Nearly three years after launching, the British Drum Co. has announced Jim Kilpatrick MBE as their International Marching Specialist.
Kilpatrick, who was awarded an MBE in 2004 for ‘services to music’, has won the World Drum Corps Championships an unprecedented 19 times, including a run of 11 consecutive titles, a record that still stands. He has also won the World Solo Drumming Championships a record 16 times.
The British Drum Company, which launched in September 2015, was founded by master drum maker Keith Keough; Kasabian drummer Ian Matthews; top-level marching specialist Stu Warmington; product designer Alan Kitching; and award winning comedian and drum enthusiast Al Murray, aka The Pub Landlord. The ranks expanded when in 2017 The Verve & Charlatans drummer, Pete Salisbury, joined the company.
Commenting on Kilpatrick’s appointment, Marching Division manager Warmington said: “When we started the company it was my dream to bring on the top professionals in their relevant fields and when it came to the pipe band world there was no one better qualified for the job. To actually have Jim join the company is a great day for the British Drum Company. The expertise and knowledge he brings to the company is second to none and I relish the opportunity of working with him”.
Kilpatrick added: “I’m thrilled to join the British Drum Company team, a company that has the most talented people in the industry with a deep commitment to excellence. When I look at the British Drum Company, I see a company that has already made a huge mark on the global Drum Kit market and I’m excited about many of the things in the Marching and Pipe Band range that we’ll be working on together in the near future”.
“Stu has been working hard behind the scenes on our Marching Division,” said Keough, “and signing Jim is a significant point in the company’s history. We are proud to have the most successful pipe band drummer of all time join our team and it is an honour to be working alongside him”.
