Jack Armstrong (May 16, 1904 – September 6, 1978) was a performer on the

Northumbrian smallpipes The Northumbrian smallpipes (also known as the Northumbrian pipes) are bellows-blown bagpipes from North East England, where they have been an important factor in the local musical culture for more than 250 years. The family of the Duke of N ...

. Born in

Wideopen Wideopen, also occasionally spelled Wide Open, is a village in the North Tyneside metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, England, around north of Newcastle. Wideopen adjoins the settlements of Seaton Burn, Brunswick Village and Hazlerigg. ...

North Tyneside North Tyneside is a metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of Tyne and Wear, England. It forms part of the greater Tyneside conurbation. North Tyneside Council is headquartered at Cobalt Park, Wallsend. North Tyneside is bordered b ...

, five miles north of

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

, in 1904. He and his father, both coal miners, worked at Dinnington colliery, but Jack managed to get a job as a chauffeur shortly after

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. In 1926 Jack married, and he was living at

Skipton Skipton (also known as Skipton-in-Craven) is a market town and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. Historically in the East Division of Staincliffe Wapentake in the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is on the River Air ...

in North Yorkshire when he taught himself to play the pipes. His style, influenced by his father's playing, was steady and controlled; he favoured slow airs, which he played on a set of pipes with a rich, resonant tone. This style was in strong contrast to the faster, more virtuosic playing of

Tom Clough Tom or TOM may refer to: * Tom (given name), a diminutive of Thomas or Tomás or an independent Aramaic given name (and a list of people with the name) Characters * Tom Anderson, a character in '' Beavis and Butt-Head'' * Tom Beck, a character ...

and his followers, exemplified by Jack's friend and contemporary,

Billy Pigg Billy Pigg (1902 – 1968) was an English player of Northumbrian smallpipes. He was a vice-president and an influential member of the Northumbrian Pipers Society from 1930 until his death. Life and music He was born at Dilston Park, near Corbri ...

. His repertoire consisted largely of simple dance tunes and slow airs, from Northumberland and elsewhere, the latter often being given local titles. He also composed some tunes in traditional style, some of which are still played. In an interview recorded in the 1970s, he recalled regular dances at Powburn, led by ''The Northumbrian Minstrels'', Billy Atkinson on melodeon, Jack Thompson also on fiddle, and Bob Clark on drums. Jack was not a regular member of this band, but guested regularly with them. These and others were involved in a concert in Alnwick, which was broadcast live to troops in 1942 - a press cutting relating to this is at. Jack founded a band of his own, ''The Barnstormers'' in about 1949. In 1948 Jack was made official piper to the

Duke of Northumberland Duke of Northumberland is a noble title that has been created three times in English and British history, twice in the Peerage of England and once in the Peerage of Great Britain. The current holder of this title is Ralph Percy, 12th Duke ...

. He held this post for many years, retiring in 1971. He was succeeded by Tom Matthews; a recording featuring both is at. During the 1950s Jack made many recordings, together with The Barnstormers and solo, as well as many broadcasts for the BBC. He recorded a piping album with Patricia Jennings, side one consisting of his solo tracks and side two of pipe duets. Between about 1950 and the folk revival in the 1960s, he was perhaps the most widely known player of the Northumbrian smallpipes, and did much to raise awareness of the instrument.

Recordings

*Northumbrian Minstrelsy (Concert Hall SVSC 2339), 1969. *Northumbrian Pipe Music (Beltona SEP 43 p, 1969. *Jack Armstrong, Celebrated Minstrel, Northumbria Vol.1 (Saydisc Traditional Series, Saydisc SCL 252), 1974. *Northumbrian Pipe Tunes (Folktracks TFSA30.122), nd. *The Northumbrian Smallpipes (Clock Tower MTN 3073), 1969 (with Patricia Jennings).

Published compositions

*Bracken Rigg *Rothbury Hills *Rowantree Hill *The College Valley Hunt *Coquet Light *Kyloe Woods *Northumbria Rejoices *Powburn Lads *Crawley Dene

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Armstrong, Jack 1904 births 1978 deaths Players of Northumbrian smallpipes 20th-century English musicians People from Northumberland (before 1974)