I too have a set made by Bill from the early 70's and Colin fettled them for
me (and a great job too) as there were a few things that needed tweaking as
there were a few adjustments that Bill had forgotten to make (although I
drilled a hole under the ring on the G drone myself as Bill had forgotten to
do that as well). He was quite old by then, of course.
It was like getting a new set.
Colin Hill
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ian Lawther" <irlawt...@comcast.net>
To: "Anthony Robb" <anth...@robbpipes.com>
Cc: "Dartmouth NPS" <nsp@cs.dartmouth.edu>
Sent: Thursday, May 21, 2009 6:41 PM
Subject: [NSP] Re: Colin Ross
I would further add that when I started playing the Northumbrian pipes in
the early 1970s the only source for pipes I could find was Bill Hedworth.
I, like many others, am grateful that Bill was there and I loved those
pipes dearly, but the quality of pipes today, not just the choice of
makers, is much better and this too is very much due to Colin's influence.
And that influence is not just within the North East of England - I
believe that the two NSP makers here in the US both spent time learning
from Colin.
I had emialed Julia suggesting Colin earlier this week but for some reason
the email bounced. So please add me to the list of supporters.
Ian Lawther
Anthony Robb wrote:
I'm well aware some of you are fairly new to piping and may not be au
fait with some of Colin's achievements. Here is a brief list from my
perspective:
* It was Colin Ross who made his own pipes and took them throughout
the world touring with the High Level Ranters from the mid 60s
onwards
* It was Colin Ross who further promoted the pipes on "Alang the
Coaly Tyne" and "Northumberland Forever" in the late 60s early70s
* It was Colin Ross who turned down the opportunity of a solo album
in the mid 70s and brought together the musicians that would
become
the "Cut & Dry Band" to make two important pipes-based albums
* It was Colin Ross who, through interviews on national radio and
several appearances on TV made every folkie in the UK aware of the
pipes in the 70s and conjured up enough interest nationally and
internationally to make it possible for a budding young maker
(David Burleigh) to give up being a taxidermist at the Hancock
Museum and turn full time pipes maker.
* It was Colin Ross who provided the vision and driving force to
quadruple the size of the Society in an increasingly competitive
world when it's never been easier to access pipes music and
information from other sources
* It is Colin Ross who has been a stalwart pillar and inspiration to
members of this Society consistently and conscientiously for 45
years.
Hoping this helps people to realise that despite my personal
differences with Colin, his achievements dwarf those of the rest of
us
and quite probably those of the rest of the Society's officers
combined.
As aye
Anthony
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