What do you think?
Rate this book
And on Piano ...Nicky Hopkins: The Extraordinary Life of Rock's Greatest Session Man
And on Piano ...Nicky Hopkins The Beatles. The Rolling Stones. The Who. The Kinks. Jefferson Airplane. Joe Cocker. Quicksilver Messenger Service. The Yardbirds. Harry Nilsson. At the heart of their music, and of hundreds of others, was one man with a piano: Nicky Hopkins. This is the definitive work on rock music's greatest session player, and one of its unsung heroes. Full description
- GenresMusicBiographyNonfiction
359 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
6 people are currently reading
140 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
March 11, 2013
I was lucky enough to catch Nicky Hopkins with the Jerry Garcia Band one weekend near Christmas of 1975. Seems to me anybody who was anybody in my little scene at the time in the City, on the Coastside, and on the Peninsula; who cared about both men happened to show up- I, myself, had a little luck in more ways than one, with a happy girlfriend who'd often score a pair of tickets to whatever was happening at Winterland any given weekend. And Garcia and Hopkins did NOT disappoint! I have recordings of both evenings that prove it (thanks to Uncle Bill's Vault.) (A little off-handed "Jingle Bells" has been making the rounds recently among Dead freaks on Facebook- that comes from the later of those 2 shows).
There are a lot of reasons I felt drawn to Mr. Hopkins, not least his long associations with almost everyone we grew up digging on the radio, both here in the Bay Area and in London. This is an excellent book which limits the author's participation to the preface, and leaves the history intact without any egoic histrionics- so much like Nicky himself, the almost egoless master of the keys- the book is broken up less into consecutive chronology than it is by those associations, and the periods of his life are primarily defined by the early associations with his clients, here and there.
He left behind so many who appreciate his personality and his musicianship and not least of all his remarkable courage in the face of horrible physical hardships which dogged him his entire life. This is a great book about a remarkable individual and so interesting I got it all in within 24 hours.
There are a lot of reasons I felt drawn to Mr. Hopkins, not least his long associations with almost everyone we grew up digging on the radio, both here in the Bay Area and in London. This is an excellent book which limits the author's participation to the preface, and leaves the history intact without any egoic histrionics- so much like Nicky himself, the almost egoless master of the keys- the book is broken up less into consecutive chronology than it is by those associations, and the periods of his life are primarily defined by the early associations with his clients, here and there.
He left behind so many who appreciate his personality and his musicianship and not least of all his remarkable courage in the face of horrible physical hardships which dogged him his entire life. This is a great book about a remarkable individual and so interesting I got it all in within 24 hours.
September 7, 2013
If the lush piano introduction to Quicksilver Messenger Service's "Shady Grove" took your breath away then you've just heard the genius of Nicky Hopkins.
If the hard severity of the piano driving The Rolling Stones' "We Love You" gave you the chills and followed up the jail door clang brilliantly You've just heard the genius of Nicky Hopkins.
If the elegant tinkling of piano floating above the thrashing of a Who record, eg. "Anyway Anyhow Anywhere" or "A Legal Matter" you've just heard the genius of Nicky Hopkins.
Unimpeachably the most criminally overlooked genius of iconic Sixties and Seventies rock records is mild-mannered keyboardist Nicky Hopkins, who not only played on countless classic records, some credited and just as many without credit (especially The Kinks and Rolling Stones). To say he was a musician of merit on par with Eric Clapton, Keith Moon, or a Mick Jagger would not be an exaggeration. In fact, by virtue of the fact that he created all his arrangements himself and set the mood for a sweeping variety of musical moods is remarkable. It could even be said that many of the songs he played on would never have turned out as effectively had it not been for his amazing piano parts.
Julian Dawson's bio on Hopkins is an exhaustive task as it goes into exhausting detail about Hopkins beginnings playing with Screaming Lord Sutch and Cyril Davies, the Davies connection opening up doors with what would become the biggest rock stars of the next fifteen years. His book is indispensable not just about his subject but for anyone who's interested at all in the British rock explosion of the Sixties.
