
John Sebastian: guitar
Connor Selby: guitar
Slash: guitar
Bruce Springsteen: guitar
Zak Starkey: guitar
Ringo Starr: drums
Sting: bass
Andy Taylor: guitar
Susan Tedeschi: guitar
Ian Thomas: drums
Pete Townshend: guitar
Derek Trucks: guitar
Keith Urban: guitar
Steve Vai: guitar
Waddy Wachtel: guitar
Joe Louis Walker: guitar
Joe Walsh: guitar
Ronnie Wood: guitar
Glenn Worf: bass
Zucchero: guitar
A particularly emotional aspect of the project is that the song opens with Jeff Beck's last recorded guitar part before his passing. That made the release extra meaningful for many fans. The contributions were collected and edited by Knopfler's regular collaborator Guy Fletcher. Some artists came to record in Knopfler's studio, while others sent their parts remotely. Fletcher wove everything together into a nearly ten-minute piece in which you can recognize the various playing styles: Brian May's harmonies, Clapton's bluesy tones, Gilmour's recognizable sound, and so on. The project is often compared to major charity albums like "Do They Know It's Christmas?", but entirely focused on guitar music. For many rock fans, it felt like a kind of farewell from a generation of legendary guitarists appearing together on the same recording one last time. Bruce Springsteen can be heard around 4:07 in Going Home (Theme From Local Hero).