Yes I saw this on Facebook. Wilco actually headlined our island's one and only blues festival in 2012. He was making a comeback too, very sad news indeed ! Dr Feelgood were a great band, live in particular. A documentary of their rise to fame was produced some years back, "Oil City Confidential". I think MLB may have seen them live during their early days. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaybV46MA6E
On Thursday, January 10, 2013 10:05:23 PM UTC, C.R. Domino wrote: > Dr. Feelgood guitarist Wilko Johnson has terminal cancer > > Jan. 8, 2013, 7:00 PM EST > > By Marc Schneider, N.Y. , Billboard > > > Billboard -- Influential guitarist Wilko Johnson, formerly of British pub > rock band Dr. Feelgood, has been diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer > and only has months to live. Announcing the news on Facebook, Johnson's > manager Robert Hoy said the rocker had decided against chemotherapy. > > "He is currently in good spirits, is not yet suffering any physical > effects and can expect to enjoy at least another few months of reasonable > health and activity," Hoy said. > > The guitarist will spend those months performing in Japan and France, > followed by a series of farewell shows in the UK. A final studio album is > also in the works, according to Hoy's statement. > > Johnson co-founded Dr. Feelgood in 1971 and performed on the band's first > four studio albums, including 1975's "Down By the Jetty" and their lone UK > No. 1, 1976's "Stupidity." His no-pick, open handed playing technique and > frantic stage persona were integral to the band's appeal. The group's > back-to-basics R&B/rock style eased the path from glam to punk. > > Since leaving Dr. Feelgood in 1977, Johnson has gone on to front his own > band, The Wilko Johnson Band, and he was briefly a member of Ian Dury and > the Blockheads. > > Music aside, Johnson has branched into acting in recent years and scored > the role as a mute executioner on HBO's "Game of Thrones." He appeared in > four episodes of the hit fantasy series. "Next up I'd like to play a bit of > Shakespeare," he said in a 2011 interview with the Halstead Gazette. "I'm a > bit old for Romeo or Hamlet, but King Lear perhaps?" > > Full Statement on Johnson's Health: > > *I am very sad to announce that Wilko has recently been diagnosed with > terminal cancer of the pancreas. He has chosen not to receive any > chemotherapy. He is currently in good spirits, is not yet suffering any > physical effects and can expect to enjoy at least another few months of > reasonable health and activity. He has just set off on a trip to Japan; on > his return we plan to complete a new CD, make a short tour of France, then > give a series of farewell gigs in the UK. There is also a live DVD in the > pipeline, filmed on the last UK tour. Wilko wishes to offer his sincere > thanks for all the support he has had over his long career, from those who > have worked with him to, above all, those devoted fans and admirers who > have attended his live gigs, bought his recordings and generally made his > life such an extraordinarily full and eventful experience. Thank you. > Robert Hoy (Manager)* >
