Nicky Hopkins - With The Rolling Stones

With The Rolling Stones

Hopkins played with the Rolling Stones on their studio albums from Between the Buttons in 1967 through Emotional Rescue in 1980 and Tattoo You in 1981, including the prominent piano parts in "She's a Rainbow" (1967), "Sympathy for the Devil" (1968), "Loving Cup" (1972) and "Waiting on a Friend" (1981). During this period, Hopkins tended to be employed on the Stones' slower, ballad-type songs, with longtime Stones keyboardist Ian Stewart playing on traditional rock numbers and Billy Preston used on soul and funk-influenced tunes.

Hopkins – along with Ry Cooder, Mick Jagger, Bill Wyman, and Charlie Watts – released the 1972 album entitled Jamming With Edward! which was recorded during the Stones' Let It Bleed sessions when Stones guitarist Keith Richards was not present in the studio. The "Edward" of the title was an alias of Nicky Hopkins derived from studio banter with Brian Jones and later became a song title on his outstanding performance, "Edward, the Mad Shirt Grinder", a song on the Quicksilver Messenger Service album Shady Grove. Hopkins also contributed to the Jamming With Edward! cover art.

Hopkins' work with the Rolling Stones is perhaps most prominent on their 1972 studio album, Exile on Main St..

Hopkins was added to the Rolling Stones live line-up on the 1971 Good-Bye Britain Tour, as well as the notorious 1972 North American Tour and the early 1973 Winter Tour of Australia and New Zealand. He started to form his own band around this time but decided against it after the Stones tour. He had planned on using Prairie Prince on drums and Pete Sears on bass. Hopkins failed to make the Stones' 1973 tour of Europe due to ill health and, aside from a guest appearance in 1978, did not play again with the Stones live on stage. He did manage to go on tour with the Jerry Garcia Band, from 5 August to 31 December 1975. He continued to record with the Stones through the sessions for 1980's Emotional Rescue.