This article was amended on 23 November 2022 to include details of Johnson’s 2014 neuroendocrine cancer diagnosis. When they said it was over, you came back stronger,” while Nottingham post-punk duo Sleaford Mods wrote that Johnson was “the unsung inventor of Post Mod, Mod”. Anton Newcombe of the Brian Jonestown Massacre wrote that Johnson “fought the good fight, and had a damn good run. On Twitter, musicians shared their admiration for Johnson and his work. And then the strangest thing he didn't die. His calm, philosophical response made him even more beloved and admired. With ten months to live, he decided to accept his imminent death and went on the road. Outside of music, Johnson released one book – his 2012 autobiography Looking Back at Me, co-written with Zoë Howe – and appeared as a guest star on Game of Thrones playing Ser Ilyn Payne, a mute executioner. In 2013, Dr Feelgood founder, Blockheads member and musical legend Wilko Johnson was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Shortly afterwards, he began to focus on the Wilko Johnson Band, his longest-running musical project, with whom he would go on to release seven albums over the next three decades, including the 1981 debut Ice on the Motorway, 1988’s Barbed Wire Blues and, most recently, 2018’s Blow Your Mind. Photograph: HBOĪfter leaving Dr Feelgood, Johnson formed Solid Senders, who released one album on Virgin in 1978, and briefly joined Ian Dury’s outfit the Blockheads, performing on their 1980 album Laughter. Wilko Johnson as Ser Ilyn Payne in Game of Thrones. Johnson remained with Dr Feelgood for their first four albums, the latter three of which charted in the top 20 of the UK albums chart, before inter-band conflict led him to part ways with the group. The band went on to become mainstays of the British pub rock scene, and Johnson quickly became known for his distinctive style of guitar playing, which utilised fingerpicking in order to play riffs or solos while playing rhythm, as well as his flamboyant performances, which often featured him raising his guitar to his shoulders like a gun.ĭr Feelgood’s intense, brutal take on R&B was a major influence on the British punk music that would emerge in the 70s and 80s. He began playing guitar as a teenager, but his career began in earnest in 1971, when he formed Dr Feelgood with singer Lee Brilleaux, bass player John B Sparks, and drummer John Martin. Johnson was born John Peter Wilkinson in Canvey Island, Essex, in 1947. His presence will be felt for many more years.” “When I interviewed him a few years ago, he was bright, thoughtful and an astonishing story teller. those seeking wisdom and insight will be gripped, astonished and profoundly moved Sunday Times A thoughtful, funny and humane book Spectator If you are a music fan, and even if you are not, it would be hard to recommend this book too highly. “His unique, wired playing and stage presence thrilled and inspired many guitarists, myself included,” he tweeted. Photograph: Ian Dickson/Rex/ShutterstockĪlex Kapranos of Franz Ferdinand was among those to pay tribute to Johnson. Dr Feelgood … Wilko Johnson with Lee Brilleaux and John B Sparks.
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