Gordon Walker (born 13 December 1967) is a Scottish bagpiper.

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.

Army career

He enlisted as a junior soldier in

The Royal Highland Fusiliers The Royal Highland Fusiliers, 2nd Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland (2 SCOTS) is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. Prior to 28 March 2006, the Royal Highland Fusiliers was an infantry regiment in its own right, c ...

and was sent for training to

Bridge of Don Bridge of Don is a suburb in the north of Aberdeen, Scotland. In , the Bridge of Don electoral ward was estimated to have a population of 19,545. Bridge of Don is split into four areas for statistical purposes by Aberdeen City Council and Polic ...

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. He saw active service in the

Gulf war The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...

in 1991 and tours of duty in

Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and He ...

in 1995 and

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

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 Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

and Director of Army Bagpipe Music at the

Army School of Bagpipe Music and Highland Drumming The Army School of Bagpipe Music and Highland Drumming is a British Army training establishment that provides instruction on Scottish pipe band music to military pipers and drummers. History Founded in 1910 as the Army School of Piping (later ...

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 was placed under supervision by social workers for three years. He had to carry out 300 hours’ unpaid work and was banned from contacting or being with children under the age of 17. He was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register for three years. He still continues to do piping jobs for a certain piping company based in glasgow.

Awards

* Oban Silver Medal, 1987 * Oban Gold Medal, 1993 * Inverness Gold Medal, 1994 * Open

Piobaireachd 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 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.

Compositions

Walker has composed a number of tunes, including ''The Fiddler's Rally''.

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)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Gordon 1967 births Living people Scottish composers Great Highland bagpipe players