A musical duo with a 77-year age difference took to the stage together at the Te Puke Country Music Awards for a one-of-a-kind performance recently.

Given an encouraging nudge by her grandparents at a country music event in Whangamata two years ago, Maysen Mitchell, now aged 16, approached Don Pengelly to suggest they combine country music forces.

Well-known as one of the oldest members in the local country music scene at age 93, Don is notable by his iconic purple hat, which has badges from different country music awards that he's collected over the years.

'I just love him – honestly he's like my favourite person ever so I was like: ‘Hey do you want to do a duet at the next awards?'” says Maysen, who has been singing country since she was 12.

Don was more than thrilled at the prospect. 'She's a lovely girl – I still can't get over her actually asking me a couple of years ago if she could sing with me,” says Don.

Although lovely, Don also describes Maysen as a 'cheeky little devil” after she sung ‘He's too old to cut the mustard' at his 90^th birthday bash!

On Matariki weekend, at the Te Puke Country Music Awards, Maysen and Don were finally able to perform a duet together, two years later. The duet was a 'wing it” style performance, says Maysen, as she lives in Papamoa and Don lives in Thames – meaning no time for practice.

How did the performance go? 'I forget my words these days,” says Don with a laugh. 'She [Maysen] carried me through and I'm told it sounded pretty good so I'll take it!”

'I thoroughly enjoy singing with her because she's got such a lovely voice and she fits in so well with whoever she's singing with.”

The pair sung ‘Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain' by Willie Nelson, a special song to Don. 'It's a song I love – there's a couple things that I love to sing in memory of my wife,” says Don, who began singing in his 70s through music groups that his late wife, and 'beautiful singer” June used to be involved in.

Looking ahead, Don hopes the duo can get together again 'and Maysen can do the harmony side of it … you know we could be famous!”