In the period immediately before the modern resurgence of the bagpipes, Billy Pigg was one of the most influential players of the instrument. Taught to play Northumbrian pipes by members of the Clough Family, Pigg provided an outlet for the traditional music of the borderlands between England and Scotland. Although he recorded prolifically, many of his recordings were reserved for privately owned tapes. An autobiography, The Border Minstrel, based on research by A.D. Schofield and edited by Julia Sky, was published in 1997 by the Northumbrian Pipers Society. ~ Craig Harris