Born in Campbelltown, Kintyre in 1961, William comes from a long line of Great McCallum Pipers. He received his main tuition from his uncles Ronald McCallum and Hugh A. McCallum (Willie still refers to Hugh as 'his role model and favourite player' ) and also came under the guidance of Ronald McCallum, MBE, Piper to The Duke of Argyll. Willie's development as a youngster included not only these formal family influences, but the less tangible, equally important impressions made by countless visits to the Kintyre Piping Society. Here he heard the experts of the era: Donald MacLeod, Donald MacPherson, John Burgess, John MacDougall, and John, Iain and Duncan MacFadyen.
He has proved a formidable opponent in competition, having accumulated a very impressive array of Championship wins, and he is the first piper to win the Glenfiddich Championship in successive years.
In senior competition Willie McCallum has a formidable tally of awards to his credit including the four Glenfiddich Championships, both Highland Society of London Gold Medals, The Senior Piobaireachd and March, Strathspey & Reel at Oban, twice each, for Uist and Barra Championships, the Donald MacLeod Memorial Championship, three Silver Chanters, two Bratch Gorms, and we shouldn't forget a sterling band career with Scottish Power Pipe Band. |
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