Nicky Hopkins played on over 250 records over the course of his career. A supremely talented pianist who tapped the black and whites as a child prodigy at age 3; by his teenage years Hopkins had won a scholarship to attend the Royal Academy of Music in London. He was adept in classical music, but rock and roll was calling. Hopkins, who thought he was a reincarnated Frédéric Chopin, gravitated toward the nimble fingers and hard left hands of Jerry Lee Lewis and Fats Domino. He became a hybrid of all of these players and so much more.

You’ve heard Hopkins more times than you realize, whether it’s playing the reeling and rocking electric piano solo on the Beatles 1968 single “Revolution,” or the classically baroque inspired prelude on the Rolling Stones, 1967 cut “She’s A Rainbow.” The former, perhaps the best example of his ability to assimilate his specially developed style into whatever framework was required.

A long overdue documentary by director Michael Treen titled The Session Man, documents Hopkins immense talents and invaluable contributions to some of the best rock songs of all time. Released digitally on November 5, 2024, and on physical media in December, The Session Man takes a bird’s eye view of Hopkins prolific 30 year career.

Narrated by Bob Harris the famed host of The Old Grey Whistle Test, the film moves at a pace as quick as Hopkins truncated life. (he passed away at 50) Tracing his beginnings with Screaming Lord Sutch and moving through to his final recording with Joe Walsh the movie acts as a living discography of Hopkins musical life. The movie contains enlightening commentary by Keith Richards, Chuck Leavell, Peter Frampton, Dave Davies, Peter Townshend, Benmont Tench, PP Arnold, Albert Lee and a plethora of Nicky’s friends and contemporaries.

The documentary is loaded with Hopkins interviews and accompanying archival footage. I only wish all of the songs were included in their entirety, because they are painfully truncated. The movie is screaming for a proper soundtrack. (I’ll even do the liner notes!)

Hopkins piano playing sparkled wherever it was embedded. His fingers splaying beautiful contrapuntal lines both anchored to the song and uniquely singular. The film’s director Treen said, “Nicky wasn’t just playing on the song, he was helping to shape it.”

Can you recall the lacy piano part opening John Lennon’s “Jealous Guy,” or the darkened motif threaded through the Rolling Stones, “Sympathy for the Devil?” These perfectly placed piano parts are the reason Hopkins was so sought after. He played on recordings by the Kinks, Beatles, The Who, Jeff Beck Group, Jefferson Airplane, twelve Rolling Stones albums, records by every Beatle, and countless other bands and uncredited sessions.  

Hopkins suffered from a lifelong struggle with Crohns’ disease and underwent multiple surgeries to deal with his affliction. Because of his sickness, Hopkins was unable to tour for long periods of time. He was asked to join almost every band he played in but was relegated to live the life of a session man. Unfortunately, his career and life were cut short because of his illness and his self-medicating of it. Perhaps most tragically, Hopkins struggled with drugs and alcohol because it was the only way he could deal with his pain.

While Hopkins life was shortened, his contributions to music are numerous and enduring. What The Session Man accomplishes is creating a new awareness of what Nicky Hopkins was all about. Hopkins was a player without ego, he was one of those special cats that was all about the song, not about the showing off. He inspired the bands he played with through his extreme talent and unselfishness.

Thanks to the film, the next time the delicate piano of Joe Cocker’s” You Are So Beautiful,” plays from an FM oldies channel, someone will remember Nicky Hopkins. Whenever the resplendent chords of the Kinks “Sunny Afternoon,” descend from the speakers in a rustling English pub, Nicky Hopkins will be there raising a glass.

“Nicky could do the absolute incredible, you would believe that Otis Spann was in the room, which for a white English kid in the 1960s was absolutely amazing,” says Keith Richards.