I don’t know when you first found out about the role of a session musician, but for me, it was associated with The Monkees. I remember not quite understanding how a band could make music, yet still not play all of the instruments on the record. Well, my youthful naïveté was obliterated when I learned that there exists a highly skilled, dedicated, professional group of elite musicians who slip in the studio to lay down tracks that uplift whatever the star performer may have created.
On keyboards, there’s one session musician who stands above many others: he’s played extensively with The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, and even The Beatles. Not only did he share that rarefied air with those heavyweight champs of classic rock, but his keyboard parts were sometimes integral to the artistic and commercial success of the song. You’ve heard the wild electric piano solo on The Beatles’ “Revolution,” you know that haltingly beautiful piano part in The Rolling Stones’ “She’s a Rainbow,” and you’re familiar with the majestic grandeur of the piano part that supports Joe Cocker’s “You Are So Beautiful.”
So when you learn about a musician such as Nicky Hopkins, who’s reputation may be a bit unsung, what are you to do? Well, if you’re a filmmaker like Mike Treen, you make a documentary about him. And you gather as many first hand witnesses to Nicky’s expertise as possible, including Peter Frampton, Dave Davies, and even Keith Richards and Mick Jagger.
Mike Treen joins me to talk about his film titled The Session Man. We explore how he pieced together different elements from Hopkins’s life and presented it in a cogent and easy to follow narrative that showcases the ups and downs of this special musician’s life.
Evan Toth is a songwriter, professional musician, educator, radio host, avid record collector, and hi-fi aficionado. Toth hosts and produces The Evan Toth Show and TVD Radar on WFDU, 89.1 FM. Follow him at the usual social media places and visit his website.
