HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Dr. Feelgood are an English pub rock
band Band or BAND may refer to: Places *Bánd, a village in Hungary * Band, Iran, a village in Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Band, Mureș, a commune in Romania * Band-e Majid Khan, a village in Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, ...
formed in 1971. Hailing from
Canvey Island Canvey Island is a town, civil parish and reclaimed island in the Thames estuary, near Southend-on-Sea, in the Castle Point district, in the county of Essex, England. It has an area of and a population of 38,170.Office for National Statistics ...
,
Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and Gr ...
, the group are best known for early singles such as " She Does It Right", " Roxette", " Back in the Night" and " Milk and Alcohol". The group's original distinctively British R&B sound was centred on Wilko Johnson's choppy guitar style. Along with Johnson, the original band line-up included singer
Lee Brilleaux Lee Brilleaux (born Lee John Collinson; 10 May 1952 – 7 April 1994) was an English rhythm-and-blues singer and musician with the band Dr. Feelgood. Early life Lee Brilleaux was born in Durban, South Africa, to English parents, was brought up i ...
and the
rhythm section A rhythm section is a group of musicians within a music ensemble or band that provides the underlying rhythm, harmony and pulse of the accompaniment, providing a rhythmic and harmonic reference and "beat" for the rest of the band. The rhythm sec ...
of John B. Sparks, known as "Sparko", on bass guitarThe spelling is Sparks on all the album credits, but is spelt Sparkes in a few references, and he is also known as "Sparko". and John Martin, known as "The Big Figure", on drums. Although their most commercially productive years were the early to mid-1970s, and in spite of Brilleaux's death in 1994 of lymphoma, a version of the band (featuring none of the original members) continues to tour and record.


Career


Early years

The band was formed in 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 Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of copy ...
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 overprescribe drugs. 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. They soon recorded their debut album, ''
Down by the Jetty ''Down by the Jetty'' is the debut album by English rock band Dr. Feelgood, released in January 1975. The band's Johnny Kidd & the Pirates-influenced originals ("Keep It Out of Sight") appear alongside covers material like " Bonie Moronie" a ...
'', for United Artists in 1974. 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 In the law of torts, malpractice, also known as professional negligence, is an "instance of negligence or incompetence on the part of a professional".Malpractice definition, Professionals who may become the subject of malpractice actions inc ...
'' (1975) added significantly to their rising popularity. Their breakthrough 1976 live album, ''
Stupidity Stupidity is a lack of intelligence, understanding, reason, or wit. It may be innate, assumed or reactive. The word ''stupid'' comes from the Latin word ''stupere''. Stupid characters are often used for comedy in fictional stories. Walter B ...
'', reached number one in the UK Albums Chart (their only
chart-topper A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of recorded music according to certain criteria during a given period. Many different criteria are used in worldwide charts, often in combination. These include rec ...
). 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 was 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 went on to form the group Solid Senders before joining Ian Dury and
The Blockheads The Blockheads are an English rock band formed in London in 1977. Originally fronted by lead singer Ian Dury as Ian Dury and the Blockheads or Ian and the Blockheads, the band has continued to perform since Dury's death in 2000. Current member ...
in 1980.


