An exceptional storyteller and truly one of the giants of piping, Pipe Major John T. MacKenzie passed away on May 2, 2004, in his beloved Glengarry County, Ontario. Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, MacKenzie went from boy piper to Pipe Major in the Scots Guards, and was appointed personal piper to the Royal Household in 1946. In 1952, he was recruited by the Royal Canadian Air Force as a Pipe Major.

J.T. MacKenzie’s devotion to highland piping remained throughout his long, active lifetime. As recently as 1999, he acted as senior Pipe Major for a Massed Bands Ceremonial March in his native Edinburgh, in support of the Madame Currie Cancer Fund. His memoirs, entitled There Was A Piper,A Scottish Piper, were published by our press in 2001.

J.T. MacKenzie’s devotion to highland piping remained throughout his long, active lifetime. As recently as 1999, he acted as senior Pipe Major for a Massed Bands Ceremonial March in his native Edinburgh, in support of the Madame Currie Cancer Fund. His memoirs, entitled There Was A Piper, A Scottish Piper, were published by our press in 21.