John Driskell Hopkins
John Driskell Hopkins (born May 3, 1971) is an American musician best known for his role as a founding member, vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter for the Grammy Award-winning group Zac Brown Band. Hopkins co-wrote, with Zac Brown, Wyatt Durette, and Shawn Mullins, the Zac Brown Band's third single, "Toes", from their 2008 major-label debut The Foundation. It was the second number-one single for the band.
John Driskell Hopkins
May 3, 1971
San Antonio, Texas, United States
1992–present
Hopkins also co-wrote, with Zac Brown, Wyatt Durette, and Sonia Leigh, the second single from the band's third major-label album Uncaged, entitled "Goodbye in Her Eyes". Hopkins co-wrote the band's first number=one hit on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart, "Heavy Is the Head", which featured Chris Cornell and was the second single from their fourth major-label studio album, 2015's Jekyll + Hyde.
Early life[edit]
Hopkins was raised in Gainesville, Georgia, the eldest of four brothers. He graduated from Florida State University 1993 with a degree in general theatre.[1] During college at Florida State University, Hopkins was the front man of a band called The Woodpeckers.
Personal life[edit]
In December 2021, Hopkins was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease). He did not publicly announce this diagnosis until May 20, 2022, when the rest of the Zac Brown Band and he publicly announced this during a YouTube video. In response, Hopkins founded the charity Hop on a Cure to fund research on the disease.[13][14]
Brighter Shade (1996)
Brighter Shade (2001)
John Driskell Hopkins and Balsam Range (2012)
John Driskell Hopkins and The Atlanta Pops Orchestra (2015)
The Joe Gransden Big Band (2017)
Bloody Wolves of Venice (2019)
John Driskell Hopkins (2021)