Kilpatrick Claims Twelfth World Solo Title

Bathgate, Scotland – February 26, 2000 – Jim Kilpatrick, leading drummer of the Shotts & Dykehead Caledonia Pipe Band, snared his record twelfth World Solo Drumming Championship title here today in a contest that was a very close finish across the top four prizewinners.

Second went to J. Reid Maxwell, leading drummer of the World Champion Simon Fraser University Pipe Band of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, who has featured several times in the World Solos prize list. Gordon Brown, Boghall & Bathgate’s leading drummer and winner of the 1994 title was third, young Barry Wilson on Shotts was fourth, three-time winner Andrew Scullion of the Field Marshal Montgomery was fifth, and Eric Ward of the Strathclyde Police was sixth.

The finals comprised two sections, a March, Strathspey & Reel and a Hornpipe & Jig. The MSR was judged by Alistair Dowling, Alistair Aitken, and Jim Baxter, and the HP&J was judged by Jim Hutton, Wilson Young, and David Brown. All of the judges were from Scotland.

“The standard was very, very good in the final,” said one knowledgeable spectator, “and any one of the top four finishers could have won it.”

Kilpatrick extended his own record of victories with his twelfth title. No drummer has come even close to his record since the contest officially started in 1947. Alex Duthart, considered by most to be the greatest pipe band drummer of all time, won the prize five times, but did not often compete in the event after 1968.

The Andante drum company of Northern Ireland sponsored the contest.

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