Bill Livingstone, 1942-2025
Bill Livingstone, one of the most influential Highland pipers in history, died in Whitby, Ontario, on February 22, 2025, a month before his eighty-third birthday.
A man of firsts – the first pipe-major to lead a non-Scottish band to a Grade 1 World Championship title, the first North American piper to win a Highland Society of London Gold Medal, the first North American piper to win the Clasp at the Northern Meeting, the first pipe-major to introduce the concept of a pipe band “suite,” the first piper to take a band to a World Championship and win a Northern Meeting Clasp, the first piper to apply musical harmonic concepts to pipe bands, he was a genuine original whose swashbuckling style was magnetic to everyone in the piping and drumming world.
Livingstone was born in Sudbury, Ontario, on March 20, 1942, to a Scots father and Canadian mother. His childhood in the mining town of Copper Cliff, Ontario, was filled with music, and, according to him, he “could not remember a time when bagpipes were not some part of almost daily life.”
The foundation for his musical career was laid as a teenager in Copper Cliff, between playing pipes with the Copper Cliff Highlanders and hammering out blues piano with a bar band that, through chance, brought Livingstone and his future wife, Lillian, together, leading to a marriage of more than 60 years. He picked up the piano by ear, freely experimenting with the chords and keys that would eventually revolutionize the use of harmony in pipe bands.
His work with pipe bands is legendary. Known most for his unflagging nearly 30-year leadership of the 78th Fraser Highlanders, Livingstone began his Grade 1 band experience with the General Motors Pipe Band under Pipe-Major George Campbell. “GM” was a group that featured notables such as John Kirkwood, Jim Agnew, John Kerr, and John MacKenzie.
In 1974, Livingstone left the band scene for two years. He returned in 1976 to become pipe-major of the Grade 1 Caber Feidh/City of Toronto from 1976-’77. In 1979, he came back to General Motors as pipe-major.
In 1981, that band lost its lucrative underwriting from General Motors Canada but soon gained a small sponsorship from the 78th Fraser Highlanders, a historical reenactment outfit that covered the cost of kilts in year one and not much else.
The 78th Fraser Highlanders Pipe Band was born. From the outset, Livingstone assembled a team of Ontario’s best pipers and drummers to achieve two specific goals: to play exciting and innovative music and to win the World Pipe Band Championship within five years.
In 1987, five years after the plan was implemented, the 78th Frasers won the biggest prize in the pipe band world.
Livingstone departed the 78th Frasers in 2010 and soon joined the Grade 1 Toronto Police Pipe Band under Pipe-Major Ian K. MacDonald.
“I want to be a better piper. There’s never, ever a time in your piping career when you can’t be a better player and do something to enhance your skills and your musicality.” – Bill Livingstone, 1993 pipes|drums Interview
Livingstone competed well into his seventies, largely thanks to a lifelong daily physical fitness regimen, but he retired from competition in 2018. He continued participating in piping until his final year as a teacher and in-demand solo pipe judge worldwide. The final competition he judged was the Bar to the Medal at the Glengarry Highland Games in August 2024.
His solo piping career saw many highlights, including the Clasp at the Northern Meeting in 1981 and 1984, both Highland Society of London Gold Medals (Inverness 1977, Oban 1979), innumerable wins of the Bar to the Piobaireachd Society (Canada) Gold Medal. In 1974, on only his third trip to the Northern Meeting, Livingstone had what might be considered the best day ever for a piper at Inverness: first in the Open March, first in the Open Strathspey & Reel, first in the Open Jig, and second in the Gold Medal.
He was sought out as a teacher. Three of his students, MacDonald, Bruce Gandy and Andrew Hayes, have won Highland Society of London Gold Medals. Michael Grey, Kayleigh Johnstone, James MacHattie, Sean McKeown and others have achieved significant success.
He recorded several solo piping albums, a collection of music, numerous well-played compositions, and five pipe band albums. In 2017, Canada’s Friesen Press published Preposterous: Tales to Follow, the memoir of his extraordinary and historical life in piping. His Piobaireachd Diaries series of recordings and discourses on ceol mor was one of his life’s final significant piping projects.
Livingstone was a professional lawyer specializing in family law and medical malpractice over a nearly 50-year career.
Besides being one of the greatest all-around pipers in history, Bill Livingstone’s wit was legendary. Within minutes, those in his company were guaranteed to be regaled with stories, quips and jokes that would invariably bring tear-inducing belly laughs.
Brilliant, erudite, gifted, sensational, intriguing, creative, ingenious, loving, devoted . . . there is no shortage of adjectives that could be applied.
Our thoughts are with Lillian, his family and many friends worldwide at this sad time.
Readers are invited to share their thoughts via our Comments feature below.
Such sad news, my thoughts go out to Lillian and his family. Bill will be sadly missed.
His musical innovations will be missed. You can always hear his creativity in the way the 78th play today, in my humble opinion they are one of the most experimental and brave bands in G1. We lost a legend.
A seismic shock to the Piping world – a man of so many talents, not just musical, but as a leader, composer, arranger, storyteller and quite the character….. We were privileged to receive lessons from him for two consecutive summers at the Holiday Valley summer school, organized by Iain Donaldson – definitely watershed moments for both of us …. Thanks for the music and the craic, Bill, Rest in Peace…
JC and Susan Allioux, Goshen, NY
From our home in Maxville, our hearts are with Lillian. Bill – I hope The Games names the Grade One Circle in your honour. It was always yours. You led the pilgrimage and, for me, you will always be there. Your brilliant earthly light has been put out, but on your Journey to Skye may you shine so brightly in the heavens. You are beloved, Bill Livingstone.
Melissa Munro, Maxville, Ontario
Anyone in piping over the last many years would have a sporran full of Bill Livingstone stories, either remembered, re-told or possibly made up. He was inspirational on many levels, and it was such a privilege to hear him play. Lucky for us his recordings remain part of the legacy he left. Bill always left a mark, whether a cloud of baby powder on the stage at the Northern Meeting, a giant hole in the jacket, that glass of wine on the front porch at Maxville, or his friendly and encouraging demeanour when you approached to play for him at the contest bench. So many amazing solo and band performances come to mind as stand-out memories, among them watching him march to the line at the World’s for the last time with the Toronto Police Pipe Band. That moved me at the time, and the memory lingers, his pride, skill and utter cool still on parade to the strains of what could be his signature tune, “Lord Lovat’s Lament.” Deepest sympathies to Lillian and his close friends and family.
maestro. The legend will live forever.