Chart hit James Pryde touched all with amazing grace

Published on Tuesday 24 March 2009 08:37

James Pryde MBE, a senior pipe-major in the Royal Scots Greys, who achieved a surprise pop hit with his arrangement of Amazing Grace, has died aged 79.

James Pryde was known to many as a popular and dedicated music teacher at the Edinburgh Academy and Loretto School in Musselburgh.

Jimmy, as he was known, was born in Inveresk Village, East Lothian, and loved music as a young child. After leaving school aged 15, he began an apprenticeship as a bagpipe maker with William Sinclair of Leith. He joined the Shotts and Dykehead Pipe Band and was a member when it won its first world championship in 1948.

He began national service with the Royal Scots and decided to stay in the Army. He served in the Highland Light Infantry in Egypt and with the Seaforths, before being appointed pipe-major of the Royal Scots Greys. As well as distinguished military service, he acted as an ambassador for piping and Scotland around the world. One of his proudest moments was when he carried the Queen's personal banner in 1962.

He met his future wife Enid Sutton, known as Ena, on a beach in Suffolk, when she was just 16 and he was 21. Her sister playfully snatched the beachball he was playing with and threw it to Ena, who was swimming in the sea.

When he ducked her under the water, she decided to get back at him by pretending she was drowning. This gave him a chance to practice the mouth-to-mouth resuscitation skills he had learned on an Army first aid course.

"It was love at first sight," she said.

The couple married two years later and Enid, a riding instructor, gave up her job to accompany him around the world. They had three sons, James, Colin and Malcolm. They all followed in their father's footsteps by learning to play the pipes.

Jimmy performed in the Edinburgh Military Tattoo every year from 1948 until he retired from the Army in 1971. That year, he arranged and recorded a version of Amazing Grace with the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards. This became a surprise hit, reaching the top five in the pop charts.

After leaving the Army, he began teaching at local schools around Peebles. He then moved to Belhaven, followed by Loretto School and the Edinburgh Academy. When he realised that teaching at two schools was too much of a commitment, his son Colin took over the job at Loretto.

He was well-loved for his enthusiasm, patience and dedication, and helped lead the Edinburgh Academy band to victory in the Scottish Schools Competition in 1990 and 1991.

After retiring, he and Ena moved to Bowden, close to Melrose. They ran a bed-and-breakfast, and he enjoyed spending time wood-turning and gardening.

Ena said: "He was quite quiet and modest and was very surprised when Amazing Grace was so successful. But it never made any difference to him.

"He loved music all his life and really enjoyed his job. He was very loving and caring, and always wanted his family around him.

"He could have stayed in the Army for another 13 years, but he decided he wanted to devote more time to his family."

Jimmy died on February 16, following a long illness. As well as his wife and three sons, he leaves 11 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.