Alex Duthart facts for kids

Alex Duthart (born October 7, 1925 – died November 27, 1986) was a famous Scottish drummer. Many people believe he completely changed how the snare drum was played in pipe bands.

The Life of a Drumming Legend

Early Life and Family Roots

Alex Duthart was born on October 7, 1925, in Cambusnethan, a town near Wishaw in North Lanarkshire, Scotland. His father, John Duthart, was a blacksmith and a talented drummer. John played both the bass and snare drums during the First World War.

Alex spent most of his life in Newmains, close to where he was born. He followed in his father's footsteps, working as a blacksmith in the steel factories of Motherwell.

Alex and his wife, Cathie, had three sons and one daughter. Two of their children became drummers too. Drew Duthart is a leading drummer for the 78th Fraser Highlanders Pipe Band. His brother, John Duthart, plays the drum kit.

Alex Duthart was given the special title of Drum Major by the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association. This title recognized him as a top drumming teacher for the association.

Alex Duthart's Amazing Band Journey

Starting Out: From Juvenile to Leading Drummer

Alex learned to play drums from his father when he was very young. At age 12, he joined the Craigneuk Parish Church Juvenile pipe band. In 1942, he moved to the Home Guard Pipe Band, which later became known as the Dalzell Highland Pipe Band. His older brother, John, also played the pipes in the Home Guard band.

In 1949, Alex became the main drummer, called the "leading drummer," for the Dalzell Highland Pipe Band. He led the Dalzell drum corps to win first place for drumming at the World Pipe Band Championships in 1953. Later that year, he left Dalzell to play the drum kit for local big bands.

Joining the Champions: Shotts and Dykehead Caledonia

In 1957, John K. McAllister, the pipe major (leader) of the Shotts and Dykehead Caledonia Pipe Band, asked Alex for help. The World Championships were only twelve weeks away, and they needed a strong drum section. Alex quickly put together a drum corps that won the drumming title at the Worlds that year! Shotts also won the overall championship in 1957, and again in 1958, 1959, and 1960.

Alex stayed with Shotts until 1982, with a few breaks. From 1964 to 1967, he led the Invergordon Distillery Pipe Band. He won the drumming title at the World Championships with them in 1966 and 1967. Then, from 1968 to 1969, he led the Edinburgh City Police Pipe Band, winning the drumming title in 1968.

After Alex left Shotts, Willie Stevenson took over as leading drummer. Willie led Shotts to win first place in drumming at the Worlds in 1969. After this, Willie invited Alex to come back as leading drummer. Alex returned and led the band to win first place again in 1970.

A Final Performance in New York

In 1982, Alex Duthart joined the British Caledonian Airways Pipe Band. While playing with this band, he sadly had a heart attack. This happened while he was getting ready to play in the famous Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City on November 27, 1986.

Alex Duthart's Unique Drumming Style

Alex Duthart created a brand new way of playing drums in pipe bands. This was at a time when pipe bands were trying out more exciting and different kinds of music. Alex was also famous for his "drum salutes." These were special drumming performances where he added cool moves like hitting the drum with the back of the stick or clicking his sticks together.

He was inspired by other great drummers like Alex D. Hamilton and Jimmy Catherwood. He also learned from Paddy Donovan and Alex McCormick. Alex Duthart even met Dr. Fritz Berger from Switzerland. He learned about the "Basel style" of drumming and a special Swiss way of writing drum music. He also enjoyed listening to jazz music and shared ideas with the famous jazz drummer Joe Morello.

Teaching the Next Generation of Drummers

Alex was a dedicated teacher and traveled all over the world to give classes and demonstrations. He also helped write two instruction books about pipe-band drumming. These books included many drum scores (written music for drums) that are still played and studied today.

Some of his most famous students include Jim Kilpatrick, who won the World Solo Drumming Championships sixteen times. His son, Drew Duthart, who is the current leading drummer of the 78th Fraser Highlanders Pipe Band, also learned from him.