Origins In the beginning Bob Martin era Tom Brown Evolution New Leaders Keeping It There Pipe Band Factory Tom Brown, a member of Shotts & Dykehead’s drum corps under Alex Duthart, was a was already well established as an prolific drumming instructor in the West Lothian area before being asked by Bob Martin in 1975 to supply drummers and help out at the then Grade 4 Boghall band and again in 1977 for their new Novice Juvenile Band. When he decided to have a year out from playing with Shotts in 1977 Bob Martin asked him to join the band an take over the full-time leadership of the Boghall corps When Tom joined for the 1978 season half the Novice corps, including his son Gordon, were ready to go into the senior band in its first season in Grade 2.The band and Toms’ corps went on to win just about every Major Championship and Competition they entered into over the next two seasons in Grade Two. In the band’s first season in Grade 1, the drum corps lifted the Cowal Championship – their first of many titles in Grade 1 – and the following season (1981) saw them lift the World Championship drumming title in Hazelhead Park, Aberdeen with a drum corps with an average age of around 15 years. This was the first of a fine hat trick of world drumming championships, an feat not often achieved at that time. During the eighties, the corps went on to lift every major drumming prize and was the first corps to win the “Alex Duthart Memorial Trophy“ for Champion of Champion Drum Corps. In 1991, Tom decided to retire from the Grade 1 Band to spend more time with the Novice, Juvenile and Grade 3 corps. He handed over the reins of the Grade 1 cops to his son, Gordon. A year later, when the then Grade 3 Band were promoted to Grade 2, Tom was convinced to take over as Leading Drummer of the Grade 2 band. Over the next eight years, Tom and the Grade 2 drum corps went on to win every major drumming award including three Grade 2 World Championship titles. It also established another chain in the famous “Boghall“ feeder system and to this day all the drummers pass through the Grade 2 corps en-route to the Grade 1 corps – a system through which all drummers in the present Grade 1 corps have passed through. Tom decided to retire from the competing side of things a few years ago but is still as strongly involved as ever with the Boghall drumming school and also other local bands. He is still travelling the world passing on his knowledge to a variety of grateful individuals and organisations.