Born: 11 March, 1934, in Aberdeen.

Died: 29 June, 2005, in Inverness, aged 71.

JOHN D Burgess was one of the most outstanding exponents of the bagpipes in 20th-century Scotland. He gained international fame as a teenager, winning what was effectively the world solo piping championship at age 16. Amazingly, his astonishing precocity on the pipes had until then been known to almost no-one at his school, Edinburgh Academy, beyond the school pipe-major, Colin Caird.

This was in 1950, when winning gold medals for piobaireachd, the classical repertoire, at the Northern Meeting at Inverness and the Argyllshire Gathering at Oban was essentially the championship. That Burgess did it at his first attempt and while still a teenager makes it a feat unlikely to be repeated. He also won the march at Oban, and strathspey and reel at Inverness, and from these went on to win all major piping awards in the UK and abroad.

Burgess was only a small-to-medium sized fellow, but his slimness and incredibly dapper turn-out marked him out as much as his music. He dressed with a verve that verged on vanity. Indeed the definitive photographic portrait of him - taken at Minard Castle, Loch Fyne, under the patronage of Col Robert Gayre of Gayre and Nigg - shows him wearing Ross tartan neck to heel: tartan doublet, plaid, waistcoat with the tartan cut on the bias, kilt, and Ross tartan hose. His legendary collection of Highland ornamentation fills the rest of the frame - plaid brooch set with a large cairngorm, theatrically-sized dirk, and a large hunting horn slung over a shoulder by a silver chain, plus, of course, his pipes.

On less formal occasions, he was no less noticeable, sporting a dark tunic trimmed in scarlet, silver buttons, and yards of green Ross tartan.

John Burgess senior, a lecturer at the Royal Veterinary College in Edinburgh, and a piper, introduced his four-year-old son to piping through a cut-down practice chanter, noting that the youngster possessed natural technique. He also taught him canntaireachd, the system by which ceol mor, or great music, is sung or chanted rhythmically. The youthful grace of the youngster's fingers attracted the attention of professional pipers and established masters of the old instrument.

Faced with the fact that his son was considerably more than the normal young piper, John senior arranged for his 10-year-old to have lessons at Edinburgh Castle from the redoubtable Pipe-Major William Ross. As Ross's protégé, Burgess turned from infant prodigy into boy genius, with success at juvenile competitions not only setting him apart from pipers of his own generation, but propelling him into the ranks of established masters. Ross was a hard master, refusing to let young John join the pipe band of Edinburgh Academy, much to Colin Caird's chagrin.

Competing against adults, Burgess junior won many amateur contests. Still a teenager, he turned professional and with Pipe-Major Ross toured the United States and Canada to the delight of north American audiences. A prolific prize-winner around the Highland games circuit, he gave many recitals and made numerous recordings, including an album called The King of the Highland Pipers.

John Davie Burgess, simply referred to as "John D", was educated at Edinburgh Academy, then joined the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders as a piper. Unusually for someone from that school, he enlisted rather than take a commission, but to be a piper, he could not join the other armed services.

He reached the rank of corporal before leaving the army to join Edinburgh City Police - for the sole reason that it possessed a fine pipe band. He eventually became pipe-major.

Then he was sought by the directors of Invergordon Distillery, at that time quietly recruiting some of the top solo pipers in Scotland to form a pipe band of "all the talents". Unfortunately the band fairly soon fell prey to boardroom divisions.

From 1962 to 1965 he was pipe-major of the 4th/5th Battalion Cameron Highlanders TA, leading band members, almost all from South Uist, and all Gaelic-speaking. Although he did not possess the Gaelic, Burgess's playing ability won him the respect of his pipers. Latterly, he worked as school piping instructor for Easter Ross, based at Alness, with his home in Tain. He passed on his art to hundreds of pupils, many of whom have become established pipers themselves.

Burgess's talent in absorbing piping knowledge stemmed from his interest in fingering and the development of playing allied to hours of practice and sheer single-mindedness to master a notoriously difficult instrument. As a young piper, the manly grace and dexterity be brought to fingering verged on the dazzling, and rightly earned him a small army of admirers. In his later years, his fans admired the expression he brought to the playing of the light music of marches, strathspeys, reels, jigs and hornpipes, and his interpretation of piobaireachd, regarded as the highest form of pipe music. For services to piping, he was appointed MBE in 1988.

Burgess was much in demand as a raconteur, with a fund of piping- oriented stories. The humour and ready narration hid the fact that earlier in his life, he had fallen, as some pipers do, on drink. Courageously, he managed to put the bottle behind him, referring to the period long afterwards merely as his "bad patch".

John Burgess died after a long battle against kidney failure, and is survived by his wife, Sheila, children, John and Margaret, and grandchildren Alix and Freya.

JOHN BURGESS was a child prodigy piper who continued his brilliance into adulthood and set new standards for dress and deportment. He helped rekindle respect for the art of Highland bagpipe playing among the uninitiated. His captivating appearance on the concert and competition platform reminded one of the photographs of 19th-century pipers in all their medals and finery, taken when rewards were equal to the effort expended in attaining them. No one who was there will forget the gasps from the audience when Burgess appeared at the 1976 Northern Meeting in Inverness dressed in full regalia, pipes gleaming on his shoulder. His tune that day for the highest award in piping, the Clasp to the Gold Medal, was the haunting Lament for Ronald MacDonald of Morar.

