First there was Susan Boyle. Now it appears America has fallen in love with another Scottish amateur musician.
Bagpiping busker Rob Calder has caused a sensation across the Atlantic after playing an impromptu performance on New York's Fifth Avenue.
The Glasgow University graduate arrived in the Big Apple on Monday for the first leg of a six-week tour of the USA and already his first show - which passers-by filmed and have posted on website YouTube - has made it to network television.
NBC's Today Show reported about Rob's trip and the station has since been flooded with calls from viewers asking about his tour and if they can help in any way.
Mr Calder said: "My idea for this tour began three months ago. I was made redundant from my job as a marketing manager and took stock of where my life was at.
"I though this would really be my last chance to just head off and do something.
"Busking with my bagpipes would be the ideal way to combine my love of piping and having a great adventure.
"I'm relying on the goodwill of people I meet along the way and from bagpiping groups across North America. The response from everyone so far has been fantastic."
After New York, Mr Calder will visit Philadelphia, Washington DC, Nashville, Memphis, New Orleans, Houston, Dallas, Amarillo, Denver, Las Vegas and Los Angeles before ending his tour in San Francisco.
His trip has been given the support of VisitScotland and Glasgow City Marketing Bureau, and at every event he will promote the Homecoming Scotland campaign and the World Pipe Band Championships.
However, the organisations are not funding his trip.
He is sleeping on the floors of friends and contacts and using some of his redundancy money to cover living expenses.
The 32-year-old is travelling across the country using the iconic Greyhound bus services, and his luggage is being kept to a minimum: his pipes, a backpack and a history book.
Mr Calder said: "I decided that I would buy a history of Scotland before I left. I once spent a summer working as a door-to-door salesman in the USA and as soon as people heard the accent they asked me a million and one questions about Scotland and its history. This time I've come prepared.
Jonathan Rennie "There are approximately 25 million people of Scots descent living in America and I hope to meet quite a few of them along the way."
Pupils of Giffnock Primary School in the south side of Glasgow will be following Mr Calder's journey.
His niece, Rosie Steele, six, is a pupil at the school so the principal Alasdair McDonald decided to turn the piper's trip into a project.
They are following Mr Calder's progress on his website, www.bagpipebusker.com.
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