In their stage wear of tatty suits, slim ties and short hair, the members of Dr Feelgood looked as though they had stepped straight out of Oil City to confront all-comers. The backdrop for these cameos was what he referred to as “Oil City”, a baleful version of Canvey Island where shady characters, stalked by paranoia, hastened down mean streets lit by flaming refinery chimneys to conclude furtive deals in a pungent atmosphere of menace. Johnson possessed the rare ability to write sharp, abrupt songs with the punch and economy of short stories. ![]() With his chest-length hair, quick, sarcastic temper and ability to quote Shakespeare and Piers Plowman by the yard, Johnson stood out from the crowd and when he and three Canvey Island friends formed Dr Feelgood in 1971 to play basic, energetic blues and R & B, it was this eccentric intelligence, bouncing off the “gentleman bruiser” persona of the gravel-voiced singer Lee Brilleaux, that gave the Feelgoods their electrifying effect. He married his childhood sweetheart Irene, and followed the hippy trail to Kathmandu before embarking on a short-lived career as a teacher. He went to Westcliff High School – while playing in local bands – then studied English at Newcastle University. ![]() He grew up in this below-sea-level community – at that time remote and rural – in the Thames Estuary. ![]() He was born John Peter Wilkinson on Jon Canvey Island, Essex. Wilko Johnson, who has died aged 75, found fame in the 1970s with the Canvey Island rhythm and blues band Dr Feelgood his jerky, slashing guitar style, his songwriting ability and his magnetic stage presence brought him worldwide acclaim – but the wildman-of-rock image was only one facet of a complex, multi-talented man.
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