Mr. Pleasant: What Would Nicky Hopkins Do? (Part 5)

Posted by Lance Davis - July 6, 2018 - Andrew Loog Oldham, Brian Jones, Dave Davies, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Keith Emerson, Keith Richards, Kinks, Mick Jagger, Nicky Hopkins, P.P. Arnold, Ray Davies, Rod Stewart, Rolling Stones, WWNHD, Yardbirds

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“From about ’67 to ’68 it was really machine-like. I didn’t even know whom I was working for half the time. Anthony Newley was at one session, Sammy Davis Jr. was at another, maybe those two were for a movie soundtrack or maybe they were singles. I don’t know. I don’t even know if they […]

A Wiggle Never Hurt Anybody

Posted by Lance Davis - June 10, 2018 - Art Tatum, Dorothy Donegan

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I’m not proud to admit this, but until a month ago, I had no idea who Dorothy Donegan was. I was researching Nicky Hopkins on YouTube and one of her videos showed up in the queue to the right. It stood out because there were videos of the Stones, Kinks, and solo Nicky, but […]

The Revolutionary Piano of Nicky Hopkins (WWNHD: Part 4)

Posted by Lance Davis - June 1, 2018 - Brian Jones, David Bowie, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Julian Dawson, Keith Moon, Kinks, Merseybeats, Nicky Hopkins, Pretty Things, Ritchie Blackmore, Rolling Stones, The Creation, WWNHD

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There are people who read music and don’t make things up and people who make things up and don’t read music, so when you put them together it’s a powerful thing. Nicky could play whatever you put in front of him. It’s a rarity to have somebody who could do that as perfectly as all […]

But It Was Blues: What Would Nicky Hopkins Do? (Part 3)

Posted by Lance Davis - May 13, 2018 - Jimmy Page, Julian Dawson, Kinks, Nicky Hopkins, The Who, WWNHD

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In February-March 1965, Jimmy Page was producing a session for a singer named Andy Anderson. Jeff Beck was on guitar, Carlo Little was on drums, and engineering the session was a young upstart named Glyn Johns. On keyboards? Well, that was the problem. The piano player didn’t show up for the gig. So, Carlo […]

Diamond Tiaras: What Would Nicky Hopkins Do? (Part 2)

Posted by Lance Davis - May 5, 2018 - Big Maceo, Chopin, Cyril Davies, Floyd Cramer, Jerry Lee Lewis, Julian Dawson, Nicky Hopkins, WWNHD

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Because my copy of Julian Dawson’s And on Piano …Nicky Hopkins: The Extraordinary Life of Rock’s Greatest Session Man arrived after I posted the first WWNHD, I wanna use this post to catch up to the story, then we’ll jam with Edward. Here’s a few notes from the early bio. Hopkins nearly died multiple […]