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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZHOPKINS, Nicky(b 24 Feb. '44, south London; d 6 Sept. '94, Nashville TN) Prolific rock session pianist, inspired by Johnnie Johnson on Chuck Berry's early hits. Began playing at age three, attended Royal Academy of Music '56--60 and turned pro with Screaming Lord Sutch, then the Cyril Davies All Stars (his electric piano on 'Country Line Special' marked him out), followed by 18 months in hospital suffering from exhaustion and emotional problems. He played on the Who's debut My Generation '65 and two later albums; Ray Davies wrote 'Session Man' about him for the Kinks' Face To Face '66. Two ex-Yardbirds guitarists were forming groups, and Hopkins went with Jeff Beck, whose groups never lasted long, instead of Jimmy Page, whose group became Led Zeppelin. His obituaries said he played on the Beatles' 'Revolution' '68. He formed group Sweet Thursday for an album of that name '69, but having sessioned with Jefferson Airplane during a Beck tour he decided to relocate to the USA West Coast the same year. He worked and recorded with the Steve Miller Band, Quicksilver Messenger Service (album Shady Grove), Art Garfunkel, Carly Simon, George Harrison, Ringo Starr and at least two John Lennon albums (Imagine and Walls And Bridges) but was most famous for more than a dozen albums with the Rolling Stones, playing on such classics as 'Sympathy For The Devil' and 'Angie', a US no. 1 '73. His own albums were The Revolutionary Piano Of Nicky Hopkins '66, The Tin Man Was A Dreamer '73 and No More Changes '75; he worked with the Anglo-American band Night, incl. 'Hot Summer Nights', a USA top 20 '79. He was tempted back on stage by Graham Parker '80 to dep for Bob Andrews in Rumour, but took it easy in that decade; he had decided to return to more formal music in the '90s, but was always in delicate health and died suddenly following surgery. |