Podcast: Revisiting our first podcast interview with John Driskell Hopkins

02/04/2021 —Sandy Springs, Georgia —  Musician John Driskell Hopkins sits for a portrait at his studio in Sandy Springs, Thursday, February 4, 2021. (Alyssa Pointer / Alyssa.Pointer@ajc.com)

Credit: Alyssa Pointer / Alyssa.Pointer@ajc.com

Credit: Alyssa Pointer / Alyssa.Pointer@ajc.com

02/04/2021 —Sandy Springs, Georgia — Musician John Driskell Hopkins sits for a portrait at his studio in Sandy Springs, Thursday, February 4, 2021. (Alyssa Pointer / Alyssa.Pointer@ajc.com)

Throughout the summer, we’ll be developing a brand podcast that will have a new name and a new sound. In the meantime, we’ll be revisiting some of our favorite interviews from our first four years while still keeping you up-to-date on things to do in and around Atlanta. In our very first podcast, then-AJC music writer Melissa Ruggieri had an in-depth conversation with John Driskell Hopkins, the multi-instrumentalist in the Zac Brown Band known for his distinctive beard and baritone voice.

Sadly, Hopkins was recently diagnosed with ALS, a progressive, debilitating disease that attacks nerve cells that control muscles throughout the body. Despite this, he recently said he hopes to continue to perform with the band for “many years to come.” The Zac Brown Band will be playing at Truist Park on June 17, 2022, and Rodney Ho will bring us a new interview with Hopkins in the coming days in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and online at ajc.com.

Odette is this week’s adoptable pet from the folks at Lifeline, who run the Fulton and DeKalb shelters, along with the Lifeline Community Animal Center. Odette is a perfect brindle bundle of love. This girl is a quiet sweet soul who finds any chance she gets to snuggle up for a belly rub. At a little over a year old, she knows cues like ‘sit’ ‘come’ and ‘paw’ and will happily keep learning if treats are involved. She also loves to take a stroll and meet new people. Odette is staying at the Fulton County Animal Shelter at 860 Marietta Blvd NW, Atlanta.

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