Merci à Daniel Rapina !

GUITARIST Wilko Johnson has left Dr. Feelgood - on the eve of a major British tour by the band.

Johnson, who was a founder member, parted company with the Feelgoods over musical differences. Fred Munt, The band's tour manager, told the MM that the split came when the rest of the band "called Wilko's bluff".

"Wilko gave an ultimatum that if they recorded a track called 'Lucky Seven', he would leave the band. He didn’t feel it was the Feelgoods’ type of music. But the rest of the band and the record company loved the song and insisted that it stay on the album." he said.

The tour, which opens at Exeter University on May 12, will be the debut of a new guitarist unnamed but already rehearsing with the rest of the band. He is from Southend.

Before leaving the band, Johnson recorded a new album with the Feelgoods at Rock-?eld Studios in Wales. It is scheduled for release in mid-May. Johnson has not yet announced what his future plans are.

The FeeIgoods tour is designed to cover the areas not regularly played by the band. Including, in response to letters from fans, two West Country dates. The band plan to tour Britain again in September, following their return from the USA.

The full tour schedule is : EXETER University (May 12), BRACKNELL Sports Centre (13). CRAWLEV Sports Centre (14), WOLVERHAMPTON Civic Hall (15), NORWICH St. Andrews Hall (17), IPSWICH Gaumont (18), LONDON Hammersmith Odeon (19), MALVERN Winter Gardens (20), SALFORD University (21) and COVENTRY ‘Theatre (72).

Support on the tour is the Lew Lewis Band.