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Wilko johnson book signing6/11/2023 Read the family’s death announcement and see some tributes to Johnson an d aclassic 1975 performance below. Johnson continued playing shows until just weeks before his passing and at press time no cause of death had been revealed. I really admired him and we’ll all miss him. This show was originally billed as his farewell tour, but, thankfully, he continued performing and thrilling crowds until recently. I saw Wilko perform at Koko in Camden in May 2013 and the atmosphere was electric. “I’m sad to hear today of the passing of Wilko Johnson, the Dr Feelgood guitarist and singer/songwriter. Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page also paid homage to the player whose unique style was beloved among his fellow six-stringers. He does it right RIP.” Blondie guitarist Chris Stein also weighed in, writing, “I frequently remind people how Dr Feelgood was an influence on the early New York and CBGBs music scene. Rotten, Strummer and Weller learned a lot from his edgy demeanour. His guitar playing was angry and angular, but his presence – twitchy, confrontational, out of control – was something we’d never beheld before in UK pop. He released what was deemed his “final” album Going Back Home with the Who’s Roger Daltrey in March 2014 and then revealed that he had been misdiagnosed and was cancer-free later that year after undergoing a lengthy surgery to remove a massive tumor in his abdomen.Īmong those paying tribute were fellow British rocker Billy Bragg, who said that Johnson was a “precursor of punk. 2013, opting to skip chemotherapy after doctors told him he had less than a year to live. ![]() 2012 due to illness, Johnson shared that he was diagnosed with late stage pancreatic cancer in Jan. Between his signature slashing style and thousand-yard stare on stage, Johnson is credited with influencing a generation of performers in British punk and post-punk bands (Sex Pistols, Gang of Four, The Jam, The Clash) who sometimes mimicked his bug-eyed look and quirky style on stage.Īfter cancelling a show last minute in Nov. Wilko: Yeah, so while it’s all happening and the album’s getting really successful, I’m just lying there all groggy, like ‘Oh Good.’ laughs Talk about a comeback album Norman: Coming back from the dead Wilko: It’s weird - when I was given a diagnosis I was calm. ![]() He continued to perform and record with his eponymous band through the 2000s, releasing more a dozen albums and EPs, while also occasionally taking on acting roles, including a quirky slot as mute executioner Ser Ilyn Payne on four episodes of Game of Thrones. Johnson went on to form the bands the Solid Senders, as well as the Wilko Johnson Band, before briefly joining English pub punker Ian Dury’s band, the Blockheads, in 1980. The group - whose albums were a mix of covers and blues standards along with originals largely written by Johnson during his tenure - has released more than a dozen albums to date Johnson only appeared on their first three studio efforts ( Down By the Jetty (1975), Malpractice (1975) and Sneakin’ Suspicion (1977) and Stupidity, before splitting from the group in 1977 amid reported conflicts with singer Brilleaux. Though they bristled at the term “pub rock,” the band were known for their raucous, energetic performances, best captured on their UK No.
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