Born in Campbeltown, Kintyre in 1942 into the famous MacCallum piping family, I started piping at about the age of nine. After early instruction from my eldest brother Ronald, I had a period of about one year with Pipe Major John MacKenzie, a family friend. When John emigrated to Rhodesia in 1953, my father sent me to Inveraray to have tuition from my cousin Pipe Major Ronnie MacCallum M.B.E., (Gold Medallist Inverness and Oban) who was at that time piper to the Duke of Argyll. Thus began a long association with one of Scotland's best, and best known, pipers. Ronnie's teacher was William Thomson, a pupil of Ronald MacKenzie, nephew of the famous John Ban MacKenzie. There was also piping influence from Pipe Major George S.Allan. The MacCallums have genealogical and teaching links to the piping and bardic families of MacArthurs (Skye), McAllisters (Kintyre) and McMurchys (Kintyre). My great great great grand-father John MacAlester was the winner of the prize pipe at Falkirk Tryst in 1782.

After a successful junior solo career, I played for a time with the Ceannloch Pipe Band, Campbeltown when my brother Ronald was pipe major. I also played with the 8th Argylls (TA) Band, and about this time I decided to take on professional solo competitions at the age of eighteen.  There followed numerous competitive successes including the Gold Medals at The Northern Meeting (1967) and The Argyllshire Gathering (1972), the Gold Clasp at The Northern Meeting (4 times), the Senior Piobaireachd at The Argyllshire Gathering (6 times), the Portree Clasp (6 times), the Silver Chanter at Dunvegan Castle (6 times), the Glenfiddich Championship, and many others including all the top light music awards. 

Since retiring from competitive playing, I devote some of my time to teaching.  In 1995 The National Trust for Scotland commissioned me to compose a piobaireachd to commemorate the 250th Anniversary of the landing of Prince Charles Edward Stuart at Glenfinnan in August 1745. I played this tune entitled The Raising of the Standard at Glenfinnan at a special ceremony at the monument at Glenfinnan in 1995.