The Piping Encyclopaedia

BRADFORD, Eric
Pipe Major of the Kings Own Scottish Borderers.

BROWN, John
Pipe Major of the 1st Battalion Gordon Highlanders from 1892 until 1905.
BROWN, Robert
From Lumphanan, Aberdeenshire
Major Solo Prizes
Northern Meeting
Piobaireachd  3rd 1895
Strathspey & Reel: 2nd 1894, 3rd 1897

BROWN, Robert H
A former Argyll piper who became well known for his prolific compositions, amongst which were ‘The Argylls Crossing the River Po’. Lived in Edinburgh.

BROWN, Robert Urquhart (1906-1972)
Born in Blackhall, Deeside he became one of the most famous pipers of the 20th century.
Taught originally by William Fraser at the age of 11, a pipe corporal in the Gordons, and then by his uncle, also called Bob brown, J Ewen, Pat Ewing and then from 1919 until 1925 by George Allan.
In 1926 he was made a gamekeeper on the Royal Estate at Balmoral and included his outdoor duties with piping. Accordingly he was sent to John MacDonald in Inverness every year from 1928 until 1939.
He was a war-time Pipe Major of the 1st Battalion Gordon Highlanders from 1944 until 1945.
He was a prolific prize winner and one record he established will likely never be beaten—12 wins in the Open Piobaireachd at London including the last event before his death.
Brown died tragically in 1972. While on a trip to judging/recital tour of Australia he developed a deep vein thrombosis in his leg which proved to be fatal.
His piobaireachd teaching is preserved by many recordings made around the world as well as commercially by the School of Scottish Studies and Greentrax Records.
Major Solo Prizes
Argyllshire Gathering
March 1929
Gold Medal 1931
Open 1935
Northern Meeting
March 1929
Gold Medal 1928
Clasp 1947, 1951
London
Bratach Gorm 1956, 1960, 1962
Open 1939, 1950, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 964, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1971

BROWN, Wilson
From Crieff. Prominent as a piper with the Strathclyde Police Pipe Band. Part of five World Championship wins (1983, 84, 85, 86 and 88). Also played for a time with the Strahtearn and Vale of Atholl pipe bands.
Major Solo Prizes
Northern Meeting
Silver Medal 1979

BRUCE, Alexander (1771-1840)
The first of the Bruce family of pipers. Born in Skye at a time when many on the island were emigrating because of land rent increases. He was a contemporary of the great John MacKay, Raasay.
Sandy Bruce was piper to MacLeod of Gesto (see) who is famous in piping as the author of the Gesto Canntaireachd, representing the piping of Iain Dubh MacCrimmon.
Gesto sent Sandy to study under Donald Ruadh MacCrimmon  and in 1807 he won 2nd prize at the Edinburgh Exhibition. It is said that he was Donald Ruadh’s favourite pupil. His three sons, John, Malcolm and Peter (see) all became excellent pipers as was his brother, John (see).
Major Solo Prizes
Edinburgh
Prize Pipe: 2nd 1807

BRUCE, John (1775-1847)
From a famous Skye piping family and brother of Sandy Bruce, piper to MacLeod of Gesto.
He became Piper to Sir Walter Scott with whom he became known as ‘John of Skye’ but said to have left the service of the bard after a furious row over a trivial incident. He had first started working for Sir Walter as a groundsman on his estate but was made piper after Scott overhead him playing in the garden. Some time later he was piping at a function in Edinburgh and was to strike up when Sir Walter gave him a signal. But the instruction was overheard by another person who mischievously gave him the signal. A raging Sir Walter Scott chastised John Bruce who took umbrage and left the writer’s service immediately.
By 1832, which was also the year of the death of Sir Walter Scott, he was piper to the United Kingdom Steamship company. In that year he competed at Edinburgh and was so described in the program. His tune was ‘The Menzies Salute’.
He died destitute in Edinburgh after having suffered his last few years from insanity during which time he imagined himself a descendant of Robert the Bruce and the rightful heir to the Scottish Crown. But he was saved from being laid to rest in a pauper’s grave by a well-meaner who paid for his funeral.
(See also Alexander, John, Malcolm and Peter)
His appearances at the Edinburgh competition include: 1818 u/p; 1821 u/p; 1822 u/p; 1824 u/p, “from Skye”; 1832 “piper in the United Kingdom Steamship former piper to Sir Walter Scott”; 1835, n/s; 1838 “from the Isle of Skye” n/s. (u/p = unplaced, n/s = not selcted for public competition)

