Yudu - PB April 2014

PIPE MAJORS

Highs and lows of your career? Highs: Winning any of the championships with the band. Getting a big thumbs up from P/M Ian McLellan aſt er the Celtic Connections concert in January 2013. Lows? Not that many, just being disappointed if we don't perform well.

Who were your biggest infl uences; who did/do you look up to? Dad, P/M Evan MacRae, Alec MacDonald, P/M Iain Morrison, P/M Ian McLellan, Gordon Duncan, Dr. Angus, Allan and Iain MacDonald, Angus MacColl, Gordon Walker, Alasdair Gillies and others. P/M Ian Morrison was the most musical player I ever heard; P/M Ian McLellan for what he did with his band and his knowledge; Gordon Duncan for his passion, compositions and musicality and Dr. Angus, Allan and Iain MacDonald. Growing up in the north west coast you couldn’t have helped

Greater Glasgow march on at the Worlds

being infl uenced by the three brothers. Whether it was with musicality, competition piping, introducing tunes and Gaelic music to the pipes and pioneering some of the collaborations we have in piping today, these gents have it all. I don’t think anyone growing up in my era could have not but admired Angus MacColl, Gordon Walker and Alasdair Gillies, given their achievements and playing throughout the last 30 years.