COLUMBUS — The bagpiper plays his first notes, and heads turn. The rich, droning tones of the pipes resonate throughout the Voinovich Building at the Ohio State Fairgrounds, where the Keith Moore Memorial Shorthorn Sale is about to begin.
But the sound of the pipes isn’t the only thing attracting attention.
Clad in the traditional Scottish piper uniform, Jeff Linn cuts a striking figure among the rest of the attendees at the Ohio Beef Expo. The musician from Groveport, Ohio, stands over 6 feet tall before he puts on the towering black feather bonnet, the formal headgear worn by pipers.
Add to that the tartan kilt, with a tasseled sporran pouch hanging from his waist, and a belt with a jeweled brooch across his chest, it’s a sight to behold.
Marching through the trade show at the Ohio Beef Expo, Linn plays the bagpipe as he leads the Ohio Shorthorn Lassie Queens to the show ring before the shorthorn sale.
The spectacle began a decade ago as a way to celebrate the Shorthorn Lassies’ 60th year in a big way, according to Karen Scott Bihl, president of the Ohio Shorthorn Lassie Association. The Lassies are the women’s auxiliary for the American Shorthorn Association and pay tribute to the breed’s Scottish roots through their name and costume.
“That was something to see,” Bihl said, recalling the first year Linn played at the Expo. “It was really busy that year. People turned around, and it was like a parting of the water. Nobody had ever seen anything like that at a cattle event.”
Bihl found with through a quick online search for bagpipers local to Columbus. Linn’s name popped up immediately, and it felt like fate when she saw his dress uniform consisted of a Royal Stuart tartan, the same red plaid pattern the Shorthorn Lassies wear.
The uniform Linn wears is authentic Royal Scots Dragoon Guard Pipe and Drums regiment dress. He says he bought it directly from the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence after they retired that version of the uniform.
Linn has been playing pipes since he was 5 or 6. His father, who also played the pipes, insisted he learn the instrument to honor his Scottish heritage. Linn’s family emigrated to the U.S. from Scotland before the Revolutionary War, initially settling in western Pennsylvania.
Linn, now 77, was born and raised in Ohio, but moved to California for many years, where he made a living as a musician working for record companies and in film and TV. He plays a variety of other instruments (he even has a record studio in his house), but the pipes have been a constant in his life.
“Every place I moved, I ended up playing,” he said. “It’s hard to put down.”
He played pipes for Donald Trump’s mother’s birthday (Mary Anne MacLeod Trump was a Scottish immigrant). He plays at weddings and at funerals, including both of his parents’ funerals.
The first year Linn appeared at the Ohio Beef Expo created an incredible buzz and cemented his place as part of the ceremony before the shorthorn sale. As far as Bihl knows, they’re the only shorthorn association in the country to have a bagpiper involved in sale festivities.
“We really cherish having him,” Bihl said.
After he plays, Linn becomes something of a celebrity, with people of all ages stopping him to ask if he can pose for a picture with them. Although he is an imposing figure, he answers in character with a gentle “aye.”
“It’s incredible,” Linn said. “The girls love what they’re doing. I just love being a part of something that the people are that enthusiastic about.”
