Nicky Hopkins Born February 24, 1944

Biography

Nicky Hopkins was a musical genius, pure and simple, one of the legendary sixties and seventies session men who seems to have played on half the great songs you've ever heard. One of a holy trinity of keyboardists associated with The Rolling Stones - the other two being Ian 'boogie-woogie' Stewart, of course, and soul specialist Billy Preston - he is one of the most influential and admired musicians never to have achieved full-blown stardom in his own right.

Although Nicky made some fabulous records with a huge range of artists (including The Beatles and The Who, to name two other quite good, fairly successful bands) there's no doubt that he hit some particular heights while collaborating with The Rolling Stones.

Nicky was closely involved in most of what the band recorded between 1967 and 1976, including the cult side cut Jamming With Edward! (featuring Mick Jagger, Charlie Watts and Bill Wyman, as well as Ry Cooder) which is named after Nicky's masterpiece with Quicksilver Messenger Service, Edward The Mad Shirtgrinder.

Ill-health and solo ambitions led to him going his own way in the mid-seventies (although he continued to work with The Stones until 1980's Emotional Rescue) but his contribution to some of the band's best work in the late sixties and early seventies is indisputable.

Like Ian Stewart, Nicky Hopkins was a piano player who did some of his best work recording with The Rolling Stones, a highly respected member of the 'inner circle' of musicians who weren't 'in the band', but who played live and in the studio with them on multiple tours and recordings over a number of years.

And sadly, like Stu, he died young, of congenital ill-health rather than a rock 'n' roll lifestyle, in Nicky's case in 1994, at the woefully young age of 50.