Now showing at Satsu Geki Cinema in Sapporo: Session Man, a wonderful documentary about the British musician Nicky Hopkins. Nicky who?? Not a famous name in Rock or Pop music, but one of the most talented musicians who played on many of the great records from 1968 to 1975.
Almost all the piano playing on John Lennon's Imagine album, the beautiful piano melody on the Rolling Stones' "Angie", the driving keyboard on The Beatles' "Revolution", to mention only a few of his achievements. Nicky was the hardest-working session man throughout the greatest period of British Rock , the early 1970s. In the Get Back documentary, recorded in January 1969, John Lennon mentions Nicky a few times, hoping to invite him to play with The Beatles on the famous rooftop concert of the Apple building.
He didn't receive the fame, appreciation or financial rewards that he deserved. Session players were paid per day, and never got any extra payment even if albums became best sellers. And Nicky's health had always been very poor. He would pass away at the young age of 50 in 1994. Sadly, a short life, but he made a unique contribution to some of the most popular songs and albums in everyone's music collection. His name deserves to be more widely known. The new documentary at Satsu Geki is a beautiful tribute to his life and talent. We can see it on the big screen, until November 8th.
(If you can't make it to the cinema, the film will soon be available on Netflix).
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