BRUCE, John (?-1893)
The eldest of the three sons of Sandy Bruce (see) and a nephew of ‘John of Skye’, piper to Sir Walter Scott.
He became piper to Keith MacAllister of Innesstrynich, Loch Awe and later to Doctor Crichton of Fort William until 1853 when he, with his brother Peter, emigrated to Victoria, Australia.
He had already given some tuition to George and Angus MacDonald from Morar prior to going to Australia and once there he and his brother became responsible for the tuition of Simon Fraser, a controversial figure in the world of Piobaireachd.
Around the year 1882 he owned a hotel in Melbourne which he called The Highland Chief. Before then he had been piper to Godfrey MacKinnon of Goonamtil and then to Alex MacGregor of Oatland, Drouin.
John Bruce had a son and three daughters.

BRUCE, John
From Peebles. Transferred to the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards from the Royal Marines in 1972 and later became Pipe Major, taking the band into the Top Six in Grade 1.
Served as a piping instructor in Oman since leaving the RSDGs in the late 1980s.

BRUCE, Malcolm
One of the three sons of Sandy Bruce (see)  and although little is known of him he is recorded as having been piper to MacKintosh at Moy Hall.

BRUCE, Peter (1822-?)
One of the three sons of Sandy Bruce (see) and a nephew of ‘John of Skye’. He succeeded his father as Gesto’s piper although he had assisted him for some years before Sandy’s death in 1840.


BRYSON, William
Pipe Major of the Kings Own Scottish Borderers.
Famed as an Edinburgh-based bagpipe maker.

Donald BUCHANAN
From Paisley
Played at the Prize Pipe competition at Edinburgh in 1784.

BUCHANAN, John (1770-1845)
From Lochgilphead, Argyll.
Pipe Major of the 1st Battalion Black Watch in the early 1800s, serving with them during the Peninsular Wars.
Winner of the Prize Pipe at Edinburgh in 1802.

BURGESS, John D (1934-2004)
Born in Aberdeen but moved to Edinburgh as a boy where he was to come under the influence of Willie Ross although he was originally taught by his father John W.
A prodigious talent he quickly became known as the ‘boy wonder’ and after dominating amateur piping won both the Oban and Inverness Gold Medals in 1950, his first year as a professional.
Having won the March and Strathspey & Reel events also that year he was entitled to enter the former winner’s MSR at the two big events the following year and in 1951 he won both becoming the only piper in history to win the-then four majors before he was 18, a feat that will never be repeated.
From then until his retiral from competition in the late ‘70s the man who was now regarded as ‘The King of Pipers’ was a dominant prize winner, particularly in light music.
As a youngster he toured North America with Willie Ross in 1952 and amazed everyone with his dazzling finger work.
That same year he enlisted in the Cameron Highlanders as a piper and after serving three years joined the Edinburgh City Police where he eventually succeeded Donald Shaw Ramsay as pipe major.
He also served as Pipe Major of the Invergordon Distillery Pipe Band and then 4th/5th Battalion Queens Own Cameron Highlanders from 1963 until 1965. Later he taught piping for the Highland region schools in the Inverness district.
Also known as a talented composer and good raconteur of piping lore as well as a highly respected judge.

Major Prizes;
Argyllshire Gathering
Gold Medal 1950
Open 1972
March 1950
S&R 1951
MS&R 1951, 1952, 1953, 1955, 1962
Northern Meeting
Gold Medal 1950
S&R 1950
MS&R 1951
Jig 1951, 1952, 1953, 1965
London
Bratach Gorm 1953
Open 1953
MS&R 1951, 1956
Glenfiddich
MS&R 1975, 1976, 1977
Champion 1975
National Mod
Gold Pennant 1975

Discography;
King of Highland Pipers (album Topic)
The Art of the Highland Bagpipe, Volumes 1-3 (albums Topic)

BURNS, Robert S