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. However, 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 Geno Washington (born William Francis Washington; December 1943, in Evansville, Indiana) is an American R&B singer who released five albums with The Ram Jam Band between 1966 and 1969, and eight solo albums beginning in 1976. Music career 1 ...
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 Westcliff-on-Sea (often abbreviated to Westcliff) is an inner city area of the city of Southend-on-Sea, in the City of Southend-on-Sea, in the ceremonial county of Essex, England. It is on the north shore of the lower Thames Estuary, about 34 m ...
. 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. 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''). A film by
Julien Temple Julien Temple (born 26 November 1953) is a British film, documentary and music video director. He began his career with short films featuring the Sex Pistols, and has continued with various off-beat projects, including ''The Great Rock 'n' Roll ...
about the early days of the band, ''Oil City Confidential'', premiered at the
London Film Festival The BFI London Film Festival is an annual film festival founded in 1957 and held in the United Kingdom, running for two weeks in October with co-operation from the British Film Institute. It screens more than 300 films, documentaries and shor ...
on 22 October 2009, and received a standing ovation. 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 Stiff Records is a British independent record label formed in London, England, by Dave Robinson and Jake Riviera. Originally active from 1976 to 1986, the label was reactivated in 2007. Established at the outset of the punk rock boom, Stif ...
boss
Jake Riviera Jake Riviera (born Andrew Jakeman, February 1948, in Edgware, Middlesex, England) is a British music business entrepreneur, best known for his management of such performers as Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe and as co-founder (with Dave Robinson) of ...
and other friends and colleagues of the band. The film has its own Facebook page. 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". 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". The film was first broadcast on
BBC Four BBC Four is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002
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. 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. Later concerts were played by former guitarist Gordon Russell, whom Walwyn had replaced 32 years before.


Members

Current members *Phil H. Mitchell – bass, acoustic guitar, backing vocals *Kevin Morris – drums, percussion, backing vocals *Gordon Russell – lead and slide guitars, backing vocals *Robert Kane – lead vocals, harmonica


Gallery

File:2009-03-26 Dr Feelgood, Spirit of 66, Verviers, Belgium IMG 7730.jpg, Robert Kane File:2009-03-26 Dr Feelgood, Spirit of 66, Verviers, Belgium IMG 7395.jpg, Phil H. Mitchell File:2009-03-26 Dr Feelgood, Spirit of 66, Verviers, Belgium IMG 7412.jpg, Kevin Morris


Discography

*''
Down by the Jetty ''Down by the Jetty'' is the debut album by English rock band Dr. Feelgood, released in January 1975. The band's Johnny Kidd & the Pirates-influenced originals ("Keep It Out of Sight") appear alongside covers material like " Bonie Moronie" a ...
'' (1975) *''
Malpractice In the law of torts, malpractice, also known as professional negligence, is an "instance of negligence or incompetence on the part of a professional".Malpractice definition, Professionals who may become the subject of malpractice actions inc ...
'' (1975) *''
Stupidity Stupidity is a lack of intelligence, understanding, reason, or wit. It may be innate, assumed or reactive. The word ''stupid'' comes from the Latin word ''stupere''. Stupid characters are often used for comedy in fictional stories. Walter B ...
'' (1976) *'' Sneakin' Suspicion'' (1977) *''
Be Seeing You ''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. The album reached number 55 in the UK Albums Chart i ...
'' (1977) *'' Private Practice'' (1978) *''Let It Roll'' (1979) *''A Case of the Shakes'' (1980) *''Fast Women & Slow Horses'' (1982) *''Doctor's Orders'' (1984) *''Mad Man Blues'' (1985) *''Brilleaux'' (1986) *''Classic'' (1987) *''Primo'' (1991) *''The Feelgood Factor'' (1993) *''On the Road Again'' (1996) *''Chess Masters'' (2000) *''Repeat Prescription'' (2006)


References


Bibliography

* Jost, Roland; Nättilä, Teppo, Mäkinen, Rauno – ''From Roxette To Ramona, Dr Feelgood And Wilko Johnson on Record'' – * ''Down by the Jetty – The Dr Feelgood Story'' by Tony Moon – Northdown Publishing 1997 (Rev 2002) –


External links


Official websiteWilko Johnson official site
*
Dr. Feelgood biography at Allmusic.com website

Website of the Julien Temple film on the early years
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Doctor Feelgood (band) English blues rock musical groups British pub rock music groups Canvey Island Music in Southend-on-Sea British rhythm and blues musical groups Musical groups established in 1971 Musical groups from Essex United Artists Records artists Stiff Records artists