Andy Miller, 1929-2020

Andy Miller, the famous tenor drummer who in many ways was directly responsible for the resurrection of the instrument in modern pipe bands, died in Welland, Ontario, on October 1, 2020. He was 91.

Born on February 28, 1929, Miller was a resident of the St. Catharines area of Ontario. He was a popular star of the Grade 1 Clan MacFarlane Pipe Band, renowned for his innovative one-man crowd-pleasing flourishing performances.

In the 1990s, the diminutive “Wee Andy” inspired a very young Tyler Fry, and took Fry under his wing. Fry would exhaustively study Miller’s moves, and adapted his own creative flourishes, resulting in a renaissance of the tenor drum in pipe bands when it was in declining popularity. Tyler Fry discusses the influence that Miller had on his drumming career in his five-part pipes|drums Interview.

Andy Miller would live to see tenor drumming return in full force to pipe bands, and later in his life would occasionally attend Highland games in Ontario.

Our condolences go to Andy Miller’s family and many friends at this sad time.

Related

Tyler Fry: the pipes|drums Interview – Part 5
June 2, 2019