‘Played on over 250 albums’: was Nicky Hopkins the greatest unsung pianist ever?
In one of the Rolling Stones' most vital songs, Sympathy for the Devil, it is not Keith Richards' guitar that characterises the melody or drives the number. It's a series of stark piano chords struck by a studio musician that give the piece its powerful and uplifting quality. Likewise, in the Who's well-known cut The Song is Over, it's not Pete Townshend's six-string that provides the song's most mournful pull. It's a piano progression, provided by a guest musician, that lends it that melancholic beauty. Similarly, in Joe Cocker's huge hit You Are So Beautiful, Cocker finds his ideal partner in a series of guest piano runs so intricate that they alter the song's direction, ultimately elevating it to new heights.
In each of these instances, the piano work originated from the inventive mind and deft fingers of Nicky Hopkins, a keyboard legend who was in high demand by numerous prominent musicians from the classic rock world and beyond. Among others, Hopkins played with the Rolling Stones on over a dozen albums, and also collaborated with the Beatles, creating a legendary solo for their song Revolution. He was instrumental in contributing to the solo works of each member of the Beatles, including nearly every track on John Lennon's iconic album Imagine, and was a part of classic recordings by British bands such as the Kinks and the Move, as well as American acts like Jefferson Airplane and the Steve Miller Band. Additionally, he was a member of two influential bands: the Jeff Beck Group, which featured Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood, and Quicksilver Messenger Service, who played a significant role in defining the psychedelic sound of San Francisco in the 1960s.
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In total, Nicky appeared on over 250 albums," said Michael Treen, director of the documentary The Session Man about the pianist. "However, unfortunately, he's still largely unknown to the general public, with his many contributions to music having gone unacknowledged.
In a few instances, he also didn't receive the proper financial reward for his services. Although the film accurately describes Hopkins as a session musician, his contributions to certain tracks he recorded had such a significant impact on the song's overall structure that he would have been justified in receiving a co-writing credit. "Nicky wasn't simply playing on the song," Treen said, "he was playing an important part in its development."
Despite Nicky Hopkins' tragically short life, which ended at the age of 50 in 1994, he had little to his name. "He was living in a small two-room apartment in Nashville and his wife was a waitress," observed Julian Dawson, author of the 2011 book And on Piano … Nicky Hopkins. "He was far from the success his talents merited."
To demonstrate it, Dawson included in his book a scan of the royalty statement issued to EMI Records, showing how much Hopkins earned for his contribution to the Beatles' song Revolution. "He was paid six pounds ten shillings for that session," Dawson pointed out. "I struggle to think of a better example of the unfairness of the situation."
Achieving financial stability was not the sole injustice to befall Hopkins. He was also troubled by Crohn's disease, a condition infamous for causing digestive problems that were poorly understood at the time. This crippling illness caused Hopkins to be frequently ill and emaciated for most of his life, eventually leading to his premature demise.
Such less-than-flattering aspects of Hopkins's life are somewhat glossed over in Treen's documentary. "This isn't a straightforward, candid film," the director acknowledged. Rather, he aimed to showcase "a man filled with a sense of wonder and enchantment," he said.
It was a gift that shone through early on. "His mother recalls him reaching for the piano keys from as young as three," Dawson said. "That's what people said about Mozart."
In the family home in Middlesex where he spent his childhood, Hopkins turned out to be a skilled pianist, who by his teenage years, received a scholarship to attend London's prestigious Royal Academy of Music. At the same time, his older sisters were heavily into rock 'n' roll, particularly drawn to pianists like Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis. By the time he was 16, Hopkins was studying classical music during the day, while in the evenings he would perform in a band led by the flamboyant British musician Screaming Lord Sutch. It was a marked fusion that distinguished his playing, combining as it did, his technical proficiency and emotion with the influence of distinct musical styles. "This young man from a London suburb who played classical piano had the unique ability to channel the blues of Chicago and the rock 'n' roll of Memphis," Dawson noted, "he could sight-read with ease, yet he could also rock out."
While undergoing treatment for a debilitating condition, the musician suffered a near-fatal hospitalisation at the age of 19, where parts of his intestines were removed, resulting in a significant deterioration of his physical health. "After that," Dawson stated, "he believed he would no longer be able to tour."
Some of his earliest studio credits were with influential British rock groups like the Kinks and the Who, who were also produced by the early producer, Shel Talmy. He was recommended to work with Talmy by another musician, who praised him as being exceptional. "I was advised to take a look at Nicky by a fellow musician, saying he was brilliant," Talmy stated. "I investigated and found he was. He consistently produced exactly the right sounds for what I was striving to achieve, without ever needing to be told specifically what to do. He had an intuitive sense of the perfect contribution to make."
In 1965, Hopkins collaborated with Talmy and the Kinks on all but one track for their album The Kink Kontroversy. The following year, the band's leader, Ray Davies, penned a song called Session Man for him, although the song's lyrics satirically depicted the type of musician who worked in studios solely for payment, whereas Hopkins was genuinely passionate about music and was well-liked in his bands. Hopkins' relationship with the Kinks ultimately deteriorated by the time of his last sessions; he felt that Davies was taking credit for piano work that he had actually done.
