Gordon Walker (piper)

Gordon Walker (born 13 December 1967) is a bagpiper.[1]

Gordon Walker
Born (1967-12-13) 13 December 1967
Ayrshire, Scotland
InstrumentsBagpipes

Early life

Gordon Walker was born in Ayrshire on 13 December 1967. He first began piping lessons when he was four and a half years old and has said "I could play a scale before I knew the alphabet." His uncles Jim and Bert were pipers in the Scots Guards and this became his ambition. Subsequently he was introduced to a family friend, Pipe Major David Kay from Cumnock who was his first tutor, he subsequently received Piobaireachd tuition from Iain Clowe of Dumfries.[2]

Army career

He enlisted as a junior soldier in The Royal Highland Fusiliers and was sent for training to Bridge of Don on the completion of two years junior training he joined the battalion in West Berlin. He undertook the Pipe Majors course at the Army School of Bagpiping and Highland Drumming which was held at Edinburgh Castle, he passed with Distinguished honours.[3]

He saw active service in the Gulf war in 1991 and tours of duty in Bosnia in 1995 and Northern Ireland in 1996. Later in his army career he had Piobaireachd tuition from the late Captain Andrew Pitkeathly, former personal piper to HM Queen Elizabeth II and Director of Army Bagpipe Music at the Army School of Bagpipe Music and Highland Drumming.[4]

Child abuse conviction

In August 2019, Walker was found guilty of a catalogue of abuse against six pupils at the private school where he was the teacher of piping. Although he did not receive a prison sentence he has been placed under supervision by social workers for three years, has to carry out 300 hours’ unpaid work and is banned from contacting or being with children under the age of 17. He has also been placed on the Sex Offenders Register for three years.[5]

Awards
  • Oban Silver Medal, 1987
  • Oban Gold Medal, 1993
  • Inverness Gold Medal, 1994
  • Open Piobaireachd at Oban in 1995 and 2007.
  • Former Winners March, Strathspey and Reel at Oban in 1994, 1995, 1996, 2003, 2004 and 2005,
  • Former Winners March, Strathspey and Reel at Inverness in 1990, 1993, 2000, 2001.
  • Silver Chanter. Dunvegan, Skye in 2004
  • Glenfiddich Piping Championship in 2007.[4]

Compositions

Walker has composed a number of tunes, includingThe Fiddler's Rally.[4]

Discography
  • Piping Centre: 3rd Recital Series, Vol. II (2001)
  • The Lady and the Piper (2003)
  • Pipers of Distinction/Walker (2007)
  • World's Greatest Pipers, Vol. 13 (2007)[6]

References
  1. "Gordon Walker". BBC. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
  2. "A Newsletter from Begg Bagpipes". Beggbagpipes.com. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  3. "Gordon Walker". Pipetunes.ca. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  4. "Pipe Major Gordon Walker (1967- )". Pipetunes.ca. Archived from the original on 6 November 2012. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
  5. "No Jail Sentence For War Veteran Who Abused School Pupils For 10 Years". Scotsman.com. Retrieved 1 September 2019. (subscription required)
  6. "Gordon Walker". AllMusic. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
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