Old (but really good) article (2015) on Nicky Hopkins which I'm sure there's a few old threads already.. but stumbled across this and found it interesting and a bit timely..
Great article, never knew about his falling out with Ray Davies.. or really how many great artists and albums he appeared on.. What an amazing talent.

After playing with a Who’s Who of classic rock, a brilliant keyboard player remains obscure

"The career of keyboard player Nicky Hopkins coincides with the fabric of classic rock itself. Yet even many classic rock fans worth their salt who can easily rattle off the names of the members of many bands he worked with – The Rolling Stones, Kinks, Who, Led Zeppelin, Jefferson Airplane and even The Beatles as well as Spinal Tap (really, no joke; he played on Break Like the Wind) to name literally but a few – might possibly be stumped to identify Hopkins much less quantify his near-immeasurable contribution to songs and albums so many of us know and love.

It goes without saying that you’ve heard him. Just some of the songs he played on include “Jumping Jack Flash,” “Street Fighting Man,” “Gimme Shelter,” “Tumbling Dice,” “Angie” and “Waiting on a Friend” by the Stones; The single version of “Revolution” by The Beatles as well as John Lennon’s “Imagine,” George Harrison’s “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)” and Ringo Starr’s “You’re Sixteen,” “Sunny Afternoon” and “Days” by The Kinks; “Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere” and “Getting In Tune” by The Who as well as throughout their My Generation and Tommy albums; Jefferson Airplane’s “Volunteers” and “Wooden Ships,” Joe Cocker’s mega-hit “You Are So Beautiful”… again, but a sampling."



[bestclassicbands.com]

One of the heavyweights of the ivories !

All these years have gone by, and one of the most obvious and deserving candidates for a "sideman" induction into the RnR HoF has never been selected.

Imagine "She's A Rainbow" without Nicky. You can't.

Not to forget his divine gospel piano on Loving Cup. A masterpiece that still makes me speechless.

Angie...

Hadn't heard this 'Rambler isolated Hopkins piano track linked in the article on Midnight Rambler before.. From MSG '72

ROLLING STONES with NICKY HOPKINS - Midnight rambler 1972 (ISOLATED PIANO TRACK)
video: [www.youtube.com]

Nice instrumental of Angie with Nicky, Charlie and Bill.
Also hadn't heard before.

the new ALt mix of 100 Years Ago with Mick is outstanding

He’s a marvel. Been looking for the biography in digital form but may have to resort to the old page turner...he’s fantastic on Who By Numbers

Was thinking about Nicky Hopkins and his place in music history just recently. The tracks that were elevated by his playing are innumerable. The Stones alone but the Who, Kinks, Beatles, Airplane, Steve Miller Band...he seemed to go back and forth between the English and SF scenes. He was actually a member of Quicksilver Messenger Service for a bit. I love this track, especially his intro.

[www.youtube.com]

If there is anyone who should be in the R&R Hall of Fame (so called), it is Nicky Hopkins. If he is not already there it is ridiculous.

I got to see him perform in some pretty low key places back when he was living in Mill Valley, with QMS and others. He was always spectacular even when he was losing it big time there for a while. I think I even saw him accompany Mike Bloomfield at that bar joint on Throckmorton (not Sweetwater, this was a little bar where Bloomfield and Naftlin and Gravenites had a weekly gig for a while, I forget the name, just a neighborhood bar basically). You could always tell his signature style.

jb

Nicky Hopkins on confreres:

"The first time I worked with John was in 1968, when I played electric piano on `Revolution.' He was real pleased with the way things went and told me there'd be a lot more sessions he'd be inviting me to. But I didn't see him again until 1971, at his home in Ascot, where he was recording IMAGINE. I reminded him of his comment and asked him why I hadn't been invited to any more sessions. `Well, Nicky,' he said. `we thought you were too involved with the Stones, and we were afraid to ask.' If only I'd known that was the reason!"

From the 1982 book The Ballad of John and Yoko, edited by Jonathan Cott and Christine Douda.

My favorite Stone's keyboardist. His subtle touch is part of what makes the 72 tour so interesting and great.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2020-09-09 22:50 by ryanpow.

Don’t forget great piano on Time Waits For No One

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Rip This
the new ALt mix of 100 Years Ago with Mick is outstanding

"They're All in Love" is among his greatest performances.

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loog droog
All these years have gone by, and one of the most obvious and deserving candidates for a "sideman" induction into the RnR HoF has never been selected.

