The Session Man: Nicky Hopkins

Play trailer

1:23

The Session Man: Nicky Hopkins

2023

1h 30m

Documentary

Music

Biography

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

Tomatometer

6 Reviews

95%

Popcornmeter

50+ Ratings

The Session Man, a 90-minute documentary feature film, tells the story of Nicky Hopkins, the highly gifted and prolific session pianist, and unsung hero. Nicky not only played with The Kinks, The Who, The Rolling Stones and The Beatles, he also played on solo albums of all four members of the Beatles in the early part of a stellar career that spanned over 30 years. During that time, he contributed to over 250 albums and a vast number of single releases. Nicky's legendary piano riffs and wonderful musical motifs helped ordinary tracks become extraordinary and iconic. So many of them remain popular today. The generations that followed the Golden Era of Rock And Roll soon discover those iconic tracks that made Nicky Hopkins a legend amongst his peers -- tracks like Revolution by The Beatles, Like A Rainbow, Sympathy For The Devil and Angie by the Rolling Stones, Jealous Guy by John Lennon from his Imagine album and You Are So Beautiful by Joe Cocker.

Watch on Fandango

Stream Now

Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

Nov 19

3/5

This documentary is probably, as they say, one for the heads -- for connoisseurs who appreciate a great musician who was never a star.

Go to Full Review

Adam Sweeting

The Arts Desk

Dec 1

4/5

... you can tell [The Session Man is] a labour of love, not least from the credit-list of contributors who lobbed in their own money to help get the film made, and from the genuine affection and respect a roll-call of stars afford to Hopkins’ memory.

Go to Full Review

Aaron Guttenplan

MovieJawn

Nov 23

Looking back at the notes I took while watching the film, a fair chunk is just a list of the many artists he played with and those who appeared in the documentary, as not much other information actually stuck out.

Go to Full Review

Jennie Kermode

Eye for Film

Nov 21

3.5/5

This is very much a film for musicians, and the more familiar you are with the art of composition, the more you’ll get out of it.

Go to Full Review

Terry Staunton

Radio Times

Nov 5

3/5

Broadcaster Bob Harris's narration covers plenty of ground, but the most memorable moments come from snatches of the music Nicky embellished, and tributes from the superstars who called upon his talents.

Go to Full Review

Terry Sherwood

Film Threat

11/09/2024

8/10

...you get a wonderful story that perhaps you didn’t know when listening to music.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

ROBERT M

@RT75162579 02/13/2025

It was a great show! I enjoyed looking back at all the great music Nicky Hopkins was part of!

See more

Tom K

@RT82133244 02/07/2025

What a great film!! Nicky was in my mind the greatest. His work with the Rolling Stones alone is what made me his fan. An absolute must for fans of all the great music of his time period, every day Nicky plays on something that I listen to

See more

troy d

@RT82925400 02/02/2025

I watched The Session Man and Wow! Nicky Hopkins was an integral part of so many great albums and songs. The video is part documentary & part memorial with much of it interviews of people in music and their memories. Nicky dealt with chronic illness most of his life and I think it had a lot to do with the choices he made as far as where he fit in the music business. Worth a watch to learn a bit about Nicky Hopkins, and all the iconic melodies he created (I won't spoil it for you) and Rock in general... plus, there's Mick, Keith, Dave Davies, Peter Frampton (who still looks 30 something), and many others.

See more

Rich Q

@RT61829873 01/18/2025

Nicky Hopkins was without a doubt the best keyboard player in the history of rock music, playing with just about all of the big name bands from the Stones, the Who, Jeff Beck and many, many others. Not only was he as talented as he was prolific, he made the artists around him better. This documentary not only showcases his unique style but his versatility as well.

See more

Ken K

@RT25234314 12/28/2024

As a Nicky Hopkins fan from way back, I thought I'd really enjoy this movie but it turned out to be a bit of a disappointment. There's hardly any footage (or audio for that matter) of Nicky actually playing, there are a few snippets of an interview with him for some vintage US show but mostly it's other musicians and associated people telling us how wonderful he was. So for Nicky Hopkins fans there's nothing new here and for people who don't know him, all they're going to get is accolades. Shame, really.

See more

Lukas D

@RT46644143 12/02/2024

Well-made documentary about one of the most influencial yet most unknown keyboard players of a generation. Would recommend!

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

Michael Treen

Director

Harry Shearer

Self

Mick Jagger

Self

Keith Richards

Self

Peter Frampton

Self

Bill Wyman

Self

Dio: Dreamers Never Die

100%

100%

Dio: Dreamers Never Die

Watchlist

It's Never Over, Jeff Buckley

99%

98%

It's Never Over, Jeff Buckley

Watchlist

TRAILER

for It's Never Over, Jeff Buckley

Billy Idol Should Be Dead

%

%

Billy Idol Should Be Dead

Watchlist

Hung up on a Dream: The Zombies Documentary

92%

100%

Hung up on a Dream: The Zombies Documentary

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Hung up on a Dream: The Zombies Documentary

Mr. Jimmy

100%

86%

Mr. Jimmy

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Mr. Jimmy

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

The Session Man: Trailer 1

1:23

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

The Session Man, a 90-minute documentary feature film, tells the story of Nicky Hopkins, the highly gifted and prolific session pianist, and unsung hero. Nicky not only played with The Kinks, The Who, The Rolling Stones and The Beatles, he also played on solo albums of all four members of the Beatles in the early part of a stellar career that spanned over 30 years. During that time, he contributed to over 250 albums and a vast number of single releases. Nicky's legendary piano riffs and wonderful musical motifs helped ordinary tracks become extraordinary and iconic. So many of them remain popular today. The generations that followed the Golden Era of Rock And Roll soon discover those iconic tracks that made Nicky Hopkins a legend amongst his peers -- tracks like Revolution by The Beatles, Like A Rainbow, Sympathy For The Devil and Angie by the Rolling Stones, Jealous Guy by John Lennon from his Imagine album and You Are So Beautiful by Joe Cocker.

Director: Michael Treen
Producer: Michael Treen, John Wood, Mike Sherman
Screenwriter: Michael Treen
Distributor: Giant Pictures
Production Co: The Session Man Ltd.
Genre: Documentary, Music, Biography
Original Language: British English
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 5, 2024
Runtime: 1h 30m