Jim Kilpatrick MBE

Jim started playing drums at the age of 10. His progress was so rapid that within 2 years he was competing at the highest level in Grade 1 competition.

At the age of 15, he joined his present band, the House of Edgar Shotts & Dykehead Pipe Band. It was at the age of 15 that Jim won his first World Drum Corps and World Pipe Band Championships, the first of Jim's record 18 World Drum Corps Championships. Fourteen of these titles have been won as a leading drummer. This also includes winning the World Drum Corps Championship for an amazing record breaking 11 years in a row. Another record that Jim holds is that of being the only leading drummer ever to win the Grand Slam which is all 5 major drumming championships in the one season. This run coincided with him actually winning 13 major drumming championships in a row over 3 seasons.

Jim’s move into the solo drumming arena proved to be equally successful. He has smashed every record in the books by winning the World Solo Drumming Championships no less then 16 times.

Jim’s talent and reputation is such that he is continuously invited to teach in schools and colleges all over the world, as well as making countless appearances at drum clinics and percussion festivals around the world including The Royal School of Music (London & Glasgow) and The Percussion Arts Society Conventions in the USA. Jim currently teaches percussion students at the Royal School of Music in Glasgow and is also principal instructor for the BA Scottish Music (Percussion) course at the same school. Jim has received the “Life Time Achievement Award” for drumming from the British Chapter of the Percussion Arts Society in London.

In 2004, Jim was awarded the MBE for his services to music by Her Majesty The Queen in her birthday honours list - a significant milestone in any musician's career, but completely unique to Jim in the world of pipe band snare drumming.