Imagine "She's A Rainbow" without Nicky. You can't.

I'd add... forgotten by all those musicians Nicky Hopkins helped all through the years.

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loog droog
All these years have gone by, and one of the most obvious and deserving candidates for a "sideman" induction into the RnR HoF has never been selected.

Imagine "She's A Rainbow" without Nicky. You can't.

I'm in there with you all the way

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Wry Cooter


"They're All in Love" is among his greatest performances.

From The Who By Numbers. I agree. Another brilliant Hopkins performance.

It should be noted that the image of Nicky in the first post is the gatefold interior from his Tin Man Was A Dreamer solo album.

I own two different Rolling Stones shirts that belonged to Nicky. He wore one of them onstage at the '72 Philly show. He was great!

The Royal Academy of Music has the Nicky Hopkins Memorial scholarship, funding a young pianist to study.

[community.ram.ac.uk]

Overlooked so far is his epic piano on Sympathy For The Devil.

(Take a moment to reflect on that)

Nicky Hopkins & John Lennon - Open Spotify (20 song playlist)

Enjoy!

So what year did he die and from what?


plexi

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timbernardis
So what year did he die and from what?


plexi

Wikipedia:

Hopkins died on 6 September 1994, at the age of 50, in Nashville, Tennessee, from complications resulting from intestinal surgery related to his lifelong battle with Crohn's disease. At the time of his death, he was working on his autobiography with Ray Coleman. He is survived by his wife, Moira.[17]

what is Crohn's disease?


plexi

Honored to have met and had lunch with him back in the 80s. Very kind man.

Also check out"

JEALOUS GUY - John Lennon

HEY FREDERICK - Jefferson Airplane

SHADY GROVE - Quicksilver Messenger Service

Interestingly on Jimmy Page's website under the 'On This Day' from 1970, the Melody Maker Readers Poll (remember them) has Nicky at #9 in the Pianist/Organist category.

[www.jimmypage.com] - only visible today (16th)

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timbernardis
what is Crohn's disease?


plexi

A digestive issue.

Google it.

"No Anchovies, Please"

I first became aware of him on hearing Monkey Man on headphones. That jazzy little duet intro interplay between Hopkins and Wyman is sublime.

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loog droog
Overlooked so far is his epic piano on Sympathy For The Devil.

(Take a moment to reflect on that)

Very much remembered, appreciated and loved

Nicky Hopkins deserves to be in the HOF (who do we petition )
Don't pay too much attention to it, but found this from 2000, where he should have been included in the new category.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Gives Five Unsung Sidemen Their Due

Odds are the names James Jamerson, Hal Blaine, Earl Palmer, Scotty Moore and Curtis Ousley would be identified correctly on “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” by only the most studious rock aficionado.

But it’s a lock that anyone who has listened to pop music in the last 45 years has heard them play. Repeatedly.

These five musicians performed on hundreds of the biggest hits of the rock era behind Elvis Presley, the Beach Boys, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Little Richard, Fats Domino and dozens more.

Their contributions to rock are staggering, but they’ve received only a fraction of the recognition heaped on the star performers they backed.

That’s why the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year added a new inductee category called Sidemen. Blaine, Palmer and Moore, who was not only Presley’s original guitarist but also his first manager, plan to be on hand tonight at the Waldorf Astoria in New York for their inductions into the new wing, while honors will be given posthumously to Ousley--better known as saxophonist King Curtis--and Jamerson.

“We finally have a vehicle where we can recognize the musicians who have probably played on more of the songs people are familiar with than the stars themselves,” said Terry Stewart, president and chief executive of the Cleveland-based Hall of Fame. “The parts you remember--the hooks, the riffs, the starts, the finishes--were created in their heads.
[www.latimes.com]

Also this from Wiki-
"The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, established in 1983 and located in Cleveland, Ohio, United States, is dedicated to recording the history of some of the best-known and most influential musicians, bands, producers, and others that have in some major way influenced the music industry, particularly in the area of rock and roll.[1] Originally, there were four categories of induction: performers, non-performers, early influences, and lifetime achievement. In 2000, "sidemen" was introduced as a category.

The only category that has seen new inductees every single year is the performers category. Artists become eligible for induction in that category 25 years after the release of their first record.[2] In order to be inducted, an artist must be nominated by a committee that selects a number of candidates, the highest being 16 for the 2020 class."
[en.wikipedia.org]