AC/DC's Brian Johnson and Dire Straits' Mark Knopfler announce six-part TV series
Johnson and Knopfler's Music Legends
North East rock icons and good friends, Brian Johnson and Mark Knopfler, have joined forces for a new six-part documentary series.
Launching on Sky Arts, Freeview and NOW on Thursday 25th April, Johnson and Knopfler’s Music Legends follows the AC/DC and Dire Straits stars as they meet six influential figures from the music industry.
Each weekly one-hour episode will see Johnson and Knopfler meet an eminent musician, and it kicks off with Welsh vocal powerhouse Sir Tom Jones.
Other musicians who feature are Carlos Santana, Nile Rodgers, Cyndi Lauper, Emmylou Harris and Sam Fender.
A description of the show reads: ‘From hanging out with Elvis to drinking with David Bowie, a host of the world’s most iconic names reflect on the secrets of rock and roll in new series, Johnson and Knopfler’s Music Legends.
‘Audiences will be treated to a joyous journey through decades of music with exclusive access to a series of once-in-a-lifetime meetings, interviews and jam sessions between rock’s ultimate legends.
‘Join AC/DC singer, Brian Johnson and Dire Straits singer and guitarist, Mark Knopfler as they share their incredible knowledge and experiences with each other - and a hand-picked selection of music royalty.
‘Guests share stories from their own careers and discuss the tracks that shaped them as musicians and fans. Mark and Brian do the same, painting a fascinating portrait of their shared musical lives.’
Phil Edgar Jones, Director of Sky Arts, comments: “When two rock and roll legends open up their address books it turns out they are full of other legends and we are thrilled to be bringing this revealing and utterly charming series to the small screen; an hour in their company with the likes of Tom Jones, Carlos Santanta, Cyndi Lauper, Sam Fender and Emmylou Harris is a very special treat.”
Mark Knopfler was previously a guest on the second series of Brian Johnson’s A Life on the Road in March 2019, where they took a trip around Northumberland.
Brian Johnson performs two gargantuan shows at London’s Wembley Stadium with AC/DC on Wednesday 3rd and Sunday 7th July as part of the band’s European tour.
Mark Knopfler, meanwhile, will premiere the full version of his star-studded Guitar Heroes remake of ‘Going Home (Theme From Local Hero)’ this Friday (15th March).
Johnson and Knopfler’s Music Legends episode guide:
Episode 1: Tom Jones:
In the series opener, Brian & Mark meet icon, Sir Tom Jones. In conversation and song, they reminisce on their earliest musical influences and Sir Tom shares captivating stories from his career, including his friendship with Elvis Presley.
Episode 2: Sam Fender:
Brian & Mark visit Mark’s own British Grove recording studio to meet UK singer-songwriter and fellow Geordie, Sam Fender. Sam tells the story of his musical journey so far, discusses the influence Brian & Mark have had on him and shows them how to play Seventeen Going Under.
Episode 3: Cyndi Lauper:
Brian & Mark hook up with 80s icon Cyndi Lauper at New York’s legendary recording studio, The Power Station. Cyndi discusses her tumultuous career in the music industry and brings her dulcimer along to teach Brian & Mark a special arrangement of her classic hit, True Colours.
Episode 4: Nile Rodgers:
In Miami, Brian & Mark meet disco legend Nile Rodgers and explore his impressive musical career, from Studio 54 to David Bowie and Daft Punk. Nile and Mark jam together on an exclusive ‘Johnny Cash version’ of Chic’s disco classic, Good Times.
Episode 5: Carlos Santana:
Brian & Mark travel to California to visit Carlos Santana, who recounts his incredible journey in music, from early days, through his Woodstock performance and resurgence in the late 90s. Together, they jam an amazing version of Black Magic Woman and Carlos plays some of his biggest hits.
Episode 6: Emmylou Harris:
Brian & Mark head to Music City - Nashville - and meet up with Mark’s longtime friend and sometime collaborator, Emmylou Harris. Emmylou shares her career highlights and discusses her relationship with legendary country rock pioneer Gram Parsons. They’re also joined for an exclusive jam session with country music superstar guitarist, Vince Gill.
The 13 most expensive guitars of all time:
20 - Duane Allman’s 1957 Gibson Les Paul
The Goldtop 1957 Gibson Les Paul guitar that the late-great Duane Allman used to record 'Layla' alongside Eric Clapton, sold for $1.25 million (£1.03 million) in August 2019. First purchased by Allman in early 1969, it's the fabled guitar on which he learned and perfected his slide style. It was his primary instrument on the first two Allman Brothers albums, and for the 'Layla' album by Derek & The Dominos.
19 - George Harrison's Futurama electric guitar
George Harrison's heavily played Futurama electric guitar that The Beatles legend bought for £58 in 1959 - £1,146 in today's money - sold at Julien's Auctions in Nashville, Tennessee for $1.27million (£1.03 million) on 20th November 2024. Martin Nolan, executive director of Julien's Auctions, said: "George Harrison's iconic Futurama guitar, one of the most important guitars in rock and roll history and formative to The Beatles' sound, has made history at today's auction. We're beyond thrilled to add this Harrison guitar to the Julien's Auctions' million-dollar club, which already includes guitars from John Lennon, Eric Clapton, and Kurt Cobain."
18 - Jeff beck's 1954 ‘Oxblood’ Gibson Les Paul
Jeff Beck's legendary 1954 'Oxblood' Gibson Les Paul sold for £1,068,500 ($1,315,708)at the Jeff Beck: The Guitar Collection sale at Christie's in London on 22nd January 2025. It set the world record as the most expensive Gibson Les Paul sold under the hammer. Not too far behind Oxblood in the sale was Jeff Beck's custom 'Anoushka' Stratocaster that reached £1,008,000 - 50 times its pre-sale estimate of £20,000 to £30,000.
17 - Kurt Cobain's Skystang I guitar
Kurt Cobain's Skystang I guitar he played at his final Nirvana show before his death in 1994 sold for $1,587,500 (£1,271,730) at auction in Nashville in November 2023. Cobain first played his electric Fender Skystang I guitar on 18th October 1993 at the Arizona State Fair Veteran's Memorial Coliseum during the In Utero tour, and he performed with it at his final concert on 1st March 1994 at Terminal 1 in Munich. The guitar bought by Mitsuru Sato who bid via the phone at the Julien's Auctions' sale held at Hard Rock Café, Nashville.
16 - David Gilmour’s 1954 Fender Stratocaster
David Gilmour's 1954 White Fender Stratocaster #0001 used on Pink Floyd's 'Another Brick in the Wall (Parts 2 and 3)' sold for $1,815,000 (£1,493,000) on an estimate of $100,000-150,000 at the David Gilmour Guitar Collection auction at Christie's in New York in June 2019. For a few fleeting hours it was the most expensive Fender ever until another famous David Gilmour guitar kicked it out of the park…
15 – Jerry Garcia‘s Wolf Guitar
Jerry Garcia's famous Wolf Guitar sold at auction for $1.9 million (£1.57 million) in June 2017 in New York. Its buyer was Brian Halligan, Chief Executive of software company HubSpot and a keen Grateful Dead aficionado. Proceeds from the sale of the Wolf guitar went to the Southern Poverty Law Center, a charity specialising in civil rights and public interest litigation. Customized by master luthier Doug Irwin, and labelled "D. Irwin 001", Wolf was delivered to Jerry Garcia 50 years ago and first appeared in public during a 1973 New York City performance the Grateful Dead gave for the Hell's Angels.
14 – Peter Green’s Greeny
Fleetwood Mac legend Peter Green bought 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard for sixty guineas after being asked to join John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers in the mid-60s. He played it on Fleetwood Mac classics including 'The Green Manalishi (With the Two Prong Crown)' and 'Albatross' before selling it to fellow guitar virtuoso Gary Moore in 1970. Moore played it throughout his solo career and time with Thin Lizzy, however he was forced to sell it in 2006 due to financial difficulties. Guitar dealer Phil Winfield bought it for somewhere between $750,000 and $1.2 million before selling it for $2 million (£1.65 million) to a private collector. Metallica's Kirk Hammett bought Greeny in 2014 for less than $2 million and he still performs with it to this day.
13 – Jimi Hendrix’s 1968 Fender Stratocaster
The white 1968 Fender Stratocaster that Jimi Hendrix famously played at Woodstock in 1969 was purchased by late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen for a cool $2 million (£1.65 million) in 2000. Keen guitarist and collector Allen, who passed away in 2018, donated the fabled instrument to the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle where it's still on display today.
12 - George Harrison’s Gibson ‘SG’ Standard guitar
George Harrison's Gibson 'SG' Standard guitar used extensively by The Beatles legend from 1966 to 1968 sold for $2,271,000 (£1.72 million) during The Jim Irsay Collection: Hall of Fame auction in March 2026.
11 - David Gilmour’ Martin D-35 guitar
David Gilmour' Martin D-35 guitar used to record Pink Floyd's 'Wish You Were Here' sold for $2,393,000 (£1.8 million) during The Jim Irsay Collection: Hall of Fame auction in March 2026.
