The Salt Lake Scots Pipe Band was established in 1962 by Scottish immigrants and their families who wanted to preserve Highland traditions in the heart of the Great Basin. With roots tracing back to early pioneer pipers and drummers in the Salt Lake Valley, the band is proud to be one of the oldest pipe bands in Utah.

Key founding members included Myron O'Connor and first Pipe Major Dale Bain. The band's multigenerational ties run deep — Dennis McMaster, who married O'Connor's daughter Kathleen, went on to serve as Pipe Major for 23 years. Today, the band includes fourth-generation members of these founding families, a testament to the enduring community built around a shared love of piping.

From the beginning, the band wore the red Scott tartan as a symbol representing all Scots in the valley. In 1997, Kathleen McMaster designed an exclusive tartan unique to the band, which was officially registered in Scotland and adopted to reflect the band's identity as a close-knit family. The band has been wearing it proudly ever since.

Over the decades, the Salt Lake Scots have built an impressive legacy. In 1968 they appeared in the United Artists WWII film The Devil's Brigade. They released their first studio album in the early 1990s and went on to serve as the official pipe band of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City — leading curling competitors onto the ice and earning the title of "secret weapon" from the gold-medal-winning Scottish curling team. The band has also shared the stage with The Chieftains, the Utah Symphony, and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

Today the band is managed by Ian Williams, is directed by Pipe Major Christopher Johnson, and practices at the First Presbyterian Church of Salt Lake City. New students are always welcome — and instruction is free.