Craig “Hoss” Colquhoun is an internationally recognized virtuoso Pipe band bass drummer and founder of Hosbilt.



While his education was in jazz performance and mechanical engineering, Craig J. Colquhoun has spent the past 30 years playing in Pipe Bands. During this time he has received numerous awards for Bass Drumming including 3 times Canadian, 3 times United States, 5 times North American and an unprecedented 3 times World Champion.



All of these awards were accomplished with Craig using an instrument that he crafted himself. Making the most of a blend of his talents for mechanical design and musical knowledge, for Craig "Hoss" Colquhoun designing his own drums seemed perfectly natural.



Hosbilt

Craig’s drive to create his own drums came from a search for a sound that he couldn't get out of any marching bass drums available on the market at the time. "I always had this idea that a bass drum could sound like an upright bass in a jazz band. I knew that the sound I wanted could only come from a free floating shell like the old rope drums, but rope drums are very difficult to maintain tension on. So I came up with the idea to use a turnbuckle to draw the counter hoops together evenly without a drum key."



Many other bands liked what they heard out of Craig's own drum and very soon they began to ask if he would make some for them also. From there, the demand exploded rapidly and soon Craig realized that there was a real demand for these instruments in the market.



When the manufacturing demands got to the point where it was too much for one person to handle, Colquhoun began a dialog with Premier and the unique line of Hosbilt drums were born. The merger of Hosbilt with Premier percussion has allowed this innovative and exclusive design of drums to be brought to the World market. In a remarkably short period of time the extraordinary Hosbilt drums have forever changed the sound of the modern day Pipe Band.



Today, Craig Colquhoun is much sought after for instruction of Bass Drumming for Pipe band Clinics and workshops worldwide. Currently he is also a training technician for the Bruce Power Company of Canada where he teaches Fuel Handling to Nuclear Operators. Craig lives in Kincardine Ontario with his wife Lisa and their daughter Annie.