Moira Anderson,
OBEThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 5 June 1938,
KirkintillochKirkintilloch is a town and former burgh in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland. It lies on the Forth and Clyde Canal, about eight miles northeast of central Glasgow...
,
East DunbartonshireThis article is about the East Dunbartonshire council area of Scotland. See also East Dunbartonshire .East Dunbartonshire is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders onto the north-west of the City of Glasgow. It contains many of the suburbs of Glasgow as well as containing many of...
) is a
ScottishScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
singer.
Life and career
Following an education at
Lenzie AcademyLenzie Academy is a co-educational comprehensive secondary school located in Lenzie, East Dunbartonshire, Scotland. The catchment area covers the town of Lenzie, the village of Auchinloch and southern parts of Kirkintilloch.-Senior Management Team:...
, Anderson quickly established herself at the
Royal Scottish Academy of Music and DramaThe Royal Conservatoire of Scotland is a conservatoire of music, drama, and dance in the centre of Glasgow, Scotland. Founded in 1845 as the Glasgow Educational Association, it is the busiest performing arts venue in Scotland...
in
GlasgowGlasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
before getting her big break in the media after a successful audition at the
BBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
.
She landed her first job in the media, presenting the radio programme
Can't Help SingingCan't Help Singing is a 1944 musical Western filmed in Technicolor starring Deanna Durbin. The film was produced by Felix Jackson and directed by Frank Ryan. The score was by Jerome Kern with lyrics by E. Y. Harburg.-Plot:...
where she sang with some prestigious names from the world of
operaOpera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
. She went on to make many appearances in the TV series
The White Heather Club hosted by
Andy StewartAndrew "Andy" Stewart MBE was a Scottish singer and entertainer.-Career:The use of tartan patriotism and stereotypical Scottish humour goes back to Sir Harry Lauder and music hall songs. In the 1960s this strand was continued by the entertainer Andy Stewart.He was born in Glasgow, Scotland in...
.
She went on to host her own television show, the popular
Moira Anderson Sings on BBC 1, 1968. By 1970 she had signed up with the Decca Record Company, performed at the
London PalladiumThe London Palladium is a 2,286 seat West End theatre located off Oxford Street in the City of Westminster. From the roster of stars who have played there and many televised performances, it is arguably the most famous theatre in London and the United Kingdom, especially for musical variety...
and was hosting yet another show
Stars On Sunday which ran from 1969 to 1977. Anderson has gone on to create many
albumAn album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
s and is renowned for her
charityA charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
work.
In her early career Anderson made frequent appearances alongside fellow Scottish music stars,
Kenneth McKellarKenneth McKellar was a Scottish tenor.-Career:McKellar studied forestry at the University of Aberdeen, after graduation working for the Scottish Forestry Commission. He later trained at the Royal College of Music as an opera singer...
and other Scottish stars. In the early 1980s she made a successful album of
duetsA duet is a musical composition for two performers. In classical music, the term is most often used for a composition for two singers or pianists; with other instruments, the word duo is also often used. A piece performed by two pianists performing together on the same piano is referred to as...
with Sir
Harry SecombeSir Harry Donald Secombe CBE was a Welsh entertainer with a talent for comedy and a noted fine tenor singing voice. He is best known for playing Neddie Seagoon, the central character in the BBC radio comedy series The Goon Show...
. She recorded "A Perfect Day" by
Carrie Jacobs-BondCarrie Minetta Jacobs-Bond was an American singer, pianist, and songwriter who composed some 175 pieces of popular sheet music from the 1890s through the early 1940s....
.
Her musical directors over the years have included
Peter KnightPeter Knight was an English musical arranger, conductor and composer.-Career:Knight was born in Exmouth, Devon, England. He worked with Independent Television light entertainment stars from 'Spot The Tune' with Jackie Rae and Marion Ryan to the comedy series 'Home to Roost' ...
, Peter Hope, Robert Docker, Robin Stapleton,
Peggy O'Keefe- Life :Peggy O'Keefe was born on a farm near the city of Warrnambool, three hours from Melbourne, Australia. After a good education, both musical and academic, at a convent boarding school, she attended the Melbourne University Music Conservatorium, where she studied violin, piano, singing and harp...
and
Nick IngmanNicholas Ingman is an orchestra conductor and composer.Early recordings include:*'Big Beat' *'The Love Album' *'Terminator'...
.
She received an
OBEThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
in July 1970.
External links