Nicky Hopkins died 30 years ago, on 6 September 1994. You have heard his work even if you are wondering who he is. Nicky Hopkins played piano and organ on some of the best rock songs of the past 50 years.
He was known as the ultimate session man. Over a 30 year period he played on over 250 albums, as described in the trailer to the fascinating documentary of his life, The Session Man:
Here are ten songs that feature the wonderful keyboards of Nicky Hopkins
The Kinks - Sunny Afternoon
Hopkins add a touch of colour to this great track, his piano following the descending guitar lines and his melodica sounding like a wheezing accordion throughout. This is typical of Hopkins, adding elements that make the songs without you noticing.
The Creation - Biff Bang Pow
On this superb British garage rock track Hopkins uses a cantering piano bounce that adds a clever touch of colour to the background. You might not even feel it’s there unless it was removed, and then you’d miss it. It’s a vital part of the song.
The Beatles - Revolution
Not many people got to play with The Beatles, and not many got to contribute such memorable parts, but its Nicky Hopkins adding that remarkable, rolling electric piano that adds so much style to George Harrison’s strange guitar solo. This was The Beatles playing a sonic overload of electric rock music, and Hopkins makes a perfect contribution.
Jeff Beck - You Shook Me
Whilst the key to this song is Jeff Beck’s amazing guitar work and how it suits Rod Stewart’s voice so well, you must hear the way Nicky Hopkins’ piano plays and links with John Paul Jones’ Hammond organ. The interplay drives the song on, and gives Beck and his band something to play with. Beck’s fuzz guitar rules the song and points to where heavy metal could be found, but the keyboards remind us this is a blues song, and a classic at that.
Jefferson Airplane - Wooden Ships
Hopkins is on half of the tracks on Jefferson Airplane’s Volunteers, from 1969. This one, written by David Crosby, Paul Kantner, Stephen Stills is a superb version of the track, released a few months earlier on the Crosby, Sills and Nash debut album. This post apocalyptic tale features delicate piano from Nicky Hopkins throughout, adding to a sense of doom with the clever chords he plays.
The Rolling Stones - Monkey Man
Hopkins is all over the Stones work, playing on all their studio albums from Their Satanic Majesties Request in 1967 until Tattoo You in 19811. His most famous piano licks are probably the descending groove of We Love You, the pretty lines of She’s a Rainbow and the driving chords on Sympathy for the Devil. On Monkey Man he contributes the perfect, ringing, tinkling sounds of menace, helping create one of their greatest songs.
The Who - Let’s See Action
Nicky Hopkins appears on a number of songs by The Who, including on both the My Generation album and Who’s Next. Allegedly, Pete Townshend said to him, “if you would ever like to join a band, we'd love to be considered first” and although he didn’t become a permanent member, he consider The Who to be his favourite band to work with. Let’s See action features his piano as the major instrument, pushing the groove ahead of the acoustic guitar chords
Jagger, Watts, Wyman, Hopkins & Cooder - Jamming with Edward!
Recorded a few years before its release, this album was taped during down time when the Stones were making Let It Bleed. It’s a collection of loose, grooving jams by the band of friends recorded over one evening. The “Edward” of the title is Hopkins, a nickname given to him by Brian Jones. It shows how easily Hopkins could stand shoulder to shoulder with talents like Ry Cooder and Charlie Watts.
George Harrison - Be Here Now
Nicky Hopkins add small piano touches to this song from 1973’s Living in the Material World. It’s driven by George Harrison’s acoustic guitar and featuring organ stabs from Gary Wright, but Hopkins piano plays in the background of beautiful song. Hopkins played on a few of Harrison’s post-Beatles tracks demonstrating the kind of contributions he made to 60s and 70s music.
Nicky Hopkins - Edward
Whilst helping to record Living in the Material World during the week, Hopkins worked in his second2 solo album, The Tin Man Was a Dreamer, at the weekend. There are some lovely Enough piano folk track on this but I have chosen the intricate instrumental Edward as it was his nickname and because it’s full of drama and wonderful flourishes form Hopkins. It’s him at the piano, but also at the organs, and the track grooves. The album featured contributions from the Stones’ Mick Taylor and this song has some great horns from Bobby Keys, Jim Price and Jim Horn. This track boasts a sliding guitar solo from George Harrison.
Take some time today to remember Nicky Hopkins and some of the contributions he made. Let me know your favourites of his session work in the comments.
The full playlist
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Except for Some Girls in 1978. He may well have been ill. He battled with Crohn’s disease throughout his life
His first, The Revolutionary Piano of Nicky Hopkins, was a collection of easy listening versions of classics like Satisfaction, Love Letters and Yesterday.
Favorites of his of mine: "The Ox", done with the Who (he was listed as a co-writer with Townshend, Entwhistle, and Moon) and "Edward (The Mad Shirt Grinder)", his own composition done with the American band Quicksilver Messenger Service, of which he was briefly a member.
There was no one like him. Thanks for this!