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I met Jim Caddis, founder and Pipe Major of the Niagara Regional Pipe Band in the fall of 1993. I had known of Jim and the band, however they were strictly a parade/performance band where Clan MacFarlane focused on competitions. Our paths rarely crossed. Clan MacFarlane ceased operations in 1993 with several members joining Jake Watson's Toronto Police Pipe Band. This influx of talent helped establish Toronto Police as a top contender in the years that followed.
I found the end of Clan MacFarlane very hard to accept and put the pipes under the bed. Late summer / early fall I received an invitation to travel to Memphis, Tennessee to play a gig with NRP. The band numbers were very small and a few "mercenaries" helped fill out the ranks and strengthen the sound and playing. I didn't know it at the time, however Jim was dealing with some serious health issues. Shortly after the trip he asked me to take over the band.
All that winter we worked hard to increase the number and to improve the quality of the product. In those days, NRP produced and performed at a military-style tattoo each May. It was a two-day event that netted the band about $25,000. Obviously, my focus was to that event.
One of my fondest memories was to see our Drum Major, Dave Hunter, with tears in his eyes when he saw the band march up for the first time. We were 25 pipers strong with a full drum corps. Dave can be seen in the picture above right behind the colour guard, eyes directly at the camera. I even got tenor drummer Andy Miller out of retirement, to the delight of every audience we played in front of.
The following year we took the band into Grade 3 and won a couple of major contests. Ed Neigh wrote on our sheet at Cambridge "Interesting choice of opening tune" What else. The Drunken Piper. I sent John Perrie (70 years young) up to collect 1st prize at the end of the day.
I left the band as Pipe Major in 1995. I was commuting into Toronto from St. Catharines daily and simply needed a break. Again, the pipes went under the bed. I played with Dofasco in 1997 and 1998 which was an outstanding experience. Jamie Connolly was a master at getting the pipes to play tight unison. After back-to-back North American Championships I returned to NRP under PM Al Ash in 1999. All told, NRP under Al in 1999, 2000, and 2001 was a powerhouse. Although we played Grade 2 there were several contests we would have won in Grade 1. It's hard to explain. We were a band of seasoned veterans (old timers) who wanted one more kick at the cat.
I found the end of Clan MacFarlane very hard to accept and put the pipes under the bed. Late summer / early fall I received an invitation to travel to Memphis, Tennessee to play a gig with NRP. The band numbers were very small and a few "mercenaries" helped fill out the ranks and strengthen the sound and playing. I didn't know it at the time, however Jim was dealing with some serious health issues. Shortly after the trip he asked me to take over the band.
All that winter we worked hard to increase the number and to improve the quality of the product. In those days, NRP produced and performed at a military-style tattoo each May. It was a two-day event that netted the band about $25,000. Obviously, my focus was to that event.
One of my fondest memories was to see our Drum Major, Dave Hunter, with tears in his eyes when he saw the band march up for the first time. We were 25 pipers strong with a full drum corps. Dave can be seen in the picture above right behind the colour guard, eyes directly at the camera. I even got tenor drummer Andy Miller out of retirement, to the delight of every audience we played in front of.
The following year we took the band into Grade 3 and won a couple of major contests. Ed Neigh wrote on our sheet at Cambridge "Interesting choice of opening tune" What else. The Drunken Piper. I sent John Perrie (70 years young) up to collect 1st prize at the end of the day.
I left the band as Pipe Major in 1995. I was commuting into Toronto from St. Catharines daily and simply needed a break. Again, the pipes went under the bed. I played with Dofasco in 1997 and 1998 which was an outstanding experience. Jamie Connolly was a master at getting the pipes to play tight unison. After back-to-back North American Championships I returned to NRP under PM Al Ash in 1999. All told, NRP under Al in 1999, 2000, and 2001 was a powerhouse. Although we played Grade 2 there were several contests we would have won in Grade 1. It's hard to explain. We were a band of seasoned veterans (old timers) who wanted one more kick at the cat.
Niagara Regional Police Pipe Band
