Nicky Hopkins’ Piano Gave the Stones Their Most Satanic Groove

Nicky Hopkins wasn’t a Rolling Stone, but his piano work on Beggars Banquet and Let It Bleed basically made those records feel loose and dangerous in ways the band couldn’t have pulled off alone. He was the go‑to session man for everyone in London – Beatles, Kinks, Who – and the Stones kept calling him back because he played like he was part of the rhythm section, not a guest.

On “Sympathy for the Devil” the piano isn’t just filling space – it is the structure. Keith Richards had the basic riff, but Hopkins hammered out those descending octaves and the syncopated samba‑style chords that turn the song into a carnival of menace. He recorded it live in the studio with the band, banging an upright piano through a Vox amp to get that slightly distorted, percussive attack. Without him, the track would’ve been a folk‑rock rant. With him, it’s a voodoo waltz.

“Monkey Man” from Let It Bleed is almost a piano‑driven song disguised as a guitar stomp. Hopkins plays a rolling barrel‑house figure that locks into Charlie Watts’ swing and pushes the whole thing forward. The part is deceptively simple – right hand jabs, left hand walking blues – but it gives the track that sloppy, late‑night barroom feel. He never got a proper credit on the album sleeve, just “Nicky H.” in the notes, which was typical. The Stones were stingy with acknowledgment, but everyone in the room knew who made the grooves stick.