The cover to this book is very telling: Hopkins on stage with a popular dynamic group sitting in a very dark corner of the stage but virtually unseen. It sets the tone for the whole book.
To read just a few of the recordings he played on is staggering: the clanging jail doors of "Jailhouse Rock" and quaintly melodic accompaniment to the raunchy "All Shook Up" with The Jeff Beck Group (Beck comes off as a painful prima donna, too); the lovely childlike lines that open "She's A Rainbow", the spidery blues lines on "Sympathy For The Devil"; the creepy barroom intro to The Kinks' "Death Of A Clown"; the chilly upper register tinkling of The Beatles' "Birthday" and Jackie Lomax's "Sour Milk Sea", and that's just his English work in brief.
Ray Davies also comes off as a Dickensian villain repeatedly using Hopkins for classic Kinks albums like "Village Green Preservation Society" and "Something Else" with no credit given on the liners but somehow justifying it by saying, "A session player is hired as a worker and doesn't qualify for an album credit". Um yeah, Ray, but this guy wasn't given piano parts - he wrote all his own parts, big difference. That's total genius.
A visit to San Francisco gave Hopkins a major boost in his rep by bands begging him to play with them, resulting in him leaving his mark on immortal SF albums like The Steve Miller Band, Jefferson Airplane's classic "Volunteers" and a residency with Quicksilver Messenger Service. Some even claim his presence elevated Quicksilver who needed a melodic base to counterbalance their previously incessant jamming.
Hopkins unfortunately hit the skids touring with The Rolling Stones on their notorious "Cocksucker Blues" tour where he bought the whole Elegantly Wasted aesthetic and began drinking heavily and developing a heroin habit, not unlike the kind Bobby Keys also fell for in his bio. (By the way, The Stones tried hooking a young Ry Cooder into their satanic dope circus and he very promptly blew them off, claiming The Glimmer Twins to be "sinister and reptilian". Hah!)
Hopkins later cleaned up his habit and embraced Scientology as well as played on Beatles solo albums, and also like Bobby Keys was the victim of many bad scenes with the not so saintly Yoko Ono. Hopkins' biggest clients towards the end of his career included his piano performance on Joe Cocker's schmaltz classic "You Are So Beautiful", touring with Leo Sayer and even a stint with Julio Iglesias (!). And you thought you resume was killer.
Julian Dawson should be applauded for taking such an exhaustive subject as Hopkins especially in light of the fact that his subject was a man who was so ubiquitous in rock and yet unheralded, ridiculously so. Thirty years on, the myopic Rock & Rock Hall of Fame still has not awarded this great man a spot in their not-so-hallowed halls.
Details in the Hopkins biography I didn't know:
1. Steve Marriott and Ronnie Lane of The Small Faces played on Bill Wyman's track "In Another Land" on the Satanic Majesties Request album.
2. Clem Cattini played substitute drums for The Kinks and The Who when Mick Avory and Keith Moon fell ill.
3. John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin composed and conducted the string arrangement on The Rolling Stones' "She's A Rainbow".
If the hard severity of the piano driving The Rolling Stones' "We Love You" gave you the chills and followed up the jail door clang brilliantly You've just heard the genius of Nicky Hopkins.
If the elegant tinkling of piano floating above the thrashing of a Who record, eg. "Anyway Anyhow Anywhere" or "A Legal Matter" you've just heard the genius of Nicky Hopkins.
Unimpeachably the most criminally overlooked genius of iconic Sixties and Seventies rock records is mild-mannered keyboardist Nicky Hopkins, who not only played on countless classic records, some credited and just as many without credit (especially The Kinks and Rolling Stones). To say he was a musician of merit on par with Eric Clapton, Keith Moon, or a Mick Jagger would not be an exaggeration. In fact, by virtue of the fact that he created all his arrangements himself and set the mood for a sweeping variety of musical moods is remarkable. It could even be said that many of the songs he played on would never have turned out as effectively had it not been for his amazing piano parts.
