Fred Morrison
When Fred Morrison was growing up, his late father, a noted piper, passed on his knowledge of the Great Highland Bagpipes to his son using canntaireachd, a centuries-old system for teaching piping repertoire using chanted vocables. His father hailed from Drumbuie on South Uist, a tiny island off Scotland’s northwest coast with a longstanding tradition of fine piping, and the Morrisons are descendants of Uist’s renowned Clan Seonaidh Aonghais Ruaidh piping family.
Fred’s father was his primary teacher, but he also received valuable piping lessons from Andrew Wright. He also learned a considerable amount from Pipe Major Norman Gillies – Alasdair Gillies’ father, known to Fred as “Norrie.”
While Morrison may have cut his musical teeth on the Great Pipes, these days Fred is more likely to be squeezing the bellows of the Border pipes or Uilleann pipes. His work on the low whistle is also very much in demand. Fred has played with the Scottish supergroup Capercaillie, and during his concert tours through Brittany and Spain, he received the nickname of “King of the Pipes.” He has also heeded the call of Hollywood, and he arranged the music for the Scottish-themed film Rob Roy.
Fred Morrison has won most of the major international awards in the piping world, including gold medals at Inverness and Oban, and most recently, a record seventh Macallan Trophy at the Festival Interceltique de Lorient in Brittany, France. His travels and touring may take him all over the world, but it’s clear that he will never stray too far from his musical roots, the Gaelic piping traditions of the Hebridean isles.
Recordings featuring Fred Morrison
Up South
The Sound of the Sun
Broken Chanter
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