The Session Man is a captivating music documentary that dives deep into the life and career of Nicky Hopkins, one of rock and roll’s most influential yet often overlooked pianists. Known for his exceptional work as a session musician, Hopkins contributed to some of the greatest hits of the 20th century, collaborating with iconic bands and artists. This film aims to shed light on his remarkable journey and lasting impact on the music industry.
The filmmakers have taken a balanced approach, blending technical analysis of Hopkins’ music with personal stories and historical context. This not only highlights his professional achievements but also provides insight into his personality and the challenges he faced. The narrative is driven by a combination of voice-over narration (courtesy of “Whispering Bob” Harris) and on-screen interviews, creating a dynamic and immersive experience for the viewer.
His work spanned styles and genres and as one of the few people who worked with The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and The Who, his resume speaks for itself. As Harry Shearer (who worked with Hopkins for a track in the faux metal band Spinal Tap) quite aptly noted, “It was his job to make good music better.”
The film is a gathering of Hopkins’ collaborators and admirers who worked with him over the decades. Onstage and in the studio, he was entrusted to bring life and color to music that might not otherwise catch fire with an audience or listeners in an environment that could be quick to judge someone unfavorably.
Hopkins, born in 1944 in Perivale, a suburb of London, emerged at a time when music was moving away from the trad-jazz and novelty ditties of post-World War II into the blues and eventually rock and roll. Against that landscape, Hopkins initially began piano lessons at the age of three and eventually attended the Royal Academy of Music in London, training in classical composition.
He eventually left school in 1960 at 16 to join horror-themed musician Screaming Lord Sutch’s band the Savages and after a few blow-ups, the Savages became members of blues harmonica player and singer Cyril Davies’ All-Stars. Their gigs around London and the outer boroughs attracted the attention of two club attendees and schoolmates, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.
“The piano player just blew us away,” Richards states in the film. “Mick and I looked at each other and went ‘Whoa! Where did Cyril find this guy?’”
However, as he entered his late teenage years, Crohn’s disease had already sent him into several surgeries and set him back in 1963 so much so he had to convalesce for the next year and a half. But after his long-term absence, a breakthrough in 1965: American producer Shel Talmy who had been working with engineer Glyn Johns, had Davies bring Hopkins into a studio session where Johns was honing his board skills with guitarist Jimmy Page and The Stones’ Brian Jones.
“Cyril came in with this lad, who looked terribly ill,” Johns recounts in the documentary. “He started playing the piano and I had never heard anything close to it! I went up to him and said, ‘Here’s my number. I’m sure I can get you lots of work.’”
Hopkins jumped into the studio with The Kinks, The Pretty Things, and on The Who’s debut album, he is credited as a co-writer on the instrumental “The Ox.” He came into The Kinks’ sessions for 1966’s Face to Face playing on “Sunny Afternoon” and as the subject in the song “Session Man,” memorable for his introductory harpsichord riff. Even the ego-clashing semantics within The Who did not keep Hopkins away for long. His work on 1971’s Who’s Next and 1975’s Who by Numbers (adding unparalleled emotional depth on “They Are All in Love”) had Pete Townshend acknowledging the pianist as “quite brilliant.”
That quiet empathy hid such talent that it scared musicians, such as the case with the late Ian Stewart, the defacto pianist for The Rolling Stones. When ‘Stew’ felt he could not grasp the direction given, he said to Richards, who relays in the doc, “The only guy that can handle this is Nicky Hopkins.” That turned out to be his work on 1967’s Their Satanic Majesties Request (listen to his deft and intuitive work on “She’s A Rainbow”) and following that, his towering input to 1968’s Beggar’s Banquet and “Sympathy for the Devil.”
As Harris notes, Hopkins contributed to 14 Stones albums. But the real gold in all this is The Beatles. His iconic moments during “Revolution” were unheard of and it was all down to his sonic styling of the electric piano and the way he swung into the middle, mixing effortlessly with Lennon’s vocal and the distorted, overloaded guitar work.