He stunned the audience with his immaculate appearance and entranced with his music and beautifully tuned instrument. Thanks to a minor slip, no prize came his way, but never before had there been a standing ovation at the conclusion of a piece of ceol mor, the classical music of the pipes. There was that day, but not since.

John Davie Burgess was born in Aberdeen in 1934. From the age of 4 he was taught piping by his father, and then by Pipe Major James Gordon. Later, while still a youngster, he was taken to the legendary Pipe Major William Ross of the Army School of Bagpipe Music, Edinburgh Castle.

Ross recognised immediately that he had an exceptional talent on his hands and set about helping Burgess fulfil his potential. From the age of 9, he dominated the amateur competitions sweeping all before him. His dexterity of finger, effortless musicianship and ability to tune his instrument to a high standard were seldom heard from one so young.

His entry into the professional class was no less spectacular. In 1950 at the age of just 16, he won two of the highest awards, the Highland Society of London gold medals presented annually for competition at Oban and Inverness. To win one of these is significant. To win both in one year is uncommon. For a boy of 16 to do so is nothing short of phenomenal. His achievement is unlikely ever to be equalled.

In 1952 Ross took him on a tour of Canada and the US, and thus his fame and reputation spread around the piping world and beyond. He joined The Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders, 1952-55, and then, in 1955, Edinburgh City Police Pipe Band where he was appointed Pipe Major. He was Pipe Major, too, of The Queen’s Own Highlanders TA band, 1963-65. Throughout this time he continued to compete as a soloist and won most of the major awards, some many times over.

Burgess’ reputation was such that he was able to embark on a successful recording career, until recently an uncommon string to the professional piper’s bow. His King of the Highland Pipers LP on the Topic label was recorded in 1969 and there then followed two successful albums The Art of the Highland Bagpipe Vols 1 & 2, again on the Topic label.

When he retired from playing he took up teaching and was appointed schools instructor in Easter Ross, producing many good players. He was also in much demand as a judge round the Highland games circuit and at the major events where he himself had triumphed. He was appointed MBE in 1989 for services to piping.

Given Burgess’ talent as a raconteur and wit it would be remiss not to end without a light-hearted story he enjoyed telling against himself. He was playing in a March competition at a games near Inverness. The judge was Angus MacPherson, Invershin. Burgess was asked to submit three pieces from which the judge would select one. He chose two others and Achnay Glen knowing that MacPherson, its composer, would surely select it and give due reward if it were played well. As Burgess circled the platform he made a wink of the eye to pipers standing near by listening to his sparkling playing. Sure enough he was given first prize. No one begrudged him it.

Piping will miss the cut and dash Burgess brought to his art. In an ever more stereotyped world of safe playing and stultifying uniformity, he had a special gift, the more precious now it is gone.

His middle name was Douglas*. And his Ronald MacDonald of Morar was 1979. I was there. Robert Hardie judged it and said it was one of the best tunes he'd ever heard (I agree) but he made so many note errors it was a case of either giving him first or fuckall. They should have given it to him. It was amazing.

Slan, Donald Ban

It's the only time I've ever seen piping turned into a visual thing as well as an aural one. To say it was mind-blowing would be understating the achievement and an insult to the Burge.

I was only 21 and in a bad mood because I hadn't won the March contest. P/M

Angus Macdonald won it. The arrogance of youth I guess. Anyway John came on dressed like a map of France and everyone gasped. I remember thinking "this is cool." It reminded me of how Steve McQueen was in The Great Escape. Then, when he was tuning his pipes he turned to the back of the stage because the door that went onto the bar was open and there was noise filtering through, and still tuning, casually reached through and closed the door. In a contest like the Clasp! If it were me I'd have put the pipes down, gone through and throttled a couple of people in the bar then came back to the stage. When he did that I remember thinking, "This guy has balls the size of Texas." Of course it was all panache. Have to say I'd never really been a fan due to his pipes were never as good as Donald MacPherson's or Robert Hardie's (my teachers) but by the time he'd finished Ronald MacDonald of Morar that day my jaw was on the floor. I never saw the standing ovation, I never heard the applause, because I'd been transported to Paradise for twenty minutes.

On the way back to Glasgow with Bob Hardie (I'd played in his Muirheads pipe band, I was a poor student, and he was taking pity on me by giving me a lift) he admitted that he'd given the man first but was played down by the others. He'd played slower than I would have played and he did have the 'errors' but, by God, what a tune. He retired from competitive playing that year.

I have to say I felt honoured and privileged because the month before I beat John in the Strathspey and Reel at the Skye Games. He was 3rd and Iain Morrison was second. Even in defeat he was gracious. I was a silly little Lowland git who didn't know what he'd done and he just kept congratulating me.

Anyway, here's to John!

Donald McBride