Short Biography

Nicky Hopkins was a British musician who featured on scores of the most important British and American popular music recordings of the 1960s, 70s, 80s playing piano and organ. He is regarded as one of the most important session musicians in rock history, playing on countless hit recordings by leading British and American acts.

Hopkins began playing piano at the age of three when his mother bought him a piano. At age six, he started private piano lessons then studied piano at the London Royal Academy of Music. He started his musical career in the early 1960s as the pianist with Screaming Lord Sutch`s Savages, which also included Jimmy Page (another session legend and founder of Led Zeppelin). He then joined The Cyril Davies All Stars, one of the first British rhythm & blues bands and played piano on their Country Line Special LP.

Hopkins played piano on The Who`s debut LP, The Who Sings My Generation (1965). He recorded with most of the top British acts of the Sixties including The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who and The Kinks, and on solo albums by John Lennon, Jeff Beck, and others. He also helped define the "San Francisco sound", playing on Jefferson Airplane and Steve Miller Band albums, briefly joined Quicksilver Messenger Service and performed with Jefferson Airplane at the Woodstock Festival.

In 1967 he joined The Jeff Beck Group, formed by former Yardbirds guitarist Jeff Beck, with vocalist Rod Stewart, bassist Ron Wood and drummer Micky Waller and he played on their influential LPs Truth and Beck-Ola.

Hopkins released a solo album in 1973 entitled The Tin Man Was a Dreamer. Other musicians who appeared on the album include George Harrison (credited as George O`Hara), Mick Taylor of the Rolling Stones and Prairie Prince who would go on to drum for subversive punks The Tubes. The album is a rare opportunity to hear Hopkins sing and was rereleased (Columbia) in 2004.

Hopkins worked with The Beatles on each of their albums starting with "Sgt. Pepper`s," writing the piano parts for several songs. Hopkins rarely appeared on any Beatle recordings, the final takes played by George Martin or John or Paul, but Hopkins` unmistakable playing can be heard in the up-tempo single version of "Revolution," and he did a piano overdub on the single version of "Hey Jude" and plays extensively on the White Album. With John Lennon, he recorded perhaps his most beautiful piano work on songs like "Jealous Guy" and "Scared." He accompanies Lennon on the classic "Imagine" to give the song its full sound.

Hopkins` huge list of session credits over four decades additionally includes The Creation (group), Joe Cocker, Donovan, The Easybeats, Randy Newman, Jackie Lomax, George Harrison, Harry Nilsson, Marc Bolan, David Bowie, Duncan Browne, Jack Bruce, Belinda Carlisle, Cheech & Chong, Climax Blues Band, Peter Frampton, Jerry Garcia, Art Garfunkel, Lowell George, Roy Harper, Julio Iglesias, Alexis Korner, Nils Lofgren, Paul McCartney, Meatloaf, Gary Moore, Yoko Ono (The Wedding Album), Graham Parker & The Rumour, The Pretty Things, The Pointer Sisters, Leo Sayer, Carly Simon, Spinal Tap, Rick Springfield, Ringo Starr, Rod Stewart, The Strawbs, Matthew Sweet, Joe Walsh, Jennifer Warnes, Carl Wilson, Ron Wood and Bill Wyman.

Nicky Hopkins is remembered as one of the greatest players of all time in one of the greatest eras of musical and cultural history.

Miscellaneous Information

Friends and Family

Mick Jagger [Associate]

John Cipollina [Associate]

Paul (in austria) [Brother] ((not the actor Paul Hopkins))

Julia (in London) [Sister]

Dee (in London) [Sister]

Alfred Hopkins [Father]

Freda Hopkins [Mother]

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