Billy Pigg

Billy Pigg (1902 - 1968) was an English player of Northumbrian bagpipes

The Northumbrian Pipers Society was formed in 1928 in Newcastle Upon Tyne to promote both types of Northumbrian bagpipes - the smallpipes and the somewhat ra

Billy Pigg (1902 - 1968) was an English player of Northumbrian bagpipes

The Northumbrian Pipers Society was formed in 1928 in Newcastle Upon Tyne to promote both types of Northumbrian bagpipes - the smallpipes and the somewhat rarer half-longs. Billy Pigg became vice-President in 1930 and held that post till he died. At first they met in each other's homes to exchange tunes and to organise the occasional dance. In 1957 they were large enough to use the Morden Tower in Newcastle and to organise competitions in Alnwick in Northumberland. In 1958 Royce Wilson, an American working in Newcastle acquired a tape recorder and made some recordings of Billy Pigg, the most celebrated of the players. Later the School of Scottish Studies in Edinburgh made more recordings. These were issued as "The Border Minstrel" on the Leader label in 1972. In 2004 they were re-released on CD on the same label.