[2] Maxwell was born in Kirkcaldy and raised in Bowhill, Cardenden, Fife, Scotland,[3][1] and moved to Canada at the age of 20.

[4] In 1992, the Simon Fraser University Pipe Band (SFUPB) reckoned that their drumming could be improved and invited Maxwell to join.

[7] Subsequently, the SFUPB won the World Championships a total of six times.

[9] Maxwell helped start the "Piping Hot Summer Drummer" instructional program in 1994 as a drumming-only school.

It has now been running for more than twenty years as a summer camp for pipers, drummers and highland dancers of all ages and levels.