Willie Armstrong has performed for crowds of thousands around the world, impressed Sir Paul McCartney and even tempted Ewan McGregor to join in.

But now the 45-year-old is hanging up his bagpipes and will play his final gig on Friday night in Glasgow.

Willie helped form the Red Hot Chilli Pipers, the band that made bagpipes cool. They went from gigging in Glasgow to global fame.

But Willie says it is time to go back to his proper job with Strathclyde Fire Brigade and he will perform his last show with the band at Renfrew Ferry, which is at Anderston Quay.

He says: “I have my family to look after and the band is going on tour for eight weeks to Germany and then six weeks for America. The travelling is not for me any more – I am too old.

“I had been a fireman for 20 years and could get some security. I like the fire brigade and miss being at home. I made good money with the band but money is not everything.”

Willie, from Cumbernauld, came up with the idea for the group seven years ago with pal Stuart Cassells, 31.

They gradually gathered a team of musicians, including another piper, plus guitarists and drummers, to form an eight-strong band with a sound they call “bag rock”.

They add a twist to the traditional classics and also tackle tracks such as Queen’s We Will Rock You, Coldplay’s Clocks and Survivor’s Eye of The Tiger.

The band’s first big break came when the boys clubbed together £1000 to record an album.

It did not sell many copies, but the band’s rock version of Highland Cathedral was heard by bosses of Ballantine’s Whisky, who flew them to Slovenia for a launch.

Things started to take off and they were booked in consecutive years for Ewan McGregor’s Burns Supper in London, which was attended by Sir Paul McCartney, Rod Stewart, Lulu and actor Danny Glover. The host even got on stage to play the snare drum.

The band also performed at T In The Park in 2004, but it was winning a television talent show in 2007 that really shot them to worldwide fame.

They triumphed on BBC show When Will I Be Famous?.

Willie recalls: “One night I was doing a shift in Parkhead fire station, the next I was playing for eight million people on TV. It was surreal.

“Bearing in mind it was bagpipes we were playing, we went down there thinking, ‘There’s no way we’re going to win this’. After that it went crazy. The offers coming in were unbelievable.”

The band all quit their jobs to pursue musical stardom and even got their own motor home – the Chilli-bago – to go on tour.

But their gigs have now taken them far further than any bus trip – from Saudi Arabia to South Korea, Ireland to India, Canada to China.

And Willie says he has had some incredible experiences.

“We went to Brittany and when we arrived at the airport flashbulbs were going off. I thought, ‘Maybe they think it’s the Red Hot Chilli Peppers! But it was definitely us.

“We got in our bus and there were police behind us and they got us through all the traffic! We played in a massive stadium and sold it out – organisers said it had never happened before with a Scottish band. Ten thousand people paid 20 Euros each to see my band!

“In Saudi Arabia they do not encourage music events. We were supposedly the first band to play there. We played in a school and the looks on the kids faces were unbelievable. It was probably the first time they had heard live music.”

They were presented with a platinum disc for their CD, Bagrock To The Masses, by First Minister Alex Salmond in New York during Tartan Week in 2008. The CD had sold one million copies in six weeks.

But Willie is now enjoying a quieter life after starting back at Strathclyde Fire and Rescue’s Training centre in Maitland Street as an instructor. He is also is looking forward to spending more time with wife Anna, 49, and children Courtney, 18, and Molly, 10.

The Pipers have lined up his replacement, Kyle Warren, 21, from Helensburgh and Willie says: “I’m pleased the band will continue without me.”

• Red Hot Chilli Pipers, Renfrew Ferry, Friday. Advance tickets £15+ booking fee. On the night £17. Available from The Ferry or 0844 3954000 or www.ticketsoup.com