HOME OR TO THE FEELGOODS or use back button of browser to return to last visited page.

On April 11, 2000 (11pm-12pm) the BBC Radio 5 - Nicky Campbell show - has had a 'Round Table' live interview (plus phone-ins) with Wilko Johnson and Will Birch. If someone has taped it I would be happy to receive a copy.

Nov. 6, 1999: Wilko was on a BBC Documentary about the Thames Esturary talking about growing up in Canvey Island. I don't have the exact date of the broadcast but think it must have been end of October / beginning of November. If someone has taped it, I would love to get a copy!
 

Wilko was born 1947. His clever handling of letters is not only shown in the lyrics of his songs but also in the idea to rearrange the types of his real name John Wilkinson to Wilko Johnson. He played in several local groups, including the Roamers and the Heap, before co-founding Dr. Feelgood in 1971.

He studyed in Newcastle but as it seems he was not very satisfied with that and went off on a trip to India. Later Wilko worked as a teacher, unfortunately not for guitar lessons... Thank God - he came back to Southend to join 1971 into the "Pigboy Charlie Band" where Lee and Sparko played in those days. Big Figure stepped in too and 1972 Dr Feelgood was born. These four youngsters wrote an amazing first chapter of the Dr Feelgood Bandhistory. It is fact, in those days this line-up was exactly the right one to teach the music world how to make people
really FEEL GOOD!

TO TOP OR MENU

Many of his songs became important mile stones in the bandhistory. Just have a look at the A-Z of Songs. I have been at many Dr Feelgood gigs, not a single one was without Wilko songs in the play list - it is not just me saying, it never would be a real Feelgood gig without "She Does It Right", "Back In The Night", "All Through The City", "Roxette" and "Going Back Home" (co-written by Wilko and his guitar hero Mick Green of the legendary Pirates). Many Wilko songs of his days in Dr Feelgood are in to find in my collection of Lyrics. A good proof of the quality of Wilko's songs is the fact, although 20 years passed by, the fans still love to hear them, at best performed live of course! That's what I call "Evergreens". It always is great to find out Wilko still has not lost any of his charisma!

Wilko's stage performance as someone who always seemed to be on the verge of madness - staring straight ahead at the audience to attack them with his guitar - his very unique style will never be forgotten. Till today it is a real pleasure to watch and hear him playing. Wilko has not changed since the "good old days" - with one exception: today he sometimes smiles while he plays. That's nice and makes him more human as he usually seems to be. He is not a lunatic but kind of genius - he has got the right to be "different", hasn't he ? Wilko always was and is a great performer, no matter if he plays his old or new songs!

There are several interesting albums with different line-ups, just to name a few:

1978 Solid Senders with Alan Platt, Drums / Steve Lewins, Bass / John Potter, Keyboards
1980 Ice On The Motorway with Russ Strutter, Bass (Ex-Eddie & The Hot Rods) / Alex Bines, Drums / Mickey Gallagher, Keyboards
1984 Pull The Cover with Russ Strutter, Bass / Buzz Barwell, Drums / Slim, Accordeon and Piano
1987 Call It What You Want / Watch Out including few live songs with brilliant Norman Watt-Roy, Bass, and Salvatore Ramundo, Drums, plus studio recordings with Russ Strutter, Bass / Buzz Barwell, Drums / Alan Bines, Drums / Slim, Piano
1988 Barbed Wire Blues recorded with Norman Watt-Roy, Bass / Salvatore Ramundo, Drums
1991 Don't Let Your Daddy Know (Live) again with Norman and Salvatore
1996 (in autumn) The Wilko Johnson Band recorded a new album in Mushroom Studios in Hullbridge, Essex/UK which was run by Dr Feelgood bassplayer Phil Mitchell.Unfortunately no record deal for the stuff at that time...
10/19/1998 Going Back Home - [Coverart]
(FOLLOWING INFO WAS SENT BY PETRI FROM FINLAND:)
Bottle Up And Go - (Bootleg-)EP by Wilko Johnson & Lew Lewis Band with Wilko Johnson, Guitar and Vocals / Lew Lewis, Harmonica (vocals on "Caravan Man") / Russel Strutter, Bass / Alan Platt, Drums

More info about Wilko's recording activities at the More Records page.
For Dr Feelgood records on which Wilko played visit Grand Records Order Shop.
Rate Wilko Johnson's albums at the All Music Guide (External Link!)

