Dr. Feelgood -

Dr. Feelgood was an English blues-rock band from Canvey Island, Essex, that released seven studio albums and two live discs on United Artists between 1975 and 1980, followed by six further albums on assorted labels during the ensuing decade. The band gained notoriety for the kinetic stage antics of guitarist Wilko Johnson and vocalist Lee Brilleaux.

Johnson left after the fourth album for a string of other projects. He briefly served as Chaz Jankel‘s replacement in Ian Dury and the Blockheads.

Musically, Dr. Feelgood spearheaded a small wave of acts that resurrected the stripped R&B/beat arrangements of the early ’60s Korner school (The Rolling Stones, The Pretty Things, Downliners Sect). The music was termed “pub rock” and represented a foundationalist aesthetic that stood in contrast to the maximalist strains of post-Mayall blues rock.

Members: Lee Brilleaux (vocals, harmonica, 1971-94), Wilko Johnson (guitar, 1971-77), John B. Sparks (bass, 1971-82), The Big Figure [John Martin] (drums, 1971-82), Henry McCulloch (guitar, 1977), Gypie Mayo (guitar, 1977-81), Johnny Guitar (guitar, 1981-82), Pat McMullen (bass, 1982), Buzz Barwell (drums, 1982), Gordon Russell (guitar, 1983-89), Phil Mitchell (bass, 1983-91, 1995-present), Kevin Morris (drums, 1983-present), Steve Walwyn (guitar, 1989-present)

Background

Dr. Feelgood formed in 1971 on Canvey Island, Essex, when singer-harmonica player Lee Collinson and bassist John Sparks recruited guitarist John Wilkinson into the Pigboy Charlie Band and adopted the Dr. Feelgood name.

Collinson, later known as Lee Brilleaux, was born May 10, 1952, in Durban, South Africa, to English parents. His family returned to England in childhood and eventually settled on Canvey Island. Collinson started harmonica after he and teenage friend Chris White saw Howlin’ Wolf at the King’s Head in Romford. Collinson and Sparks played with White from 1967 in the Southside Jug Band, which worked pubs around Canvey and Kent. The group later merged into the Fix before Collinson and Sparks moved into the Pigboy Charlie Band.

Wilkinson, later known as Wilko Johnson, was born July 12, 1947, on Canvey Island and attended Westcliff High School for Boys. He studied English at Newcastle University, then travelled overland to India before returning to Essex for a short spell as an English teacher. Wilkinson played in the Roamers with drummer John Martin while both were schoolboys on Canvey Island. Sparks approached Wilkinson after Pigboy Charlie lost a guitarist, and the new lineup chose Dr. Feelgood from the Johnny Kidd and the Pirates version of Piano Red’s “Dr. Feel-Good.” Chris Fenwick, the former Chris White, then arranged five paid dates in the Netherlands through a Dutch promoter. Dr. Feelgood recruited Martin, soon known as the Big Figure, for the Dutch trip and retained him as drummer after the engagement. Fenwick assumed management of the quartet.

Dr. Feelgood worked pubs and rock-and-roll clubs around Southend and Canvey in 1972. The group also backed former Tornados bassist Heinz Burt, an engagement that brought the musicians to the Wembley Rock ’n’ Roll Festival. Promoter Dai Davies booked Dr. Feelgood at the Tally Ho in Kentish Town on July 13, 1973, after a recommendation from local drummer Will Birch. Davies placed the band at the Lord Nelson two weeks afterward, and Dr. Feelgood established regular work on the London pub circuit. The quartet recorded a five-song Bob Harris session in October 1973 for the BBC; Johnson contributed the newly written “She Does It Right” to the session.

Dr. Feelgood spent early 1974 on London dates before joining Dave Edmunds and Brinsley Schwarz for a national summer tour. The band signed with United Artists and entered Rockfield Studios in August with producer Vic Maile. United Artists issued “Roxette” in November (b/w “(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66”) as the first single. The quartet completed the remaining Down by the Jetty sessions by late November; United Artists scheduled the album for the following January.

Discography: