P/M Evan MacRae: Magazine Cover Star

February 22, 2022 on 10:22 pm by Michael Grey | In Photographs | Comments Off on P/M Evan MacRae: Magazine Cover Star

A little diversion for your late-winter’s day: a 1950’s photojournalist’s look at Pipe Major Evan MacRae. You’ll know that Evan MacRae was a top-line piper and great contributor to the “carrying stream” of piping tradition of not-so-long ago.


I knew him a little. I think now of one great party at Iain and Mary MacKinnon’s home in Vancouver at the then-legendary annual “Indoor Meet”. At this Easter weekend, P/M MacRae and Captain John A MacLellan were in attendance as judges and, so, were stars of the MacKinnon party, an event that traditionally closed out the “Indoor Meet” of those times. It was all great company with non-stop tunes, stories and conversation.

Today, I’d guess, P/M Evan MacRae, along with the late Pipe Major Angus MacDonald mark the backing side of more decks of playing cards than any other tartan-wearing piper. I can only guess that not one penny of compensation for the use of their image was ever seen by either men.

Right. Back to a cheery pictorial post.

So, here, again, is Pipe Major Evan MacRae. A fine person and – as you can see – a striking figure. And, evidently, the only bearded member, then, of the Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders Pipe Band.

You can purchase his autobiography here.

M.

PS. Playing card samples: