Don Hopkins

Listen before you go

Don Hopkins plays the piano like it’s a parade, boogie woogie left hand rolling, right hand flashing, and a voice that brings New Orleans sunshine to every chorus. A stalwart of Sydney’s blues scene since the ’70s, Hopkins is the rare combination of scholar and showman: multi award winner, Goulburn Blues Walk of Fame inductee (2002), and 2nd place at the International Blues Challenge (2012) with his duo Dr Don’s Double Dose. Onstage, he jumps eras with ease from 1920s barrelhouse to ’60s R&B with sly originals tucked between beloved gems. His latest, Blues Revue (2022), folds blues, jazz, R&B, soul and gospel into a set built for toe tapping and grin splitting. Equal parts dazzling and joyous, Hopkins makes the room feel like home.