Julian Dawson's bio on Hopkins is an exhaustive task as it goes into exhausting detail about Hopkins beginnings playing with Screaming Lord Sutch and Cyril Davies, the Davies connection opening up doors with what would become the biggest rock stars of the next fifteen years. His book is indispensable not just about his subject but for anyone who's interested at all in the British rock explosion of the Sixties.
The cover to this book is very telling: Hopkins on stage with a popular dynamic group sitting in a very dark corner of the stage but virtually unseen. It sets the tone for the whole book.
To read just a few of the recordings he played on is staggering: the clanging jail doors of "Jailhouse Rock" and quaintly melodic accompaniment to the raunchy "All Shook Up" with The Jeff Beck Group (Beck comes off as a painful prima donna, too); the lovely childlike lines that open "She's A Rainbow", the spidery blues lines on "Sympathy For The Devil"; the creepy barroom intro to The Kinks' "Death Of A Clown"; the chilly upper register tinkling of The Beatles' "Birthday" and Jackie Lomax's "Sour Milk Sea", and that's just his English work in brief.
Ray Davies also comes off as a Dickensian villain repeatedly using Hopkins for classic Kinks albums like "Village Green Preservation Society" and "Something Else" with no credit given on the liners but somehow justifying it by saying, "A session player is hired as a worker and doesn't qualify for an album credit". Um yeah, Ray, but this guy wasn't given piano parts - he wrote all his own parts, big difference. That's total genius.
A visit to San Francisco gave Hopkins a major boost in his rep by bands begging him to play with them, resulting in him leaving his mark on immortal SF albums like The Steve Miller Band, Jefferson Airplane's classic "Volunteers" and a residency with Quicksilver Messenger Service. Some even claim his presence elevated Quicksilver who needed a melodic base to counterbalance their previously incessant jamming.
Hopkins unfortunately hit the skids touring with The Rolling Stones on their notorious "Cocksucker Blues" tour where he bought the whole Elegantly Wasted aesthetic and began drinking heavily and developing a heroin habit, not unlike the kind Bobby Keys also fell for in his bio. (By the way, The Stones tried hooking a young Ry Cooder into their satanic dope circus and he very promptly blew them off, claiming The Glimmer Twins to be "sinister and reptilian". Hah!)
Hopkins later cleaned up his habit and embraced Scientology as well as played on Beatles solo albums, and also like Bobby Keys was the victim of many bad scenes with the not so saintly Yoko Ono. Hopkins' biggest clients towards the end of his career included his piano performance on Joe Cocker's schmaltz classic "You Are So Beautiful", touring with Leo Sayer and even a stint with Julio Iglesias (!). And you thought you resume was killer.
Julian Dawson should be applauded for taking such an exhaustive subject as Hopkins especially in light of the fact that his subject was a man who was so ubiquitous in rock and yet unheralded, ridiculously so. Thirty years on, the myopic Rock & Rock Hall of Fame still has not awarded this great man a spot in their not-so-hallowed halls.
Details in the Hopkins biography I didn't know:
1. Steve Marriott and Ronnie Lane of The Small Faces played on Bill Wyman's track "In Another Land" on the Satanic Majesties Request album.
2. Clem Cattini played substitute drums for The Kinks and The Who when Mick Avory and Keith Moon fell ill.
3. John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin composed and conducted the string arrangement on The Rolling Stones' "She's A Rainbow".
August 21, 2015
Overall I enjoyed this book, but I found quite a few passages to be very difficult for me to read: Nicky's ongoing serious health problems, his heavy drug use and its temporary impact (fortunately)upon his musicianship and his personality, his dreadful first marriage, and, of course, his death at the age of only 50.
Nicky was one of my favorites among the musicians I followed closely during the late 60's and early 70's. His piano technique was, simply put, a pure joy to hear.
I suspect that those potential readers who aren't familiar with much of his work or with the bands with whom he played may find it tough to get through some of the details, but the author does a very, very good job of bringing Nicky's personality into the spotlight, "warts and all".
I'm glad that I read it and grateful to Julian Dawson for writing it.
