[1] The family is directly related to John MacAlister who won the Prize Pipe at the Falkirk Tryst in 1782.
[2] As a youngster he heard the top solo pipers in the world through the Kintyre Piping Society, which was revived in the 1970s by his father, also Willie.
He now has his own business and acts as a consultant for McCallum Bagpipes and Bannatyne Pipe Bag Makers, as well as teaching and adjudicating across the world.
[5] Willie McCallum has won many top solo piping prizes several times, including:[1][5] He was notably invited to the Glenfiddich Championships 29 consecutive times between 1988 and 2016.
[1] He plays inherited bagpipes that he believes to be Hendersons, with a McCallum McC2 solo chanter.