James A. McGowan has over 30 year’s Exemplary Bagpiping experience as a Piper and Pipe Major in both the British Army and British Police Service respectively. His musical career began in 1978 at the Guards Depot (Scots Guards) piping school in Pirbright, Surrey, England, under the direction of Pipe Major Lyndon Ingram, Scots Guards. He then moved to the 1st Battalion Irish Guards where he was taught by Pipe Major’s Jimmy Johnston and Kevin Frazer.
As a member of the Drums and Pipes he took part in many Royal and Ceremonial events both in the United Kingdom and abroad including: West Germany, The United States of America, Belize in Central America, Canada and Australia. He then attended at the Ancient Piping School (Army School of Piping) in Edinburgh Castle, Scotland where he was taught by Pipe Major Gavin Stoddard, the British Army’s Senior Piper.
On completion of his Senior Pipers course he became the resident piping instructor at the Guards Depot (Scots Guards) piping school teaching out of the very same classroom at the very same school that he was first taught.
On the 18th of August 1990 and in recognition of James’s dedication and loyalty towards British Army Bagpiping he was honoured by his then, new Pipe Major at the Guards Piping School, Pipe Major Jimmy Riddel, Scots Guards, by becoming the only Irish Guard in history to ever be the Lone Piper at the Edinburgh Military Tattoo.
At the end of 1990 James retired from the British Army becoming a Police Constable working for the West Yorkshire and North Yorkshire police Services. During this period he became the Pipe Major to the City of Bradford Drums and Pipes and the personal Piper to the Lord Mayor and the Chief Constable of West Yorkshire. He again travelled extensively piping in the United States, France, and Belgium. In 2005 James retired from the United Kingdom moving to South Africa where he has now settled. He has since established himself as South Africa’s only Royal Bagpiper offering his services to the general public as a full time professional piper. He pipes for the Cape Town, South African Field Artillery Company Drums and Pipes as a Pipe Sergeant and is the Honorary Piper to the Chavonnes Cannon Battery Museum at the Waterfront in Cape Town. James is without doubt, a truly ‘International Piper’.
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