Nicky was one of my favorites among the musicians I followed closely during the late 60's and early 70's. His piano technique was, simply put, a pure joy to hear.
I suspect that those potential readers who aren't familiar with much of his work or with the bands with whom he played may find it tough to get through some of the details, but the author does a very, very good job of bringing Nicky's personality into the spotlight, "warts and all".
I'm glad that I read it and grateful to Julian Dawson for writing it.
January 26, 2023
With the recent passing of Jeff Beck, I took the opportunity to pull out some of the gems in the Jeff Beck catalog and it was there, in the liner notes to "Truth" and "Beck-Ola" that I first met Nicky Hopkins ... The discovery of this prolific piano man is what I call a "rock-n-roll miracle" and learning about his story started as a revelation but ended as a typical rock star bummer, with even mild-mannered, bookish, ego-less, musical savant Nicky Hopkins yielding to the excess of the rock world ... A sad, but impressive life
August 24, 2021
Credit to Julian Dawson for writing this, otherwise there really wouldn't be a great source of info for the great piano player. It covers his life pretty thoroughly, through all his musical ventures and his private life's ups and downs. A pretty tragic story, but beautiful at the same time. Can't think of any resource better to recommend to anyone trying to learn more about Nicky Hopkins.
August 18, 2017
An excellent and thorough excavation of the career of one of rock's greatest unsung heroes. Nicky Hopkins belongs in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame without a doubt, and this book makes the case in the most impeccable way possible. Kudos to Julian Dawson for his labor of love!
June 29, 2021
Good labour of love effort by the author, with great insights into the man and the artist that was Nicky Hopkins - the greatest session player ever, and a man who has to be in the Rock and Roll hall of fame.
January 26, 2025
Extremely detailed overview of one of the great sidemen in rock history, a player who could have easily become a full time member of The Kinks, The Who or the Rolling Stones. Plenty of good stuff for casual and deep fans alike although the writing can get a bit repetitive.
April 18, 2025
Good book; really well researched. Time line is a little confusing at times since he devotes chapters to ongoing events in Nicky's life that sometimes overlap. I suppose the book doesn't have that extra something that would give it five stars for me, but overall I think it's a worthwhile read.
November 22, 2024
Interesting life story of a guy with an impressive body of work with top bands in the 60's and 70's. Some parts of the book were drawn out and repetitive, would be better briefer
January 26, 2025
Really enjoyable. What a pivotal but under-rated musician. At least I have now compiled a great Hopkins playlist to enjoy at leisure.
March 29, 2012
This is a very well documented biography that tells the somewhat tragic story of Nicky Hopkins, one of rock's great piano players. Born in London in 1944, Hopkins was a contemporary of many of the greats who came out of the local music scene in the mid-60's. And he played with a surprising number of them: The Stones, The Beatles, The Kinks, The Who, Jeff Beck. Dawson (who met Hopkins in Nashville in the 1990's) seems to have reached out to almost everyone that had a musical, business or personal relationship with Hopkins. The result is a narrative on two levels: not just Hopkins' life story, but also a glimpse into the cauldron that was British Rock in the late-60's and early 70's. In a way, this book is a perfect complement to Keith Richard's "Life": It provides a broader perspective on the rock n' roll culture that was the setting for Richards' story.
Dawson's Hopkins is studious, gentle and superbly talented. As a session player he was much in demand. Dawson organizes the early chapters according to the bands and musicians Hopkins played with: Stones, Beatles, The Who, etc. The narrative continues to trace Hopkins' early tours (Jeff Beck, Rolling Stones) and his move to California where he worked with the Jefferson Airplane -- and met his first wife, Dolly. Dawson and many of the sources he interviews are not at all kind to her or the marriage. Dawson traces the downward arc from this point -- increased drug and alcohol use; failed efforts at being a leader; and the gradual loss of work. Hopkins eventually reverses course (through connecting with Scientology on the recommendation of Chick Corea) and tries to come to grips with how music and the business changed during the 80's. He tries his hand at film composing and moves to Nashville, but is only there for a short time before he dies from complications of Crohn's disease in 1994.
