November 15th, 1978
Muirhead and Sons Pipe Band, founded in 1928, was a pipe band based in Grangemouth, Scotland. The band was named after, and affiliated with, the company Muirhead & Sons, a sawmill based in Grangemouth and founded by George A. Muirhead in the 1880s
The band was highly successful, and started competing in 1932; The band won the World Pipe Band Championships a total of eight times.
Under the leadership of Pipe Major Jackie Smith in 1955, 1956 and 1961
Under Robert G. Hardie the band won the World Championships in 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968 and 1969
This total has been surpassed only by Strathclyde Police, Shotts and Dykehead, and Field Marshal Montgomery pipe bands who held the title twenty-one, fifteen, and thirteen times respectively, and equalled by the Clan MacRae Society Pipe Band which also won eight times.
Pipe Majors
- James Wilson (1928–1952)
- John (Jackie) Smith (1952–1962)
- Robert Hardie (1962–1978)
Discography
The band made several recordings, and has also appeared in later compilation albums.
- World Champion Pipe Band (1956)
- Champion of Champions (1967)
- Scotland the Brave (1969)
- Sound of the Champions (1971)
- Champions du Monde (1974)
The Muirhead & Sons Pipe Band, a well-known pipe band with a rich history, officially disbanded on its 50th anniversary in 1978
