Jazz Musician Rufus Harley on "I've Got a Secret"

Rufus Harley, the first jazz musician to adopt the bagpipe as his primary instrument, appears on "I've Got a Secret" (October 17th, 1966) with host Steve Allen and panelists Betsy Palmer, Bill Cullen, Bess Myerson, and Henry Morgan.

His secret, of course, is that he plays jazz on the bagpipes.

After the game proper, the Rufus Harley Group (Rufus on bagpipe plus three other musicians on piano, drums, and acoustic bass) performs "Feelin' Good".

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Rufus Harley
• I've Got a Secret
• Steve Allen
• Betsy Palmer
• Bill Cullen
• Bess Myerson
• Henry Morgan
• bagpipes
• jazz
• Feelin' Good

[PrinceHallPiper]

My Hero - The 1st Black Piper "Awesome" We - Us - Them & Yall, It's all in the bag.

[LeChuck63]

Great, Great, Great Video!!!! Thanks alot for posting! Rufus is one of a kind in the piping world!

[argyll1952]

I only discovered Mr Harley a few weeks ago, I hope his albums are still available.

[baileal]

or the bagpipes

[TheEyewizard]

I am white by the way ...so I don'[t want to hear about any racial bias crap..

[TheEyewizard]

HOW can you POSSIBLY dislike this?? In 1966 during the still timultuous Racial Unrest in the USA .. A black jazz musician has taught himself (hence his incorrect untraditional techique) the bagpipes ... as ALL can CLEARLY see he blows it out the water with his performance DESPITE his self induced technique!!

[SpielmannHannes]

Why does he hold the pipes under his right arm? Nevertheless he's a really fantastic player! A really god for me, I'd like do such a special an individual thing anytime too. :)

[pipertripp]

@groovivi I agree. I have to say it makes me cringe when I see his technique, but only because I play in the traditional style like most pipers and what he's doing is quite foreign to what I know, and to be honest, what I prefer to listen too. That said, I think he deserves a lot of credit for, as you say, treading his own path.

[thewindthatshakesbar]

wow, as a Piper, all I can say is: he must have got a hard time to learn with the pipes on his right shoulder... but still sounds great!