Wilko Johnson (born John Peter Wilkinson, 12 July 1947) is an English singer, guitarist, songwriter and actor. He was a member of the pub rock/rhythm and blues band Dr. Feelgood in the 1970s.
Johnson and Dr Feelgood were an influence on the English punk movement. Paul Weller has said of Johnson: "Wilko may not be as famous as some other guitarists, but he's right up there. And there are a lot of people who'll say the same. I can hear Wilko in lots of places. It's some legacy."
Born in Canvey Island, Essex, Johnson went to Westcliff High School for Boys and played in several local groups, before attending the University of Newcastle upon Tyne to study for a BA in English Language and Literature. His undergraduate course included Anglo-Saxon and ancient Icelandic sagas.
After graduating, he travelled overland to India, before returning to Essex to play with the Pigboy Charlie Band. The band evolved into Dr. Feelgood – a mainstay of the 1970s pub rock movement. After returning from Goa, Johnson worked in 1972, for less than a year, as an English teacher.
In 1965 Johnson bought his first Fender Telecaster from a shop in Southend, Essex for £90 (equivalent to £1,599 as of 2016). He still played a vintage 1962 Fender Telecaster with rosewood finger board which he bought in 1974, shortly after Dr. Feelgood signed their first record deal. Originally of sunburst-coloured body with white pickguard, Johnson later refinished it in black and added a red pickguard.
Johnson's musical style underpinned the early years of Dr Feelgood. A style that has been cited as one of the founding influences of the British punk movement. Jean-Jacques Burnel of The Stranglers says "I often say to journalists there is a bridge between the old times and the punk times. That bridge is exclusively the Feelgoods, it allowed us to go from one thing to another. That's the connection, the DNA. This influence was explored in the 2009 documentary about Dr Feelgood, Oil City Confidential. Reviewing Johnson's autobiography, Mark Blake of Q magazine said "In the mid-70s the band's brutish R&B and their guitarist's eye-popping thousand-yard stare inspired a young John Lydon, Paul Weller and Suggs from Madness. Looking Back at Me secures the man born John Wilkinson's reputation as one of British rock's most unique characters. Wilko recalls his childhood on Canvey Island and how he followed the '60s hippy trail to Goa ... before helping invent punk with Dr Feelgood." The BBC4 three-part documentary series Punk Britannia, first aired in May 2012, also stressed the importance of Dr Feelgood as "pub rockers, a generation of bands sandwiched between 60s hippies and mid-70s punks who will help pave the way towards the short, sharp shock of punk".
In February 2017, The Wave Pictures released a vinyl EP titled Canvey Island Baby, which features five covers of Johnson-penned tracks and an additional song, the title track written by the band's singer/guitarist David Tattersall.
There is no schedule or ticket right now.
日本、〒150-0042 東京都渋谷区宇田川町３２−１３ 4・5F Map
日本、〒460-0008 愛知県名古屋市中区栄３丁目２９−１ 名古屋 PARCO 東館 8・9F Map
日本、〒530-0051 大阪府大阪市北区太融寺町８−１７ Map
日本、〒600-8061 京都府京都市下京区筋屋町１３９−４ Map
日本、〒730-0035 広島県広島市中区本通１０−１ Map