In fact, Nicky got on so well with The Who that they gave him co-writing credit on their instrumental track 'The Ox' from their first album, 'My Generation'. "He's got an outstanding part in the song where the rest of the band unexpectedly stop playing without saying anything to him, Nicky picks up the pace again and keeps going for several bars."
No surprise, The Who wanted him to join the band, but he declined mainly due to health reasons. He was also in high demand for other session work, thanks to his ability to come up with a wide range of guitar variations on the spot, as well as his technical skills. "When Ritchie Blackmore, who was still doing session work in London before joining Deep Purple, told me that if a producer walked in and said 'we need to change the keys', the musicians would get flustered," Dawson explained. "They'd then turn to Nicky to write it down for them."
One aspect that drew Nicky to this was his charming and unassuming nature. "He could walk into the studio and provide assistance to the song when needed," suggested Dawson, "without dominating the proceedings or insisting on centre stage."
Talmy was thoroughly impressed by Hopkins's work to the extent that he even produced a solo album for him in 1966 entitled The Revolutionary Piano Work of Nicky Hopkins. The keyboardist's collaboration with the Stones began in 1967 for the album Their Satanic Majesties Request and gained significant momentum at a pivotal time in the band's history. As Brian Jones's drug addiction was intensifying, Hopkins's role in the band grew. In the single She's a Rainbow, his piano and harpsichord comprised the entire melody. Two years later, the Stones' track Monkey Man was opened with an enigmatic piano trill that not only yielded a memorable hook, it also added to the song's haunting enchantment. In an interview for the documentary, Treen said, "Keith Richards virtually acknowledged that Nicky was responsible for a lot of Stones' songs." However, all those pieces were nonetheless attributed to Jagger/Richards. When Dawson questioned Richards about this matter for his book, the guitarist replied nonchalantly: "Well, that's the Stones for you."
In 1968, Jimmy Page, who had previously worked extensively with Hopkins, invited him to join the New Yardbirds. However, Hopkins turned down the offer because he didn't believe the group would be successful. He instead joined Jeff Beck's band because it was set to embark on a US tour, an opportunity that at the time had long fascinated him. A particularly beautiful piece he wrote for Beck's band, called 'Girl from Mill Valley,' showcases his compositional abilities. Unfortunately, Beck's band broke up during the tour, and Hopkins remained in the United States, moving to the west coast, where he became a key figure in the area's psychedelic scene. He was instrumental in contributing to the piano work on Jefferson Airplane's 'Volunteers' album and performed with them at Woodstock. He also received a rare co-writing credit with the Steve Miller Band on their graceful song 'Baby's House.' Hopkins then joined Quicksilver, which had previously been a dual guitar-driven band, and added a piano element that proved to be highly effective. A nine-minute song he composed for Quicksilver in 1970, 'Edward, the Mad Shirt Grinder,' featured incredibly fast piano runs and jazzy breakbeats that made it a staple of FM radio.
"Nicky's contributions are quite astounding, not only did they play a significant part in the highly innovative period in London's 1960s music scene, but they also had a considerable influence on the West Coast's US music scene," said Peter Frampton, who first met Hopkins when they were both involved in George Harrison's 1970 album, All Things Must Pass.
Later, Frampton had Hopkins contribute to his self-released solo album from 1972, Something's Happening. "Nicky played on two tracks and transformed them both into piano numbers," Frampton recollected with amusement. "In each instance, he was the standout component of the song."
Despite the high standard of his work, Hopkins became heavily reliant on drugs and alcohol in the 1970s, a habit partly fuelled by his attempts to cope with the pain of his illness, and partly as a result of his experiences touring with The Stones during a period of great excess. "He was someone who shouldn't have been using these substances," Dawson noted. "Unlike Keith, he lacked the resilience to deal with the consequences."
Dawson recounted, "Nicky got the boot from Joe Cocker's tour for binge drinking, which is no mean feat in that lot!"
Hopkins' behaviour improved in later life, but he remained in poor health, needing frequent hospital stays. His peak period of work had passed, although he still secured smaller jobs and achieved some success in the Japanese film soundtrack industry. The Stones later helped towards his growing medical expenses, but a poorly performed operation ultimately led to his demise. Treen stated, “In effect, he died of a heart attack brought on by the pain he was in. This pain was as a result of gangrene in his stomach caused by the surgery. Even if he had managed to recover from the heart attack, who knows how far the gangrene would have spread?”
Despite producing a vast and influential body of work, Dawson believes that Hopkins had even more to offer. It is a source of regret for him and others that the pianist is now largely remembered only by enthusiasts of classic rock music from his era. "I find it hard to think of anyone else who contributed to as many iconic recordings and played such a pivotal behind-the-scenes role in the studio," Dawson said. "While Hopkins may not have been a household name or a fixture on the red carpet, his influence was undeniable."
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