According to the official Wilko site a new CD - ''Red Hot Rocking Blues'' - shall be released in August 2004 in Japan
by Trippin' Elephant Records (TERNG-053). The label previously did the ''Live in Japan 2000'' CD. ''Red Hot Rocking Blues'' includes various covers of good old R&B, Bob Dylan and Van Morrison songs.

Tracks:
01. Red Hot Rocking Blues
02. From a Buick Six
03. Goodbye Baby
04. The Western Plains
05. He Ain't Give You None
06. Hello Josephine
07. Casting My Spell
08. Help Me
09. I Got a Woman
10. Talking About You
11. One Time
12. Ro Ro Rosie
13. Brown Eyed Girl
14. To Ramona
15. Listen to the Lion

Back in the Night - The Best of Wilko Johnson (CD / Oct.? 2002)

Tracks:
1. Slipping & Sliding
2. Back in the Night
3. Down by the Waterside
4. Come Back and Love Me
5. Living on the Heart of Love
6. I Keep it to Myself
7. Barbed Wire Blues
8. Some Kind of Hero
9. Keep it Out of Sight
10. Turned 21
11. Dr Dupree
12. Waiting for the Rain
13. Sneakin Suspicion
14 Out in the Traffic
15. She Does it Right
16. Bottle Up & Go
17. Roxette

REVIEW from Record Collector No.281 - January 2003

Wilko Johnson: Back in the Night - The Best of Wilko Johnson (Jungle FREUD CD 078 / 58:18 min)
The early 70s saw the beginnings of a reaction against the artifice of glam and prog-rock. The pub-rock scene that sprang up around the dodgy old boozers of Essex and London sowed the seeds of punk. It gave us characters such as Nick Lowe and Joe Strummer, and also one John Wilkonson.
Wilko made his name as guitarist and songwriter with legendary R&B act, Dr. Feelgood. Wilko's glory years spanned '75 to '77, during which time the Feelgoods cut four classic albums. He and the band then parted company. The Feelgoods have been mining away at the same R&B seam ever since. So has Wilko.
This CD collects together the best of Johnson's work in the quarter-century since the split. If you're familiar with the Feelgoods, you'll know what to expect. The format is just the great man and his Telecaster, backed up by a rock-solid rhythm section. He spurns extended blues soloing in favour of a curious amalgam of rhythm and lead, although a little blues harmonica or honky-tonk piano is thrown in now and then by the way of light relief. And there are occasional forays into other territory - 'Keep It Out Of Sight' dailies with Heatwave-style funk, 'Dr. Dupree' flirts with reggae. But he never strays far from his R&B homeland.
Wilko is a great showman and his native habitat is the stage. It's njo coincidence that Feelgood's most successful album was their 1976 live offering, 'Stupidity'. Threat this album as a trailer and see him in a sweaty dive near you soon.
~ Paul Sutton Reeves

For an up-to-date list of Wilko's releases please visit the Official WILKO JOHNSON BAND WebSite (Japan)
.

Wilko was on stage at the Lee Brilleaux Memorials in May 1994, 1995 and 1996. (see photo with SPARKO in the background! ==>) January 1997 saw the birth of official newsletter "Some Kind Of Hero" with various info. Read here few parts of - No.1/February 1997 - No.2/April 1997 - - No.3/July 1997 - No.4/October 1997 - - No.5/January 1998 - No.6/May 1998 - - No.7/September 1998 - BTW: I was told forthcoming newsletters would be published at the Official Wilko Johnson Website - that is why I stopped after No. 7.

PLEASE NOTE: After I have not received any Wilko newsletter since autumn 1998, also no further issue(s) to the ones I've published here were available at the official Wilko website, it seems the service is ''out of work''. So better check back with Alan Grundy before sending any I.R.C.'s! And: No I have got no email address of Alan, sorry. ~ Gabi.
 

Members of the band are: Wilko, of course, Salvatore Ramundo on drums and Norman Watt-Roy, one of my personal Top 5 bassplayers.