Editing Nicky Hopkins (section)

==Early life==
Nicholas Christian Hopkins was born in [[Perivale]], [[Middlesex]], England, on 24 February 1944. He began playing the piano at the age of three. He attended Sudbury Primary School in Perrin Road<ref name="book">{{cite book|last=Dawson|first=Julian|title=And On Piano...Nicky Hopkins|publisher=Desert Hearts|year=2011|page=25|isbn=978-1-898948-12-4}}</ref> and Wembley County Grammar School,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kilburntimes.co.uk/what-s-on/homage_to_wembley_session_musician_who_played_with_the_beatles_1_911740 |title=Homage to Wembley session musician who played with The Beatles. – What's on – Brent & Kilburn Times |website=Kilburntimes.co.uk |date=3 June 2011 |access-date=15 July 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130508124052/http://www.kilburntimes.co.uk/what-s-on/homage_to_wembley_session_musician_who_played_with_the_beatles_1_911740 |archive-date=8 May 2013 }}</ref> which now forms part of [[Alperton Community School]], and was initially tutored by a local piano teacher; in his teens he won a scholarship to the [[Royal Academy of Music]] in London.<ref name="nickyhopkins.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.nickyhopkins.com/?page_id=5|title=Nicky Hopkins – Biography|website=Nickyhopkins.com|access-date=30 September 2018}}</ref> He suffered from [[Crohn's disease]] for most of his life.<ref>{{cite book|title=Rocks Off: 50 Tracks That Tell the Story of the Rolling Stones|first=Bill|last=Janovitz|page=326|year=2014|publisher=Birlinn |isbn=978-0-85790-790-5}}</ref>

His poor health and repeated surgery later made it difficult for him to tour, and he worked mainly as a [[session musician]] for most of his career.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GgkEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22nicky+hopkins%22+session+musician&pg=PA21|title=Hopkins Forsakes Studios For Solo|magazine=Billboard|date=16 June 1973|page=21|access-date=18 September 2018}}</ref> Hopkins's studies were interrupted in 1960 when he left school at 16 to become the pianist with [[Screaming Lord Sutch]]'s [[Screaming Lord Sutch and the Savages|Savages]] until, two years later, he and fellow Savages Bernie Watson, Rick Brown (aka [[Ricky Fenson]]) and [[Carlo Little]] joined the renowned blues harmonica player [[Cyril Davies]], who had just left [[Blues Incorporated]], and became the [[All-Stars (band)|Cyril Davies (R&B) All-Stars]].<ref name="nickyhopkins.com"/> Hopkins played piano on their first single, Davies's much-admired theme tune "Country Line Special".<ref name="guide1">{{cite book|last=Bodganov|first=Vladimir|title=All Music Guide to the Blues|publisher=Backbeat Books|year=2003|edition=3rd|page=140|isbn=0-87930-736-6|display-authors=etal}}</ref>

Hopkins was forced to leave the All Stars in May 1963 for a series of operations that almost cost him his life and he was bed-ridden for 19 months in his late teenage years. During his convalescence, Davies died of [[leukemia]] and the All Stars disbanded.<ref name="nickyhopkins.com"/> Hopkins's frail health led him to concentrate on working as a session musician instead of joining bands, although he left his mark performing with a wide variety of famous bands.<ref name=RayDavies /> He quickly became one of London's most in-demand session pianists and performed on many hit recordings from this period.<ref name=farber>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2024/nov/06/nicky-hopkins-pianist-rolling-stones-who-beatles|title='Played on over 250 albums': was Nicky Hopkins the greatest unsung pianist ever?|first=Jim|last=Jim Farber|newspaper=The Guardian|date=6 November 2024|accessdate=14 November 2024}}</ref>