The 78th Fraser Highlanders Pipe Band, is a grade 1 competitive

pipe band A pipe band is a musical ensemble consisting of pipers and drummers. The term pipes and drums, used by military pipe bands is also common. The most common form of pipe band consists of a section of pipers playing the Great Highland bagpipe, a ...

from Campbellville, Ontario,

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

History

The band was formed in 1982 by members of the disbanded General Motors Pipe Band with support from a

78th Fraser Highlanders The 78th Regiment, (Highland) Regiment of Foot also known as the 78th Fraser Highlanders was a British infantry regiment of the line raised in Scotland in 1757, to fight in the Seven Years' War (also known as the French and Indian War in the ...

re-enactment group, but the band was allowed to keep the name after support from the group ceased. The 78th Frasers became the first non- Scottish band to win the

World Pipe Band Championships The World Pipe Band Championships is a pipe band competition held in Glasgow, Scotland. The World Pipe Band Championships as we currently know them have been staged since 1947 although the Grade 1 Pipe Band Competition winners at the annual Cowal ...

, in the summer of 1987, breaking the Strathclyde Police Pipe Band's (now the Greater Glasgow Police Scotland Pipe Band) run of six consecutive wins. Founding

pipe major The pipe major is the leading musician of a pipe band, whether military or civilian. Like the appointment of drum major, the position is derived from British Army traditions. During the early twentieth century, the term sergeant piper was used ...

Bill Livingstone is the only person in history to lead a Grade 1 band to a World Championship and win a Clasp for piobaireachd (

Pibroch Pibroch, or is an art music genre associated primarily with the Scottish Highlands that is characterised by extended compositions with a melodic theme and elaborate formal variations. Strictly meaning "piping" in Scottish Gaelic, has for some f ...

) at the

Northern Meeting The Northern Meeting is a gathering held in Inverness, Scotland, best known for its solo bagpiping competition in September. History The Northern Meeting was set up in 1798 "for the purpose of promoting a Social Intercourse", and early editions ...

, the two pinnacles of competitive success in the piping world. Livingstone stepped down from the role in 2010 after 29 years; he detailed the acrimonious circumstances around his departure in his 2017 memoir ''Preposterous''. The band is currently led by pipe major Doug MacRae and drum sergeant Drew Duthart. The band has won both the North American Pipe Band Championships (held in Maxville, Ontario) and the Canadian Pipe Band Championships (held in

Cambridge, Ontario Cambridge is a city in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, located at the confluence of the Grand and Speed rivers. The city had a population of 138,479 as of the 2021 census. Along with Kitchener and Waterloo, Cambridg ...

) a total of twelve times each. 'The Frasers' travel to Scotland each summer to compete at the World Championships, and have finished in the prize list eleven times. The band wears the 78th Fraser Highlanders Pipe Band

tartan Tartan ( gd, breacan ) is a patterned cloth consisting of criss-crossed, horizontal and vertical bands in multiple colours. Tartans originated in woven wool, but now they are made in other materials. Tartan is particularly associated with Sc ...

, designed for the band in 1998. They have recorded eight albums, all of which have been released by the

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

label Lismor Recordings.

Pipe Majors

*Bill Livingstone (1982-2010) *Doug MacRae (2010-present)

Leading Drummers

*J Reid Maxwell (1982-1992) *Harvey Dawson (1992-1996) *Michael Hunter (1996-2002) *John Fisher (2002-2004) *Drew Duthart (2004- ) In September 2017, Sean Allan was made the new bass drummer, replacing long-time member Johnny Rowe, who was dismissed on August 28th after 14 competitive seasons. Allan joined his brother-in-law, Lead-Drummer Drew Duthart. Allan followed in the footsteps of his late father, Luke Allan, who played with the band during its most successful years in the 1980s and, coincidentally, left the 78th Frasers to play with the Toronto Police with his son-in-law, Drew Duthart, who was then the lead-drummer. As of January 2018, the band made another change at bass drum, with Sean Allan leaving before playing in a competition. Pipe-Major Doug MacRae confirmed that Allan had left and that Christina Hanks was the band’s new bass drummer. The band made yet another change after the 2018 season, replacing Hanks with Colin McKail, previously of Hamilton Police. In April of 2022, Colin McKail was removed as the band’s bass drummer and replaced with Brian Morgan of New Hampshire.

Discography

* ''78th Fraser Highlanders (Faces album)'' (1984) * ''Up to the Line'' (1985) * ''Live in Concert in Ireland'' (1987) * ''The Immigrant's Suite'' (1990) * ''Live in Canada - The Megantic Outlaw Concert'' (1992) * ''Live in Scotland'' (1994) * ''Flame of Wrath'' (1998) * ''Cascade'' (2003)

References

6. https://www.pipesdrums.com/article/78th-frasers-make-a-bass-change/

External links

Official siteThe band at the World's in 1987 (Youtube)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Seventy Eighth Fraser Highlanders Pipe Band Grade 1 pipe bands World Pipe Band Championships winners