Piper to the End
"Piper to the End" is a Celtic folk song written by Mark Knopfler, the lead singer and songwriter for the rock band Dire Straits.
The song is the final track on Knopfler's solo album "
Get Lucky".
The song is about Knopfler's uncle Freddie who was a piper of the 1st Battalion, Tyneside Scottish, the Black Watch, Royal Highland Regiment.
Freddie carried his pipes into action in World War II and was killed with fellow fighters at Ficheux, near Arras in the north of France in May 1940.
He was just 20 years old.
Knopfler describes the moment of Freddie's death in the latter's own words
:
<poem>
This has been a day to die on
Now the day is almost done
Here the pipes will lay beside me
Silent with the battle drum</poem
>
Knopfler explains that he never knew Freddie personally, his mother's brother, but that he was very close to his uncle Kingsley, Freddie's older brother.
Kingsley taught Knopfler to play the boogie-woogie piano.
Knopfler explained in an interview, "The pipes always made sense to me, and growing up in Glasgow as well as Newcastle, in my grandmother's home, there were Jimmy Shand records, so the sound of Celtic music always seems familiar to me."
Old William Lamshaw
" Old" William Lamshaw,( c.1712-1798), was one of the earliest players of the Northumbrian Smallpipes of whom much is known.
Besides being a celebrated piper in his own right, appointed to the post of piper to the Duchess of Northumberland after the death of Joseph Turnbull in 1775, he was the teacher of several other known pipers, and the grandfather of Young William Lamshaw, who succeeded him as piper to the Duchess.
Joseph Turnbull
Joseph Turnbull( c.1725 – 1775) was a player of the Northumbrian smallpipes, and the first, in 1756, to be appointed Piper to the Countess of Northumberland.
He is the earliest player of the instrument of whom a portrait survives, in the collection at Alnwick Castle.
There is a copy in the Morpeth Chantry Bagpipe Museum.
In this portrait, he is wearing a blue coat, which is known to have been the uniform of the Alnwick Town Waits.
From the creation of the dukedom in 1766, Turnbull was known as Piper to the Duchess.
The portrait is labelled" Piper to the Duchess", so the caption postdates the creation of the Dukedom.
However Turnbull was first appointed as the family's piper in 1756, and the portrait must be later than this.
Mark Knopfler
Mark Freuder Knopfler (born 12 August 1949) is a British songwriter, guitarist, and record producer.
He was the lead guitarist, singer, and songwriter for the rock band Dire Straits, which he co-founded with his younger brother, David Knopfler, in 1977.
He was born in Glasgow, Scotland and raised near Newcastle upon Tyne, England.
Dire Straits recorded six albums, including "Brothers in Arms" (1985), one of the bestselling albums in history.
After they disbanded in 1995, Knopfler began a solo career, and has produced nine solo albums.
He has composed and produced film scores for nine films, including "Local Hero" (1983), "Cal" (1984), "The Princess Bride" (1987), "Wag the Dog" (1997) and "Altamira" (2016).
He has worked with musicians including B.B. King, Chet Atkins, Chris Botti, John Anderson, the Chieftains, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Elton John, Joan Armatrading, Bryan Ferry, George Jones, Phil Lynott, Donal Lunny, Van Morrison, Steely Dan, Sting, Emmylou Harris and James Taylor, sometimes working as a session musician.
He has produced albums for Tina Turner, Bob Dylan, and Randy Newman.
Described by "Classic Rock" as a virtuoso, Knopfler is a fingerstyle guitarist and was ranked 27th on "Rolling Stone"s list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time".
As of 2009, he and Dire Straits had sold more than 120 million records.
A four-time Grammy Award winner, Knopfler is the recipient of the Edison Award, the Steiger Award and the Ivor Novello Award, as well as holding three honorary doctorate degrees in music from universities in the United Kingdom.
Knopfler was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Dire Straits in 2018.
O Valencia!
" O Valencia!" is the fifth single by the indie rock band
The Decemberists, and the first released from their fourth studio album," The Crane Wife".
The music was written by The Decemberists and the lyrics by Colin Meloy.
It tells a story of two star- crossed lovers.
The singer falls in love with a person who belongs to an opposing gang.
At the end of the song, the singer's lover jumps in to defend the singer, who is confronting his lover's brother( the singer's" sworn enemy") and is killed by the bullet intended for the singer.
Brian Saunders (weightlifter)
Brian Saunders( date of birth and death unknown) was a male weightlifter who competed for England.
Billy Milano
Billy Milano is a Bronx- born heavy metal musician now based in Austin, Texas.
He is the singer and- occasionally- guitarist and bassist of crossover thrash band M.O.D., and he was also the singer of its predecessor, Stormtroopers of Death.
He was also the singer of United Forces, which also featured his Stormtroopers of Death bandmate Dan Lilker.
Bernie Bonvoisin
Bernard Bonvoisin, known as Bernie Bonvoisin( born 9 July 1956 in Nanterre, Hauts- de- Seine), is a French hard rock singer and film director.
He is best known for having been the singer of Trust.
He was one of the best friends of Bon Scott the singer of AC/ DC and together they recorded the song" Ride On" which was one of the last songs by Bon Scott.
Etan Boritzer
Etan Boritzer( born 1950) is an American writer of children ’s literature who is best known for his book" What is God?" first published in 1989.
His best selling" What is?" illustrated children's book series on character education and difficult subjects for children is a popular teaching guide for parents, teachers and child- life professionals.
Boritzer gained national critical acclaim after" What is God?" was published in 1989 although the book has caused controversy from religious fundamentalists for its universalist views.
The other current books in the" What is?" series include
What is Love?,
What is Death?,
What is Beautiful?,
What is Funny?,
What is Right?,
What is Peace?,
What is Money?,
What is Dreaming?,
What is a Friend?,
What is True?,
What is a Family?,
What is a Feeling?"
The series is now also translated into 15 languages.
Boritzer was first published in 1963 at the age of 13 when he wrote an essay in his English class at Wade Junior High School in the Bronx, New York on the assassination of John F. Kennedy.
His essay was included in a special anthology by New York City public school children compiled and published by the New York City Department of Education.
Boritzer now lives in Venice, California and maintains his publishing office there also.
He has helped numerous other authors to get published through" How to Get Your Book Published!" programs.
Boritzer is also a yoga teacher who teaches regular classes locally and guest- teaches nationally.
He is also recognized nationally as an erudite speaker on" The Teachings of the Buddha."
Theodred II (Bishop of Elmham)
Theodred II was a medieval Bishop of Elmham.
The date of Theodred's consecration unknown, but the date of his death was sometime between 995 and 997.

Question: When is the performer of song Piper To The End 's birthday?
Answer: 12 August 1949