Historic Picture of Ontario Band/ MacGregor Memorial Competition

The above photograph has been languishing in the PP files for some time and we wonder if any of our many readers in Canada can identify the band or the personnel. It is an historic photograph, 100 plus years old, and is dated on the back July 10th, 1914. The place is given as simply ‘eastern Ontario’. Interesting to check out the attire of the bystanders. Dress seems to have been…

PP Editor’s Blog: Crieff, Toronto Police New P/M, Muirheads Pic, SLoT Drums

Hector Russell has kindly sent me a copy of this picture taken in 1978 at the retiral of Muirhead & Sons P/M Robert Hardie and Leading Drummer Robert Turner. The line up is: Dougie Alexander (drummer), Peter Anderson (drummer), John Kirkwood (drummer), Lawrence Jenkins (Band Secretary), Robert Wallace (I know, I know), Robert Turner, Derek Boyd (piper), Willie Williamson (bass & tenor), Les Hutt (piper), John Christie (Band President), Jimmy…

Crieff’s Highland Games Plan to Restore Piping Competitions in 2016

Crieff Highland Gathering has confirmed that there will be no competitive piping at this year’s games. However, in an interview with pipingpress.com, the solo piping convenor, Mr Graham Taylor, voiced his intention, given support, of restoring the solo competitions in 2016. He also confirmed that the intention of the games committee was to have full day of ‘non-competitive’ piping at the Sunday, 16th August 2015 event. A number of duty pipe bands…

PP Ed’s Blog: SFU Fundraiser, South Africa 100 Guineas

Congratulations to all involved with the SFU charity concert for the BC Cancer Foundation. $32,000 (£17,000) is a considerable total to achieve. I watched the concert, and it certainly was an emotional evening, with Andrew Bonar and his family centre stage. The band played very well in my view, as well as could be discerned from the Livestream, with strong melodic content in all selections. A drone hardly needed touched….

Preview of New Edition of Pipe Band Magazine

The April 2015 edition of the magazine will be out on Wednesday as a free download from the RSPBA or from the ppresshop.  Followers of the Shotts & Dykehead Caledonia Pipe Band (pictured below in 1974 under P/M Tom MacAllister Jnr. and L/D Alex Duthart) will be interested to read of the life and times of band legend Sandy Bell. Here’s a short excerpt:  ‘At Shotts, a period of re-building started again when,…