The book is enriched by the sheer volume of interviews that Dawson conducted to get the story: Keith Richards, Pete Townshend, Steve Miller, Joe Walsh -- to name a very few. There is a very detailed discography as well. Hopkin's best performances are well known (Sympathy for the Devil, Joe Cocker's "You Are So Beautiful", Volunteers), but Dawson includes details on many lesser known (but equally amazing) recordings. He also reaches out to contemporary keyboardists (Chuck Leavell, Benmont Tench) who provide insight into Hopkins' technique.
Dawson is a musician himself, and it's clear he sympathizes with Hopkins. He doesn't gloss over the rough patches, and as a reader I was left with a sense of unfilled potential and "if onlys". Perhaps the rock n ' roll world was ultimately too tough for a mild, classically trained pianist whose exhibition piece was a rousing version of "The Teddy Bear's Picnic". (And Dawson will lead you to the only available recording!) But his contributions to rock music are undeniable, and Dawson ably builds the case that Nicky Hopkins was indeed "rock's greatest session man."
Dawson's Hopkins is studious, gentle and superbly talented. As a session player he was much in demand. Dawson organizes the early chapters according to the bands and musicians Hopkins played with: Stones, Beatles, The Who, etc. The narrative continues to trace Hopkins' early tours (Jeff Beck, Rolling Stones) and his move to California where he worked with the Jefferson Airplane -- and met his first wife, Dolly. Dawson and many of the sources he interviews are not at all kind to her or the marriage. Dawson traces the downward arc from this point -- increased drug and alcohol use; failed efforts at being a leader; and the gradual loss of work. Hopkins eventually reverses course (through connecting with Scientology on the recommendation of Chick Corea) and tries to come to grips with how music and the business changed during the 80's. He tries his hand at film composing and moves to Nashville, but is only there for a short time before he dies from complications of Crohn's disease in 1994.
The book is enriched by the sheer volume of interviews that Dawson conducted to get the story: Keith Richards, Pete Townshend, Steve Miller, Joe Walsh -- to name a very few. There is a very detailed discography as well. Hopkin's best performances are well known (Sympathy for the Devil, Joe Cocker's "You Are So Beautiful", Volunteers), but Dawson includes details on many lesser known (but equally amazing) recordings. He also reaches out to contemporary keyboardists (Chuck Leavell, Benmont Tench) who provide insight into Hopkins' technique.
Dawson is a musician himself, and it's clear he sympathizes with Hopkins. He doesn't gloss over the rough patches, and as a reader I was left with a sense of unfilled potential and "if onlys". Perhaps the rock n ' roll world was ultimately too tough for a mild, classically trained pianist whose exhibition piece was a rousing version of "The Teddy Bear's Picnic". (And Dawson will lead you to the only available recording!) But his contributions to rock music are undeniable, and Dawson ably builds the case that Nicky Hopkins was indeed "rock's greatest session man."
February 2, 2013
I don't know why I am surprised about this, but this is a very good and enjoyable biography on one of the great session musicians ever - Nicky Hopkins. He played piano on anyone who's important in Rock n' Roll music. The Beatles, The Stones ( a lot), The Who, The Kinks, Creation, and his first recording session work is with Lord Sutch on the classic 'Jack The Ripper' produced by mega-genius Joe Meek, for god-sake!
In fact more likely if you hear a piano key on any good recording artist from the 1960's through out the 70's it is more likely by the hands and talent of Hopkins. He was everywhere! He was at San Francisco and did all the essential recordings by Steve Miller Band, Quicksilver, and then he was on every Stones album from "Between The Buttons" to "Goat Head's Soup." My favorite work by him, by far, is on The Kinks' "Village Green Preservation Society" album. That is superb.
The author Julian Dawson did a fantastic job in research, and writing. Its not easy to write a biography on a somewhat obscure figure in music (although known to fanatics like me), but he makes an interesting narrative that will appeal to the fans, and those who are interested in the side-stories of Rock N' Roll history. So in that case, this book is pretty much an essential volume that a Rock fan will want -no matter what their taste in music is.
