The Soundtrack of Rock’s Greatest Hits: Nicky Hopkins’ Legacy

The Soundtrack of Rock’s Greatest Hits: Nicky Hopkins’ Legacy

 Hey everybody, it is the Trout and welcome to another episode of Vinyl to Viral here on the Trout Show, where we talk all things music. Today I wanted to ask you a quick question, have you ever heard of the bands The Who, The Kinks, The Rolling Stones, Jeff Beck, Dusty Springfield, Steve Miller Band, Jefferson Airplane, Quicksilver Messenger Service, John Lennon, Harry Nielsen, Carly Simon, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Andy Williams, Joe Cocker, Peter Brampton, ok that's a few names I can drop. What do those people all have in common? One guy, one of the greatest session players ever that played on all those records, is a guy by the name of Nicky Hopkins, one of the best piano players and keyboard players that existed during the times when he could play, and he played in over, ready for this, 250 albums.

I'm telling you right now, if you've heard any classic rock, you've heard Nicky Hopkins. His story is next, because this is the Trout Show. In this episode of the Trout Show we're shining a light on the famously talented Nicky Hopkins, the piano genius who powered some of the biggest hits of the 60's and 70's, and you'll probably recognize a few of these songs, from the Stones' Sympathy of the Devil, to John Lennon's Jealous Guy, his keys were everywhere, and in 2025 he was finally inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and it's high time he got his due.

So let's dive into the music, the life, and the legacy of Nicky Hopkins, the session man who made rock history sing. Nicky Hopkins was born February 24th, 1944 in Perryville, England, during a World War II raid. I guess you could say he started out with a bang.

He was considered a piano prodigy. He started playing at the age of three, and later trained at the Royal Academy of Music, mastering his classical chops, but Chuck Berry and Little Richard stole his heart, pulling him into a rock's orbit. At 16, he ditched school to gig with screaming lords such as Band, and jamming with a guy who became famous himself, Jimmy Page.

Unfortunately, health struggles shaped Nicky's entire life. He had Crohn's disease, and it hit him hard, landing him in the hospital for nearly two years in his early 20's. Yet, he bounced back, becoming London's top session pianist by the mid-60's.

Producers like George Martin loved him very much. Kreeth Richards once said, "...we were stuck. Nicky was the guy.

He listened once and nailed it." As I said earlier, he played in over 250 albums. From the Beatles to Ella Fitzgerald, he turned down full-time gigs with the Stones and Led Zeppelin because he wanted to stay a studio-free spirit, partly because of his health. So why is Nicky a legend? His piano was the secret sauce in rock's biggest hits.

Take the Rolling Stones' Sympathy for the Devil, which was recorded in 1968. Nicky's syncopated piano chords drive that samba groove, giving Mick Jagger's devilish vocals a wicked edge. It's the song's heartbeat.

Then there's the Beatles' Revolution, the 68-single version he played on. His electric piano cuts through the distortion, anchoring John Lennon's rebellious voice. In one of my favorite bands of all time, The Who, he played on Who's Next with a song called The Song Is Over.

Nicky's piano outro is like a wistful sigh, pure poetry. Same album, he played a song called Getting In Tune. His sulfur chords lift Pete Townshend's vision.

And in Kink's Sunday Afternoon, that cheeky saloon-style playing is Nicky making Ray Davis' satire pop. Later John Lennon's song Jealous Guy, he played on that, which is from his Imagine album. His tender keys wrap you in a warmth.

And George Harrison's My Sweet Lord from All Things Must Pass. Nicky's subtle piano adds sparkle. And don't miss another Stones album.

Actually, that's where I learned about him. He played on Exile on Main Street on a song called Loving Cup. His gospel-tinged piano glues the boozy soul together.

And Joe Cocker, who had this hit with basically very few words in it, called You're So Beautiful. Remember that, 1974? Nicky's delicate chords carry every tear. He played on the Stones' Sticky Fingers, Jefferson Starship's Ride the Tiger.

His gift was finding the perfect space, adding just what a song needed, never stealing the spotlight. Although Nicky was a session king, everybody wanted him on their records. He had his own dreams.

In 1973, he dropped his solo album called The Tin Man Was a Dreamer, a solo project blending jazz, rock, and pop. Tracks like the song Dolly show his songwriting chops, with dreamy piano and a nod to his classical roots. It didn't chart big, but fans on X, as in Twitter, call it a hidden gem.

He also made No More Changes in 75, a quirky sci-fi-themed record, throwing progressive rock meets piano wizardry. But beyond solo work, Nicky's lesser-known sessions are gold. If you ever heard a Jeff Beck tune, well, the Jeff Beck group back then, a song called Girl from Mill Valley from 69, his jazzy piano steals the show.

