Nicky Hopkins
Nicky
Hopkins was probably one of the best known session musicians from the sixties
and seventies. Crohn’s disease prevented him from being part of any band for a
long time, making it hard for him to tour, so he made a living by doing session
dates - a fact for which we all may be grateful, since it gave us so much
good music. Below you can find Nicky’s musical career in thirty songs.
Screaming Lord Sutch & The Savages - Til The Following Night
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Hopkins
first took lessons from a local piano teacher and later attended the Royal
Academy of Music in London. He quit school in 1960 at age sixteen to join
Screaming Lord Sutch & The Savages, backing David ‘Lord’ Sutch with
guitarist Bernie Watson, bassist Rick Brown (better known as Ricky Fenson) and
drummer Carlo Little. Only one single was released by this line up: ‘Til The
Following Night, backed with Good Golly Miss Molly, two rock ‘n’ roll songs
obviously inspired by Little Richard.
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Cyril Davies & His Rhythm & Blues All Stars - Country Line Special
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In October
1962, the four Savages started backing harmonica player Cyril Davies, who had
then just quit his band Blues Incorporated. With singer Long John Baldry, they
cut two tracks for Pye Records, the originals Country Line Special and Chicago
Calling, credited to Cyril Davies & His Rhythm & Blues All Stars. In
May 1963, Hopkins left the band and spend one and a half year bed-ridden.
Meanwhile, Davies had died of leukaemia. By Christmas 1964, Hopkins left the
hospital and decided to pursue a career as session musician.
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All Stars featuring Jimmy Page - Down In The Boots
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In July
1965, future Yardbirds and Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page produced some recordings
with former members of Cyril Davies’ R&B All-Stars for the Immediate label.
Steelin’, Chuckles, L.A. Breakdown and Down In The Boots, performed by Hopkins,
Cliff Barton and Carlo Little with either Jeff Beck (the first two songs) or
Jimmy Page (the last two songs) on guitar, were finally released on the 1971 Guitar Boogie album.
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The Who - La-La-La Lies
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Nicky’s big
break came when he started working for American record producer Shel Talmy, who
was working for the Kinks and the Who at this time. Hopkins played piano for
the Who on the single Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere and on all of The Who’s debut
album, December 1965 My Generation,
except I Can’t Explain. His melodic playing is particularly evident on the
Townshend original La-La-La Lies, while he got a co-writing credit for the
instrumental song The Ox, an improvisation by Pete Townshend, John ‘the ox’
Entwistle, Keith Moon and Nicky Hopkins.
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At the same
time, Hopkins recorded a first solo album under the supervision of the same
Shel Talmy during the My Generation sessions. The difference between The Who’s
debut and The Revolutionary Piano Of
Nicky Hopkins couldn’t possibly have been bigger. Hopkins’ solo debut
contained easy listening classics embellished by orchestrations courtesy of
David Whittaker and wordless backing vocals by the Mike Sammes Singers, plus
rearrangements of the Beatles’ Yesterday and the Stones’s (I Can’t Get No)
Satisfaction - ironically, Hopkins later contributed some of his best playing
to albums of both bands.
Pretty Things - Midnight To Six Man
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By now,
Hopkins was one of the most in-demand session musicians, playing on records by
the Easybeats, Marc Bolan and P.J. Proby among others. He helped the Pretty
Things make the British Top 50 with what was probably their best original song,
Midnight To Six Man. Backing singer and harmonica player Phil May, guitarists
Dick Taylor and Brian Pendleton, bassist John Stax and drummer Skip Alan was
also organist Margo Lewis, from all-female band Goldie & The Gingerbreads.
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The Kinks - Sunny Afternoon
Shel Talmy
took his session boffin along with him to the band that had originally inspired
the Who to record their debut single I Can’t Explain, the Kinks. For three
years, Hopkins performed on every studio album by The Kinks, from The Kink Kontroversy over Face To Face and Something Else By The Kinks up to The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society, which
included hit songs such as Dead End Street, Waterloo Sunset, Mister Pleasant
and Days.
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Hopkins
plays both piano and the melodica solo on the Kinks hit Sunny Afternoon. “When
we recorded Sunny Afternoon, Shel insisted that Nicky copy my plodding piano
style”, Davies said. “Other musicians would have been insulted but Nicky seemed
to get inside my style, and he played exactly as I would have. No ego. Perhaps
that was his secret.”
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Nicky’s harpsichord playing provided the opening for Session Man, a song Ray Davies wrote about the life out of the spotlights of session musicians, with Hopkins in mind: “He never will forget at all the day he played at the Albert Hall, a million sessions ago it seems. He is a session man, a chord progression, a top musician, he’s not paid to think, just play”.
Jeff Beck - Beck’s Bolero
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Nicky
Hopkins was almost a member of what could have been the first supergroup. On 16
May 1966, Yardbirds guitarist Jeff Beck, session guitarist Jimmy Page, session
pianist Nicky Hopkins, session bassist John Paul Jones and The Who drummer
Keith Moon assembled in the IBC Studios London to record their take on Maurice
Ravel’s Bolero. Afterwards, they spoke about forming a band with The Who’s John
Entwistle instead of Jones. Things fell through however and Beck’s Bolero was
only released in March 1967 as the B-side to the Jeff Beck solo single Hi Ho
Silver Lining.
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Cat Stevens - Matthew And Son
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At the end
of 1966, Hopkins contributed his piano playing to Matthew And Son, the title
track of Cat Stevens’s March 1967 debut album. Also playing on the track were
guitarist and singer Alun Davies, who would later accompany Stevens from 1970
to 1977, and bassist John Paul Jones.
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The Move - Wild Tiger Woman
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Nicky also
played on the eponymous debut album of The Move, released in March 1968, adding
piano to the Moby Grape cover Hey Grandma and harpsichord to Mist On A Monday
Morning. The same month, he recorded the single A-side Wild Tiger Woman,
obviously inspired by Jimi Hendrix, with the band led by guitarist and singer
Roy Wood.
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