And Nicky's life had its superb highs and really depressing lows. A product of a loving family, but ill health for the most of his short life. His career went up and down with additional drug and mostly drink habits. Scientology took him out of the physical addiction in the end, but still, he suffered from how the music world was changing. But in the nutshell it sounds like he was very much loved by the music community of its time - and you also get an inside look into the world of The Stones, which doesn't seem to be a great place to be if you are a creative musician contributing to the Stones' recordings. The Jagger-Richard songwriting credit, is sometimes questionable.
Even though his death was tragic, it ended on a high note where he ends up in Nashville and lovin' it. Not the easiest book to find, but music lover you, do seek it out and read it!
In fact more likely if you hear a piano key on any good recording artist from the 1960's through out the 70's it is more likely by the hands and talent of Hopkins. He was everywhere! He was at San Francisco and did all the essential recordings by Steve Miller Band, Quicksilver, and then he was on every Stones album from "Between The Buttons" to "Goat Head's Soup." My favorite work by him, by far, is on The Kinks' "Village Green Preservation Society" album. That is superb.
The author Julian Dawson did a fantastic job in research, and writing. Its not easy to write a biography on a somewhat obscure figure in music (although known to fanatics like me), but he makes an interesting narrative that will appeal to the fans, and those who are interested in the side-stories of Rock N' Roll history. So in that case, this book is pretty much an essential volume that a Rock fan will want -no matter what their taste in music is.
And Nicky's life had its superb highs and really depressing lows. A product of a loving family, but ill health for the most of his short life. His career went up and down with additional drug and mostly drink habits. Scientology took him out of the physical addiction in the end, but still, he suffered from how the music world was changing. But in the nutshell it sounds like he was very much loved by the music community of its time - and you also get an inside look into the world of The Stones, which doesn't seem to be a great place to be if you are a creative musician contributing to the Stones' recordings. The Jagger-Richard songwriting credit, is sometimes questionable.
Even though his death was tragic, it ended on a high note where he ends up in Nashville and lovin' it. Not the easiest book to find, but music lover you, do seek it out and read it!
September 13, 2021
If you are a fan of classic sixties rock, you will enjoy this. If you don't know who Nicky Hopkins was, you will enjoy finding out. He was pretty much acknowledged to be the greatest rock keyboard player session man ever and worked with everybody from The Rolling Stones to The Who to Quicksilver Messenger Service, performing as well as recording. Seriously, I can't think of one major band or rocker he didn't play with at some point. He had his problems, like everybody, but was dearly loved by almost everyone he ever worked with---not only for his phenomenal talent, but for the genuinely sweet human being that by all accounts he was.
October 8, 2012
Whether you recognize the name or not, you HAVE heard his piano. Imagine by Lennon; Revolution by the Beatles, a passle full of Stones tunes and the Kinks,The list goes on. Very informative read about the thin, frail keyboardist. Another nice, informative read.
November 10, 2016
This book brings Hopkins to life. It is well researched and very thorough. I wish I could have seen him perform live and I hope he gets inducted into the R&R Hall of Fame. He endured scores of difficulties, mostly related to his health, but persevered to work prolifically in the studio and live.
February 24, 2011
Read for professional review.
October 9, 2011
I am a huge Nicky Hopkins fan, and I wrote a review of this book on my blog. You can find that review here:
http://www.mrbramesblog.org/2011/08/j...
http://www.mrbramesblog.org/2011/08/j...
July 1, 2013
Lots of good info about Nicky Hopkins and the music scene in England in the 60s and then San Francisco in the late 60s-mid70s. Recommended to people who have a specific interest in these topics.
November 20, 2015
Great book, tragic in a sense.
February 27, 2016
Excellent job of compiling interviews with many of those who knew and worked with Nicky.
January 16, 2013
Fascinating! Great glimpse into a side tangent of 60's/70's rock history/royalty.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews