Dr. Feelgood are an English pub rock band formed in 1971. Hailing from Canvey Island, Essex, they are best known for early singles such as "She Does It Right", "Roxette", "Back in the Night" and "Milk and Alcohol". Their original and distinctively British R&B sound was centred on Wilko Johnson's choppy guitar style. Along with Johnson, the initial band line-up included singer Lee Brilleaux and the rhythm section of John B. Sparks, known as "Sparko", on bass guitar[2] and John Martin, known as "The Big Figure", on drums. Although their most commercially productive years were the mid to late-1970s, and in spite of Brilleaux's death in 1994[3] of lymphoma, a version of the band (featuring none of the original members) continue to tour and record.
Dr. Feelgood's mascot, as used by the band in the 1970s and early 1980s
The band were formed on Canvey Island in 1971 by Johnson, Brilleaux and Sparks, who had all been members of existing R&B bands, and soon added drummer John Martin. They took their name from a 1962 record by the American blues pianist and singer Willie Perryman (also known as "Piano Red") called "Dr. Feel-Good", which Perryman recorded under the name of Dr. Feelgood & the Interns. The song was covered by several British beat groups in the 1960s, including Johnny Kidd & the Pirates. The term is also a slang term for heroin or for a physician who is willing to over-prescribe drugs.[4]
By late 1973, the band's driving R&B influence had made them one of the most popular bands on the growing London pub rock circuit, which included regular appearances at the Lord Nelson music pub venue.[5][6] They soon recorded their debut album, Down by the Jetty, for United Artists in 1974.[7] Like many pub rock acts, Dr. Feelgood built up a dedicated following and were known primarily for their high energy and intense live performances constantly honed through their touring and regular performances. Their studio albums such as Down by the Jetty and Malpractice (1975) added significantly to their rising popularity.
Their breakthrough 1976 live album, Stupidity, reached number one in the UK Albums Chart (their only chart-topper). But after the 1977 follow-up Sneakin' Suspicion, Johnson left the group because of conflicts with Lee Brilleaux. He was replaced by Gypie Mayo. The band with Mayo were never as popular as when Johnson was in the line-up, yet they went on to enjoy their only top ten hit single in 1979 with "Milk and Alcohol". Johnson, who died in 2022,[8] went on to form the group Solid Senders before joining Ian Dury and the Blockheads in 1980.
Guitarist Steve Walwyn in Barcelona, 18 March 2009
Later years
Despite Mayo's departure in 1981, and various subsequent line-up changes which left Brilleaux the only remaining original member, Dr. Feelgood continued touring and recording through the 1980s. The band then suffered an almost career-finishing blow when Brilleaux died of cancer on 7 April 1994.
As Brilleaux had insisted prior to his death, Dr. Feelgood reunited in May 1995, initially with vocalist Pete Gage (not to be confused with guitarist Pete Gage of Geno Washington and Vinegar Joe), and recommenced touring in 1996. Though the band contained no original members at this point, the musicians backing Gage had all previously played as members of Dr. Feelgood for at least five years, and in some cases for over a decade. In 1999, Gage was replaced by Robert Kane, formerly of the Animals II and the Alligators, who celebrated his 1,000th gig as the frontman of Dr. Feelgood in April 2007.
Every year after Brilleaux's death, a special concert known as the Lee Brilleaux Birthday Memorial was held on Canvey Island, where former and current Feelgoods celebrated the music of Dr. Feelgood, and raised money for The Fair Havens Hospice in Westcliff-on-Sea.[9] Fans attended from all over the globe, and the 20th and final event was held on 9 May 2014. Still based in the UK, Dr. Feelgood continue to play across the world, with concerts in 2010 in Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Finland, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain and Switzerland.
Current vocalist Robert Kane performing in Barcelona, 18 March 2009
Band manager Chris Fenwick organises an annual walk around Canvey to commemorate Brilleaux's life, as well as additional walking tours during which he points out landmarks from the band's career. These include the jetty featured in the photograph on the band's first album cover, and venues where they played early in their career, such as The Lobster Smack inn, The Monico Nightclub and The Canvey Club (disguised as 'The Alibi Club' on the sleeve of the album Sneakin' Suspicion).[10]
A film by Julien Temple about the early days of the band, Oil City Confidential, premiered at the London Film Festival on 22 October 2009, and received a standing ovation.[11] Guest of honour was Lee Brilleaux's mother Joan Collinson, along with his widow Shirley and children Kelly and Nick. All the surviving members of the original band were present along with manager Chris Fenwick, former tour manager and Stiff Records boss Jake Riviera and other friends and colleagues of the band. The film has its own Facebook page.[12] Reviewing the film for The Independent, Nick Hasted concluded: "Feelgood are remembered in rock history, if at all, as John the Baptists to punk's messiahs".[13] On general release from 1 February 2010, the film was critically well received, with Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian describing it as "...a vivid study of period, music and place".[14] The film was first broadcast on BBC Four in April 2010.
A major exhibition of memorabilia celebrating the band's career ran at The Canvey Club between May and July 2013, having been extended several times.[15]
On 16 June 2021, it was announced that Walwyn was "unavailable to play live shows for the foreseeable future", due to family holiday commitments and the fact that his son has a possible compromised immune system.[16] Later concerts were played by former guitarist Gordon Russell,[17] whom Walwyn had replaced 32 years before.
In April 2024 the band's van was stolen, leaving them without any instruments and equipment, a week before a forthcoming tour of Germany. The theft took place outside the home of bassist Phil Mitchell in Hockley, Essex, between the night of 15 April and the morning of 16 April.[18]
Pub rock is a subgenre of rock music that emerged in the early to mid-1970s in the United Kingdom. A back-to-basics movement, which incorporated roots rock, pub rock was a reaction against the expensively-recorded and produced progressive rock and flashy glam rock scenes at the time. Although short-lived, pub rock was played live in small traditional venues like pubs and clubs. Since major labels showed no interest in pub rock groups, pub bands sought out independent record labels such as Stiff Records. Indie labels used relatively inexpensive recording processes, so they had a much lower break-even point for a record than a major label.
John Andrew Wilkinson, better known by the stage name Wilko Johnson, was an English guitarist, singer, songwriter and occasional actor. He was a member of the pub rock/rhythm and blues band Dr. Feelgood in the 1970s. Johnson was known for his distinctive guitar playing style, which he achieved by not using a plectrum but playing fingerstyle. This enabled him to play rhythm guitar and riffs or solos at the same time creating a highly percussive guitar sound.
Eddie and the Hot Rods are a pub rock band from Essex founded in 1975. They are best known for their 1977 UK top ten hit "Do Anything You Wanna Do", released under the shortened name Rods. The group broke up in 1985, but reformed in 1996. Singer Barrie Masters was the only constant member until his death in 2019. The band continued to tour, fronted by their former bassist, Ian 'Dipster' Dean.
Down by the Jetty is the debut album by English rock band Dr. Feelgood, released in January 1975.
Gypie Mayo was an English guitarist and songwriter, playing in Dr. Feelgood from 1977 to 1981, and from 1996 to 2004 in the reborn Yardbirds with Alan Glen.
Stupidity is a live album by English rock band Dr. Feelgood. It was released in September 1976 and is the band's third overall album. Their mushrooming popularity was confirmed when Stupidity (1976) topped the UK Albums Chart.
Sneakin' Suspicion is the fourth album by the English band Dr. Feelgood, released in 1977. During recording of Sneakin' Suspicion, the band nearly disbanded following the departure of guitarist, songwriter and focal point, Wilko Johnson. The album reached number 10 in the UK Albums Chart in June 1977, and remained in that chart for six weeks. It also spawned their first single to enter the corresponding UK Singles Chart - "Sneakin' Suspicion".
"Milk and Alcohol" is a song by the band Dr. Feelgood that reached number nine in the UK Singles Chart in 1979. Written by Nick Lowe and Gypie Mayo, and produced by Richard Gottehrer, the song was Dr. Feelgood's biggest hit and continues to be played by the band.
Be Seeing You was the fifth album by Dr. Feelgood, and was released in October 1977. After the departure of Wilko Johnson, this was Dr. Feelgood's first album with guitarist Gypie Mayo.
"Sneakin' Suspicion" is a song by the band Dr. Feelgood. It was recorded in 1977 and was the first track on their album, Sneakin' Suspicion, which was released in May that year. It was recorded at the Rockfield Studios and mixed at the Media Sounds Studios in New York.
"Roxette" is the debut single by the band Dr. Feelgood released in 1974, from their 1975 debut album Down by the Jetty.
"She Does It Right" is a song by the band Dr. Feelgood, recorded in 1974 and appearing on their debut album, Down by the Jetty. The track was written by Wilko Johnson, and produced by Vic Maile. The song was the band's second UK single release, following their debut "Roxette", in March 1975, but failed to reach the UK Singles Chart. The B-side of the record, "I Don't Mind", was also penned by Johnson.
Twenty Five Years of Dr. Feelgood is a double compilation album by Dr. Feelgood, and was released in February 1997.
Malpractice is the second album by English rock band Dr. Feelgood, released in October 1975.
Lee Brilleaux was an English rhythm-and-blues singer and musician with the band Dr. Feelgood.
Keith "Lew" Lewis was an English harmonica player and vocalist, who was a member of Eddie and the Hot Rods before forming his own bands. Influenced in style by Little Walter, he also guested on albums by The Stranglers, The Clash and others.
Peter Gage is a British blues musician. A vocalist, harmonica player and pianist, Gage is best known for fronting the Jet Harris Band and Dr. Feelgood, although he has also led his own band and has issued solo albums featuring artists such as Gypie Mayo.
Stephen Martin Walwyn is an English rhythm and blues guitarist, best known for his playing with Dr. Feelgood, but who has also played with Eddie and the Hot Rods, Steve Marriott and the DTs, the Roger Chapman Band, the Big Town Playboys and his own band Steve Walwyn and Friends.
Going Back Home is a collaborative studio album by former Dr. Feelgood guitarist Wilko Johnson and the Who lead vocalist Roger Daltrey released in 2014. The album contains versions of songs previously recorded by Johnson and his former band Dr. Feelgood, as well as a version of "Everybody's Carrying a Gun" by Wilko Johnson and the Solid Senders.
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