Great Folks

RIP, DJ Krogol, Highland Bagpiper

We were all saddened to learn of the passing this week of DJ Krogol, Highland bagpiper from Lansing, Mich., and a 1995 recipient of the Michigan Heritage Awards. Since 1985, the MSU Museum's Michigan Traditional Arts Program has -- through its Michigan Heritage Awards -- have honored the achievements of Michigan artists like DJ for who practice traditions with excellence and authenticity.  The awards recognize these traditions in the areas of performance, material culture and community leadership.

Here's more about DJ Krogol and his commitment to passing on traditions: 

The Scottish heritage of D. J. Krogol's mother provided him with his first introduction to bagpipes. D.J. (b. 1949) began to play the Great Highland bagpipes at age seven when he joined the St. Andrews Junior Pipe Band, sponsored by the St. Andrews Society in Detroit. At the time, his mother, whose family name is MacEadin, said, "Jerry has liked the pipes for as long as I can remember. We have them at our family get-togethers and I guess he just takes to them naturally." He continued his study with noted piper Walter Rose during his youth. From this beginning, he has become committed to the preservation of the traditional music of the Scottish pipes.

D.J. has shared this essential element of Scottish culture through many venues, playing at weddings, funerals, christenings, and anniversaries throughout the Scottish-American local communities. He has been his clan's piper since the age of ten, playing for clan reunions and other gatherings. He has shared his talent professionally with others by participating in Senior Citizens' Programs, local school programs, charity fundraisers, and many theater productions, including Brigadoon.

Read more about DJ Krogol here.