John (Pipe-Major) Grant

Born on 11 August 1876 and dying on 25 April 1961, John (Pipe-Major) Grant was a Scottish bagpipe enthusiast, composer, and writer best known for his lifelong dedication to the Great Highland bagpipe. He studied piping under Pipe-Major Ronald Mackenzie of the Seaforth Highlanders and went on to build a reputation as a skilled performer and knowledgeable advocate for the instrument.

Over the course of more than fifty years, he composed both piobaireachd and lighter pipe music for members of the British royal family, nobles, and public figures. He also wrote and published books on bagpipe music and instruction, helping preserve and share piping traditions in print as well as in performance.

Grant is remembered not just as a performer, but as someone who treated piping as a serious cultural art. His legacy survives through his compositions, his writings, and the continued interest in his life among pipers and historians of Scottish music.