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Les' first instrument,
when he was a young child, was the acordian. After several years
of playing this under rated instrument he found another musical
calling. The trumpet.
Throughout his
high school years he was a stand out at trumpet, playing in the
marching band and at various highschool events. Such was his proficiency
with the trumpet that he earned the John Phillips Souza award.
Still a teen,
his father bought him his first guitar, a 12 string Martin, which
he still has to this day. Often, he can be found picking out a tune
and singing along with friends or family.
In fact, he
is currently working on a small collection of old folk tunes with
his son and hopes to have a CD of these classics in the near future.
Les had always
been a fan of old Irish, Scotish and English music. Consequently,
he fell in love with another instrument; the bagpipes. And, at the
ripe old age of 38, he bought his first set of pipes.
As with other
instruments, he took to the bagpipes like a duck to water. Soon
after, he began competing in various piping competitions and winning
various awards. Eventually, he became pipe major for the City of
Glendale's Pipe Band and is, currently, the official piper for the
Southern Illinois chapter of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society.
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