Dr. Feelgood are an English pub rock band 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 Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

, they are best known for early singles such as " She Does It Right", "

Roxette Roxette is a Swedish pop rock duo originally consisting of Marie Fredriksson and Per Gessle, both of whom were already established musicians in Sweden prior to the band's formation. Fredriksson had released a number of successful solo albums, ...

", " 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 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 ...

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 mid to late-1970s, and in spite of Brilleaux's death in 1994, a version of the band (featuring none of the original members) continue to tour and record.

Career

Early years

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 Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

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 ...

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. 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 recorded their debut album, '' Down by the Jetty'', for

United Artists United Artists (UA) is an American film production and film distribution, distribution company owned by Amazon MGM Studios. In its original operating period, it was founded in February 1919 by Charlie Chaplin, D. W. Griffith, Mary Pickford an ...

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'', reached number one in the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...

(their only chart-topper). The

Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band formed in the New York City neighborhood Forest Hills, Queens in 1974. Known for helping establish the punk movement in the United States and elsewhere, the Ramones are often recognized as one of th ...

were the opening act for the group's May 1976 shows at the Bottom Line in New York. 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, went on to form the group Solid Senders before joining

Ian Dury Ian Robins Dury (12 May 1942 27 March 2000) was an English singer, songwriter and actor who rose to fame in the late 1970s, during the punk rock, punk and new wave music, new wave era of rock music. He was the lead singer and lyricist of Kilburn ...

and the Blockheads in 1980. S Walwyn

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

lymphoma Lymphoma is a group of blood and lymph tumors that develop from lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell). The name typically refers to just the cancerous versions rather than all such tumours. Signs and symptoms may include enlarged lymph node ...

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 Westcliff-on-Sea (previously known as Milton, often abbreviated to Westcliff, and in the past spelt as Westcliffe-on-Sea) is a suburb of the city of Southend-on-Sea, located within the ceremonial county of Essex, England. It is on the north sh ...

. 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. R Kane

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 held in London, England, in collaboration with the British Film Institute. Founded in 1957, the festival runs for two weeks every October. In 2016, the British Film Institute, BFI estim ...

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 by Dave Robinson (music executive), Dave Robinson and Jake Riviera. Originally active from 1976 to 1986, the label was reactivated in 2007. Established at the outset of the p ...

boss Jake Riviera and other friends and colleagues of the band. The film has its own Facebook page. Reviewing the film for ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'', 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 ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' 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 service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, 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. With Russell back in the band, they recorded ''Damm Right!'' in 2022, the first album with original songs since ''The Feelgood Factor'' in 1993, their last with Brilleaux. 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,

, between the night of 15 April and the morning of 16 April.

Members

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 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

Discography

*'' Down by the Jetty'' (1975) *''

'' (1975) *'' Stupidity'' (1976) *'' Sneakin' Suspicion'' (1977) *'' Be Seeing You'' (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) *''Damm Right!'' (2022) *''Live in Caen'' (2024)

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) British rhythm and blues musical groups Canvey Island Chiswick Records artists English blues rock musical groups English musical quartets English protopunk groups English pub rock musical groups Music in Southend-on-Sea Musical groups established in 1971 Musical groups from Essex Stiff Records artists United Artists Records artists