There has been renewed interest in Johnson's career in the 21st century, due largely to director Julien Temple's Oil City Confidential, a documentary about Dr. Johnson finally had the opportunity to release another album, Going Back Home for Mystic. Ramundo was replaced in 1988 by Steve Monti (ex-Curve) for the Barbed Wire Blues tour and remained in the band - which toured almost literally nonstop throughout Europe and Japan for the next decade - until he tired of touring and was replaced by ex-Blockhead Dylan Howe. The latter was the first recording with his new regular group, the Wilko Johnson Band, featuring Watt-Roy and drummer Salvatore Ramundo.

In early 1981, Johnson released his second album, Ice on the Motorway, and two years later issued the EP Bottle Up and Go! with Lew Lewis several small-scale LPs, mostly for European labels, followed over the '80s: 1984's Pull the Cover, 1985's Watch Out!, 1987's Call It What You Want, and 1988's Barbed Wire Blues. The following year, Johnson joined Ian Dury's Blockheads, where he remained until 1980 there he met bassist Norman Watt-Roy, who later became a regular collaborator. They signed to Virgin in 1978 and released the LP Solid Senders that year. Johnson soon formed a backing band called the Solid Senders, which featured keyboardist John Potter, bassist Steve Lewins, and drummer Alan Platt. However, tensions between Johnson and the rest of the group led to his departure toward the end of 1977. The band released its debut album, Down by the Jetty, in 1975 Johnson stayed for two more studio albums (Malpractice and Sneakin' Suspicion) and the chart-topping live document Stupidity, contributing a number of fine original songs. Feelgood played locally for a couple of years and made their debut in London in the summer of 1973 their distinctively scruffy image and menacing energy soon made them a hot commodity on the pub rock circuit. Feelgood, and quickly became one of their focal points thanks to his maniacally intense stage presence. In 1971, after returning from a trip to India, he joined the band that became Dr. He studied at Newcastle University beginning in 1967, but returned home during breaks to keep up his musical activities. Born John Wilkinson (which he inverted to come up with his stage name) in 1947, Johnson grew up in the coastal Canvey Island area, and played around the local music scene during the '60s (often in jug bands).

Feelgood, one of British pub rock's greatest bands, Wilko Johnson went on to a long solo career playing the kind of rootsy, R&B-based rock & roll he loved.

Wilko johnson documentary