Even 30 years after she ended her singing career, it still took Moira Sharp three hours to make her way through Dundee city centre.
She would be stopped by people who remembered her performances with Aquarius, Hunter’s Key and then Carousel.
In a career stretching from the 1960s until 1989, she counted guitar legend Jim Kelly as one of her band members, and she also provided backing for Billy Connolly and Lonnie Donegan.
Moira, who has died aged 75, was best remembered as the singer with Hunter’s Key, her most enduring band.
It was with Hunter’s Key that her guitarist was Jim Kelly who found national fame with Honeybus.
Beginnings
Moira was born in Dundee in 1946 to scrap dealer Robert Rice and his wife Annie.
She was educated at St Vincent’s Primary School then St Michael’s Secondary School in Graham Street.
When she left school in he early 1960s, Moira went to work in the jute industry and started her music career towards the end of the decade.
She formed the band Aquarius, playing contemporary hits at clubs and social events around the city.
During the week, Moira would work as a store detective, or as she called it a flair walker, in stores around the east of Scotland.
At weekends, from Thursday night to Sunday night, she sang in bands and was known for kicking off with Da Doo Ron Ron to warm up the crowd.
Aquarius gave way to Hunter’s Key with whom she toured Scotland, and into England, playing at military bases, weddings and in social clubs.
Her band shared a bill with Billy Connolly in Motherwell and Banff, Lonnie Donegan in Port Glasgow and Hector Nicol in Dundee.
The line up of Hunter’s Key changed regularly and eventually Moira formed an entirely new band, Carousel.
Her last gig was in North End Social Club, Dundee, in 1989. Moira was a non-smoker but had developed a lung condition from playing in smoky clubs.
Curtain call
She felt this had taken the edge off her singing voice and she decided to bow out with dignity.
Moira then embarked on a new vocation: fostering more than 100 children over the next 15 years or so.
Her daughter, Norma Rodger, said: “My mother was always first to help people out and she loved foster caring. It was far more than a job.
“She looked after mainly boys and helped steer a lot of them in the right direction and many stayed in touch over the years.
“She undertook a lot of study and courses to allow her to help children with special needs.”
Moira later received an award from Dundee City Council for her fostering work.
Norman said: “My mother remained incredibly well known in Dundee and it took her about three hours to get through the town.
“She was always stopped by people who remembered her performances. She was even stopped in Blackpool by someone who remembered her singing in Denny.”
Moira’s funeral will take place at James Ashton’s rooms, Lochee, on Friday, April 22 at 1.30pm, then to Birkhill cemetery at 2.30pm.