The Session Man – REVIEW

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We often visit The Nags Head pub towards the end of the week to enjoy the live music, and a regular performer is a man named Dave. He’s a dedicated Birmingham City FC fan who plays solo on his Hammond organ, covering a huge range of popular songs – though not always in their original style. He really puts his heart into recreating the feel of classic performances. It’s quite a sight – Dave is bald, overweight, and doesn’t have any teeth. But you haven’t truly lived until you’ve seen him, a man from Birmingham, playing Jimi Hendrix’s ‘Purple Haze’ on a Hammond organ and attempting to emulate Hendrix’s famous guitar-playing trick by removing his dentures and hitting them against the keys! We haven’t seen him play for years, and it’s probably because, while trying to recreate Hendrix setting his guitar on fire, he went too far. He poured lighter fluid on the organ, set it ablaze, and ended up burning the pub down. It was a ‘Purple Haze’ in every sense of the word. Dave isn’t the focus of this story, though.

The documentary The Session Man celebrates Nicky Hopkins, a remarkably talented keyboardist who quietly enhanced countless hit songs. Featuring testimonials from music legends like Mick Jagger, Keith Richards (who worked with him on over a dozen albums), Pete Townshend, Nils Lofgren, and even Harry Shearer of Spinal Tap, the film highlights Hopkins’ widespread respect within the music community, despite his relative obscurity to the general public. It’s fitting that the film is narrated by the insightful and calming voice of Bob Harris.

He was an incredibly gifted keyboardist who earned a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music. However, he also played gigs at night with Screaming Lord Sutch’s band. His exceptional blues and rock and roll style quickly caught the attention of popular bands, who admired him as much as their fans did. This led to session work with groups like The Kinks and The Who, and both bands even offered him a permanent position. A young Led Zeppelin also wanted him to join their lineup.

Despite his success, he struggled with personal challenges. He had Crohn’s disease, a poorly understood illness at the time, and underwent surgery to remove part of his intestines. By the 1970s, he turned to alcohol and drugs, partly due to the excesses of touring, but also to manage the chronic pain. His drinking was so severe that he was reportedly dismissed from Joe Cocker’s band, highlighting how much his lifestyle and illness were affecting him. He did manage to get sober later in life, but sadly, he died at the young age of 50 from complications following surgery related to his Crohn’s disease.

He contributed to over 250 albums, including iconic recordings like The Beatles’ “Revolution,” John Lennon’s “Imagine,” The Who’s “The Ox,” and The Rolling Stones’ “Monkey Man.” He even performed at Woodstock with Jefferson Airplane. Therefore, “The Session Man” is a fitting homage to a hugely talented musician who remains largely unknown to the general public.

Here’s The Session Man trailer…..

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2025-11-18 14:24