In fact, when footballing legend Paul Gascoigne fancied a Highland fling at his Hertfordshire wedding, he turned to John’s bagpipe band Gutty Slippers.
Gazza’s wedding, in 1996, saw the band play for the likes of Robbie Fowler, Alan Shearer, David Seaman and Terry Venables.
The once-in-a-lifetime gig came after a chance meeting. “We played at a 5-star hotel in Scotland when Gascoigne was signed to Rangers,” John explained. “He loved the music and asked us to play at his wedding.
“Once we finished our set, he told us to stay as wedding guests and, from the little I can remember, it was a fantastic evening with Chris Evans as DJ!”
John’s footballing connections don’t stop there; the largest crowd he has piped for was at Hampden Park in Glasgow, where 55,000 fans had gathered for the 2002 Champion’s League Final between Real Madrid and Bayern Leverkusen.