On this day in history: James McIntosh wins 1st ever Grant’s Piping Championship, Blair Atholl, October 17th, 1974.

• 1925 Born in Dundee, Scotland
• 1939-49 served as Piper with the Cameron Highlanders, British Military forces
• 1950’s & 60’s – Taught piping in the Scottish public schools; : Introduced grading on ability rather than age, and instituted a class to prepare young pipers for an annual competition.
• 1961-70 – Studied exclusively with the Royal pipers at Balmoral, R.U. Brown and R.B. Nicol; Established a full-time bagpipe reed-making business.
• During this time he also developed the Naill chanter, which continues to be one of the favorite chanters of top Scottish competitiors.
• 1968-78- won most of the top level Scottish piping competitions. Served on the BBC Music Committee.
• 1978 – came to the USA for the first time at my invitation and co-founded the Balmoral School of Piping, based in Pittsburgh.
• 1984 Emigrated to the USA and settled in Pittsburgh
• 1980’s and 90’s: Through the Balmoral Schools Jim taught the only Americans to win the top solo competitions in Scotland: Mike Cusack and Mike Rogers, and taught many of the successful Scottish, Canadian, Australian, and New Zealand players as well.
• 1985 appointed Director Piping at Carnegie-Mellon University.
• 1989 instituted at CMU the first Bachelor of Performing Arts degree program for bagpipe music in the entire world;
• 1990-94 Elected for two terms as President of the EUSPBA
• 1994 Awarded the Member of the British Empire medal by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace for his contributions and services to traditional piping.
• 1998 retired from CMU
• 2002 was awarded the prestigious Balvenie Medal of Scotland for his services to piping.
• In 2003 founded the Balmoral Highlanders Pipe Band.

On this day in history on October 13 1933 the Scottish Pipe Band Association officially starts.

On this day in history: Royal Scots Dragoon Guards’ “Amazing Grace” reaches #1 in UK charts, September 29 1971.

On this day in history: Capt John MacLellan wins MSR at Inverness, completing “Grand Slam,” September 25, 1958.

On this day in history: 16 year-old John D. Burgess completes “The Double” by winning Inverness Gold Medal playing “Castle Menzies, September 21, 1950.

On this day in history: Donald MacPherson wins record 9th Clasp, Inverness, September 19, 1975.

On this day in history: Bill Livingstone plays plastic Warnock drones at
Northern Meeting, September 18, 1975.

On this day in history: Donald MacPherson wins 7th Clasp at Inverness with “Battle of Waterloo,” September 17, 1971.

THE accent was pure southern England but the name was unmistakably Scottish. Hamish Chisholm, the Chisholm of Chisholm, may now run a scaffolding business in Suffolk, but he’s still the chief of his clan.

It’s a role he takes very seriously, not least because it has been passed down through generations of his family for around seven centuries. That he intends handing it on - and all that it entails - to his own 27-year-old son testifies to his strong belief that the ancient clan system of Scotland is not only not under threat but has a positive future….

Scotsman - Full Story

On this day in history: James McIntosh wins Gold Medal, Inverness, with “Tulloch Ard,” September 16, 1971.

The 76-year-old is the 32nd chief of the MacDonalds of Keppoch, having fought for the honour over more than 30 years. But accession rarely comes without enemies, and a feud with some of his kinsmen continued last night as the ceremony to recognise the new chief took place.

The Keppoch MacDonalds were once one of Scotland’s fiercest clans, fighting for James VII at Killiecrankie and Prince Charles Edward Stuart at Culloden. In-fighting is nothing new, either. In 1663, in the Keppoch Murders, Alexander MacDonald, the young chief, and his brother Ranald were stabbed to death by rivals within the clan. Their seven killers were hunted down, killed and decapitated.

Scotsman - Full Story

On this day in history: John D. Burgess, 16, sets record for youngest Gold Medal winner, playing “In Praise of Morag,” Oban, September 13, 1950.

John D Burgess is a phenomenon in the world of piping. At the age of four he began to take an interest in playing when his father made a scaled-down practice chanter for him. When he was ten he went for lessons to the legendary Pipe Major William Ross at Edinburgh Castle, and from this his rise was meteoric. From being an infant prodigy he beacame a boy genius, whose playing in juvenile competitions brought professional pipers in large numbers into the audience.

Bill Livingstone has 2nd prize in Gold Medal taken away after tape recording discloses an error, September 12, 1974.

Canadian, born in Coppercliff, Ontario. World class piper. Pipe major of 78th Fraser Highlanders. Winner of the Northern Meeting Gold Medal in 1977, the Argyllshire Gathering Gold Medal in 1979 and The Clasp in 1981 and 1984. Retired from solo piping after competing in the Clasp at the 2005 Northern Meeting.

On this day in history: Angus MacKay born, Raasay, Skye, September 10, 1813.

(1813 - March, 21, 1859) Scottish. Moved to London at age 30. First place at the Highland Society competition in 1835. Compiler of A Collection of Ancient Piobaireachd or Highland Pipe Music in 1838. In 1843, he left his duties as piper to the Laird of Islay and entered the service of Queen Victoria as the first Sovereign Piper.

The Marquess of Breadalbane was able to recommend Angus MacKay, Piper to Campbell of Islay, to the Queen. In 1843, MacKay became the first personal Piper to the Sovereign. He was also a noted composer of Pipe music, publishing a collection of Piobaireachd as well as a volume of reels and strathspeys.

As well as playing regularly after breakfast, MacKay played at balls and special occasions including the erection of a cairn in 1852 on the top of Craig Gowan to commemorate The Queen’s acquisition of the Balmoral Estate. The Queen wrote that he played for the hour it took to build the cairn and ’some merry reels were danced on a stone opposite’.

In 1854, Angus MacKay was replaced by Pipe Major William Ross who had served in the 42nd Royal Highland Regiment, the Black Watch, before joining the Royal Household. An extract from the Privy Purse shows that Ross was employed as a Gentleman Porter of various residences and that he was also Groom of the State Chamber.

He later went crazy and was institutionalised in 1854 in Bethlem Hospital and drowned trying to escape from Crichton Institute to which he’d been transferred in 1856.

On this day in history: GS McLennan awarded 1st prize, posthumously, for “6/8 in Braemar Highland Gathering tune contest.” September 07

(1883-1927) Scottish. Piper. PM of the Gordon Highlanders. Legendary and prolific composer. Won Gold Medals in Oban and Inverness in 1904/5. His book Highland Bagpipe Music, Book 1 was published posthumously in 1929.

On this day in history: G.S. McLennan takes 3 firsts, Aboyne games, September 03, 1921.

(1883-1927) Scottish. Piper. PM of the Gordon Highlanders. Legendary and prolific composer. Won Gold Medals in Oban and Inverness in 1904/5. His book Highland Bagpipe Music, Book 1 was published posthumously in 1929. Tunes include “The Little Cascade”. When he died over 20,000 people lined the funeral route from his home to the station in Aberdeen. Son of composer John MacLennan. (Yes, the “Mac” vs. “Mc” is correct.)

On this day in history: Robert Reid dies, Glasgow, August 31, 1965.

On this day in history: J.B. Robertson completes 14 event winning streak through 5 contests, Pitlochry, August 30, 1938.

On this day in history: Donald MacLean of Lewis dies suddenly at Cowal Games, age 63, August 29 1965.