Fred Morrison (born 1963 in Bishopton,
Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire () (; ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. Renfrewshire is located in the west central Lowlands. It borders East Renfrewshire, Glasgow, Inverclyde, North Ayrshire and West Dunbartonshire, and lies on the southern ba ...
) is a Scottish musician and composer.
He has performed professionally on the
Great Highland Bagpipes,
Scottish smallpipes
The Scottish smallpipe is a bellows-blown bagpipe re-developed by Colin Ross and many others, adapted from an earlier design of the instrument. There are surviving bellows-blown examples of similar historical instruments as well as the mouth-bl ...
,
Border pipes
The border pipes are a type of bagpipe related to the Scottish Great Highland Bagpipe. It is perhaps confusable with the Scottish smallpipe, although it is a quite different and much older instrument. Although most modern Border pipes are close ...
,
low whistle
The low whistle, or concert whistle, is a variation of the traditional tin whistle/pennywhistle, distinguished by its lower pitch and larger size. It is most closely associated with the performances of British and Irish artists such as Tommy Mak ...
,
Northumbrian Smallpipes
The Northumbrian smallpipes (also known as the Northumbrian pipes) are bellows-blown bagpipes from Northeastern England, where they have been an important factor in the local musical culture for more than 250 years. The family of the Duke of ...
and
uilleann pipes
The uilleann pipes ( or , ), also known as Union pipes and sometimes called Irish pipes, are the characteristic national bagpipe of Ireland. Their current name is a partial translation of the Irish language terms (literally, "pipes of the ...
.
He holds the record for the most Macallan/MacCrimmon Trophies at the
Lorient festival, having received the trophy ten times.
As well as his work as a solo piper, he has played with such bands as
Clan Alba and
Capercaillie
''Tetrao'' is a genus of birds in the grouse subfamily known as capercaillies. They are some of the largest living grouse. Feathers from the bird were used to create the characteristic hat of the bersaglieri, an Italian ace infantry formation.
...
. His albums have been met with critical acclaim.
In 2004 he was voted Instrumentalist of the Year in the
Scots Trad Music awards. He has won a number of prizes in the solo Highland Bagpipes circuit.
Morrison's tunes have become popular in the solo piping circuit and the folk scene. Notable are "Passing Places", respectively a lively
hornpipe
The hornpipe is any of several dance forms and their associated tunes, played and danced in Great Britain and Ireland and elsewhere from the 16th century until the present day. The earliest references to hornpipes are from England, with Hugh As ...
and a
low whistle
The low whistle, or concert whistle, is a variation of the traditional tin whistle/pennywhistle, distinguished by its lower pitch and larger size. It is most closely associated with the performances of British and Irish artists such as Tommy Mak ...
slow air inspired by train rides that Morrison made all over the UK, "Living Uist", "The Lochaber Badger" and the strathspey "Seonaidh's Tune" that he composed for his son.
Morrison is also the founder and designer of Fred Morrison Pipes,
a brand producing Highland bagpipes, Border pipes and Scottish small pipes.
Discography
Solo albums
* ''The Broken Chanter'' (1993)
* ''The Sound of the Sun'' (2000)
* ''Outlands'' (2009)
Fred Morrison and Jamie McMenemy
* ''Up South'' (2003)
Fred Morrison Trio
* ''Live at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall'' (2015)
Various artists including Fred Morrison
* ''Celtic Colours'' (1998)
* ''Piping Up'' (2000)
References
External links
FredMorrison.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morrison, Fred
1963 births
Great Highland bagpipe players
Uilleann pipers from Scotland
Living people
People from Renfrewshire
People educated at St Aloysius' College, Glasgow
Players of border pipes
Scottish tin whistle players
People from Bishopton