10 – John Lennon’s Gibson J-160E acoustic-electric guitar
John Lennon's long-lost acoustic Gibson J-160E acoustic-electric guitar, which he used on The Beatles' 'Please Please Me' and 'With the Beatles' albums, fetched $2,410,000 (£1,992,000) at auction in November 2015. The guitar had been owned since 1969 by a man called John McCaw who purchased it from a friend called Tommy Pressley who in turn, two years earlier, had bought it for just $175. McCaw was completely unaware it originally belonged to John Lennon until he stumbled across a photograph of The Beatle performing with it in a 2012 copy of Guitar Aficionado magazine. Realising its importance (and worth), McCaw put it up for auction.
9 - Reach Out to Asia Fender Stratocaster
The Reach out to Asia Fender Stratocaster became the most expensive guitar ever in 2005 when it fetched $2,700,000 (£2,232,000) under the hammer in Qatar. Proceeds went to the charity Reach Out to Asia, which was set up to help victims of the Boxing Day tsunami in 2004. The guitar was signed by Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, Brian May, Jimmy Page, David Gilmour, Jeff Beck, Pete Townsend, Mark Knopfler, Ray Davies, Liam Gallagher, Ronnie Wood, Tony Iommi, Angus and Malcolm Young, Paul McCartney, Sting, Ritchie Blackmore, Def Leppard and Bryan Adams.
8 - John Lennon's 'Help!' guitar
A Framus 12-string Hootenanny acoustic guitar was used by John Lennon on songs such as 'You've Got To Hide Your Love Away', and for the album 'Help!' sold for $2.9 million (£2.3 million) under the hammer at Julien's Auctions in New York in May 2024. Believed to be lost for 50 years, it's also the most expensive Beatles instrument ever sold.
7 - Eric Clapton's The Fool guitar
Eric Clapton's iconic guitar The Fool sold for $3 million (£2.26 million) during The Jim Irsay Collection: Hall of Fame auction in March 2026.
6 - Eddie Van Halen's 'Hot For Teacher' Kramer
Eddie Van Halen's custom-made Kramer electric guitar that he played in Van Halen's seminal 'Hot for Teacher' sold for a massive $3,932,000 (£3,167,343) under the hammer at Sotheby's in New York in April 2023. One of the most iconic guitars of the MTV era, the stage used and filmed guitar was custom made by Paul Unkert of Kramer Guitars for Eddie Van Halen.
5 - Eric Clapton's "MTV Unplugged" 1939 Martin 000-42
Eric Clapton's 1939 Martin 000-42 he played for his legendary MTV Unplugged performance in 1992 sold for $4.1million (£3.09 million) during The Jim Irsay Collection: Hall of Fame auction in March 2026.
4 - Kurt Cobain’s MTV Unplugged Guitar
One year on from the world-record sale of David Gilmour's Black Strat, Kurt Cobain's MTV Unplugged guitar sold for a massive $6,010,000 (£4,960,000) at auction in June 2020 and became the World's Most Expensive Guitar in the process. It retained the title for almost four years when the Black Strat reclaimed its crown. The late-great Nirvana frontman played the 1959 Martin D-18E acoustic-electric guitar for the band's MTV Unplugged set at Sony Music Studios in New York City on 18th November 1993 – just five months before his untimely death aged 27.
3 – Kurt Cobain’s Fender Mustang Guitar
Kurt Cobain's famous Fender Mustang guitar he played in Nirvana's 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' video in 1991 became the third most expensive guitar ever sold under the hammer in March 2026. It sold for $6,907,000 (£5.21 million) during The Jim Irsay Collection: Hall of Fame auction at Christie's in New York. The 1969 Fender Mustang Competition Lake Placid Blue Finish Electric Guitar previously sold for $4.5 million (£3.7 million) at Julien's Auctions in New York as part of their Music Icons auction in 2022.
2 - Jerry Garcia's Tiger guitar
Grateful Dead legend Jerry Garcia's custom built 1979 electric guitar, known as 'Tiger', sold for $11.56 million (£8.71 million) in March 2026 to become the second most-expensive ever. It was only eclipsed by David Gilmour's Black Strat, which sold for $14.55 million (£11 million) on the same day as part of The Jim Irsay Collection: Hall of Fame auction.
1 – David Gilmour’s Black Strat
David Gilmour's fabled guitar, The Black Strat, set the world record for the World's Most Expensive Guitar again in March 2026 when it fetched a massive $14.55 million (£11 million) during The Jim Irsay Collection: Hall of Fame auction at Christie's in New York. The figure far exceeds the $3,975,000 it fetched under the hammer at Christie's in London in June 2019, and it was the most expensive guitar of all time for exactly one year. It was eclipsed by the $6,010,000 paid for Kurt Cobain's MTV Unplugged guitar in June 2020 – however that tally has now been more than doubled by the Black Strat.