Who do the two bands have in common?  

Multi-skilled musician Don Hopkins.  

He teaches piano in the wings, but the pianist, guitarist and vocalist is a well-known name to fans of Australian blues music. 

The Goulburn Blues Walk of Fame inductee will be performing at the Southern Railway Hotel on Saturday, so make sure you tune in to what will be a chilled and relaxed night.  

The veteran can thank his parents for the success he has had in his career to date as they were the ones that felt a star was in the making due to what they heard.  

“My parents enjoyed music when I was growing up,” Mr Hopkins said.  

“They discovered that I was good at picking up tunes from the neighbour’s piano and was impressed. 

“They also saw that I was capable of working out a tune on the piano. 

“I had a couple of piano lessons and then it went from there.” 

When you do what you love, success tends to follow and that was exactly what happened with him. 

“I didn’t think I had a talent,” he said.  

“I just enjoyed playing a lot.”  

He was the runner up of the 2012 International Blues Challenge in Memphis and Blues Performers of the Year 2012 for NSW and ACT, both with drummer Rob Grosser during his time in Dr Don’s Double Dose, but that’s not all.  

To make things even more impressive, he was self-taught besides studying music at high school.  

“I asked for a guitar on my 10th birthday,” he said.  

I taught myself guitar and was singing while playing the guitar.  

“I worked out that I could play chords on the piano and sing with that.” 

He has had a whole range of songs published, but  feels the most popular one would have to be Better Make The Most Of It. 

“People like singing along to the song Better Make The Most Of It which was on a CD by a band I was in called Jim Conways Big Wheel,” he said. 

Although he has had a glittering career, he still has a few things on his bucket list including an award winning CD.

“It would be good to have a CD that’s recognised also by the Blues Scene,” he said. 

“Hopefully the CD is awarded something.  

“I also want to have an online site to teach people how to play Blues Style Piano.” 

He current teaches blues, roots and popular piano at his studio in Sydney.

Admission is free at the Southern Railway Hotel on Saturday night and Don Hopkins will be there from 8:30pm in what should be a cracking show.