And who couldn't forget the tune that made Carly Simon famous, You're So Vain? That's Nicky, adding those silky keys that he knew how to play. He even scored films like The Revolutionary in 1970, which showed his talent for his range as a musician. And for something different, he would jam with people like Frank Zappa, which was kind of interesting itself, just to show how he could play different types of music all the time.

In those tracks that he recorded with Frank, Nicky wasn't just a hard gun, he poured his soul into every note, even if his name wasn't on the cover. Who was Nicky Hopkins? The man. A lot of people that are famous and creative are shy, humble, and he was all about music.

Despite Crohn's disease causing him pain in hospital stays, he never ever complained. Studio pals like Mick Jagger called him a joy, always smiling, always ready to play. He'd sit at the piano, glasses sliding down his nose, and relive his magic in one take.

But fame wasn't his thing. He loved the studios, created buzz over the Rock Star Live, and I gotta tell ya, that's where I found him. I used to watch, I'm sorry, I used to listen to the Stones records and his name was on all of them.

And you saw his name on a lot of stuff back then. But unfortunately, Nicky's health kept him from touring much. But he still left his home country of England and went to California in the 70s.

And he was chasing new sounds. You know, a lot of creative people, like Jeff Beck, they're always looking for something new. And he started recording with Jefferson Starship.

By the 80s, he settled in Nashville, where he moved again back to another place, with his wife, and started living quietly. Here's a fun fact about Nicky. He was a sci-fi nerd, reading Ray Bradbury between sessions.

And fans on X share a story of his kindness, like signing autographs for hours despite feeling ill. He struggled with Crohn's, made every session a difficult but triumph of will. And you'd think he had Crohn's and he performed on over 250 albums.

He played through pain to give us those iconic sounds. And what of his peers? What did they say about Nicky? Keith Richards called him, quote, the one guy who would make a Stone session sing. Pete Townsend set his piano on Who's Next was like a second voice for the band.

Even John Lennon, the one not for overpraise, loved Nicky's feel on Jealous Guy. These weren't just sessions. Nicky was a collaborator who shaped songs.

Fans say he was the glue for the Stones' best albums. And one user on X says, If you listen to Loving Cub, those keys are Nicky's soul. Nicky's influence went beyond rock.

He played with a band called Quatro, a side project with Stones' mate Ian Stewart, and even backed Harry Nilsson. His work on Rod Stewart's Every Picture Tells a Story added that raw, pub rock vibe. Nicky's ability to blend classically, precision, and bluesy grip inspired pianists like Ben Mott Tinch of Tom Petty's Heartbreakers.

His sessions were a masterpiece in listening, knowing when to shine and where to lay back. A good place to listen to hear Nicky at his best is from the Stones' Sticky Fingers album and a piano on a song called Sway. Unfortunately, Nicky's genius flew under the radar.

But in 2025, this year, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Nicky was nominated and is going to be inducted for his musical excellence. Unfortunately, Nicky passed in 1994 at the age of 50 after Crohn's complications, but his keys live on. In a personal note, I wanted to tell you the reason I'm doing this.

It's because I started following, on X, Nicky Hopkins people and they were talking about a brand new documentary that just came out called The Session Man. You can get it on Amazon and other places like that, I think on Prime. Nicky Hopkins was kind enough to communicate with me and talk about Nicky and his music.

And I wanted to let you know that I was a huge fan of him, but the thing about it to me was the fact that he was never the guy that everybody knew. He was just the guy that you heard him play piano and you go like, who was that guy? Man, good. He was great.

And Nicky wasn't a frontman, but his piano was a rock's heartbeat. His 2025 Hall of Fame nod reminds us that sidemen do shape the sound. Well, that's it for this episode of the Trout Show Vinyl To Viral.

I hope you enjoyed it. I love talking about people that were really good, affected my music as I grew up and also my skill as a guitarist. Nicky Hopkins, well, what a great pianist he was.

More information about Nicky Hopkins, you can go to his website and there's information about all the albums that he played on, a bio about him, I think is why I put it out. As I said earlier, he died in 1994. He's missed, but his musical legacy lives on.

For more information about the Trout Show, just go to my website, thetroutshow.com. All the podcasts, videos, music is all right there. I want to thank you for listening to this episode of Vinyl to Viral about Nicky Hopkins, one of the greatest session peoples that ever played on a record. So until next time, people, you know what I always say.

It's only rock and roll, but I love it. See ya.