Hopkins was so in demand that as he himself notes in the film, “Each record album we did, it was done and then: what’s the next one going to be like? And we’d get on and do the next one.” What that led to, as shown in clips, was his integration into The Jeff Beck Group with Rod Stewart, Ronnie Wood, and Mickey Waller and even though he’d had an offer to join Led Zeppelin, Hopkins went on tour to the States, which would have a profound effect on his future musical endeavors.
The fractious nature of Beck’s group led him to the San Francisco area where he became a member of the freewheeling Quicksilver Messenger Service (becoming a near family member) and ad hoc accompanist with Jefferson Airplane. Beck’s appearance at the Woodstock Festival was canceled, but Hopkins went onstage (albeit 18 hours late) with Marty Balin, Grace Slick and Co. and served up the anti-war “Volunteers.”
Hopkins jumped back across to England to work with John Lennon on his 1971 album Imagine. His playing, as noted by American drummer Jim Keltner, “was like that of an English garden,” especially his sublime work on “Jealous Guy.”
Hopkins was enlisted by all the former Beatles in the coming years: with George Harrison on Living in the Material World, Ringo Starr for Ringo, and in 1989, Hopkins contributed to Paul McCartney’s stunning anthemic “That Day is Done” from Flowers in the Dirt.
The film also traces his musical trek in the Bay Area, working with Terry Dolan and the Pirates, and Jerry Garcia, allowing Hopkins to engage with musicians who were not full of “self-important crap” as he said. “Kindred spirits and all that.”
The transatlantic hopscotching kept Hopkins extremely busy. He was working on Let It Bleed during the weekdays and his solo album The Tin Man Was a Dreamer on the weekends. He tickled the ivories with Harry Nilsson and eventually went on tour with The Stones for a time and gave the world his stylistic touch for the Joe Cocker song “You Are So Beautiful” which’s been deemed some of the most beautiful work from his expansive catalog.
Many of Hopkins’ colleagues acknowledge that his long battle with drug and alcohol abuse was a response to his combination of numbing the pain of Crohn’s disease and the punishing schedule of session work. He was finally able to get help in 1979 in rehab with the help of jazz legend Chick Corea and met his second wife Moira shortly thereafter.
The doc makes extensive use of concert clips, including visuals of Hopkins playing at the tribute concert in 1989 for his recently passed Quicksilver Messenger Service bandmate John Cipollina. But in 1993, Hopkins’ frail system was beginning to slow down. After surgery and a hospital stay in Los Angeles, he formed an impromptu band called The Flew with Joe Walsh, Terry Reid, Rick Rosas, and Phil Jones.
The January 1994 Northridge earthquake and its devastating aftermath convinced Hopkins that he and Moira needed to leave the unstable ground of the West Coast and head east. They settled in Nashville in March but just as the music community became excited over this news, Hopkins began to feel unwell come autumn. Moira rushed him to the hospital after a bout of excruciating pain and it was on September 6 that Hopkins died at the age of 50.
Unlike documentaries that focus on the tumultuous lives of rock stars, The Session Man offers a more nuanced and intimate portrayal of a musician whose work behind the scenes was just as impactful. It not only celebrates Hopkins’ contributions but also serves as a reminder of the often-unseen artists who shape the music we love.
-Amy Hughes
Photo: Nicky Hopkins, 1973 (public domain)
Nice one, Amy.
This is well done… interesting read with facts to chew-on for hours!
Amazing.
Very nice article, Amy. I learned a couple of interesting facts about Nicky today, so thanks. He was a great guy.
PS: I think you may want to add “been” into the 2nd letter of your bio, between “have” and “the.”
Fine work, lass. I must see this doc!
A piece overlooked apparently was a co-written tune with Steve Miller, “Baby’s House” with haunting organ and piano from beginning to end.
Hi, is this streaming and if so, where? Great article. Thank you.
Hi Andi, sorry for the delay. The film is still making the rounds of festivals (as of this time). The filmmakers are looking to secure a wider distribution as soon as they can.