Vipond was brought up in Inchinnan[1] and attended Park Mains High School in Erskine, choosing to go there because of the reputation of the music department.
[2] After school he enrolled at Glasgow's Royal Scottish Academy of Music to study orchestral percussion.
[1] Vipond was one of the founding members of pop band Deacon Blue along with Ricky Ross and Lorraine McIntosh.
Vipond is a supporter of the Paisley based football club St Mirren,[1] he became a supporter after Alex Ferguson, then St Mirren's manager brought Tony Fitzpatrick and Bobby Reid to his school to meet the pupils.
In 2022, Vipond was awarded an Honorary Fellowship by the Perth-based Royal Scottish Geographical Society.