The Moir Sisters were a Scottish-Australian pop and folk vocal trio which formed in 1970 by the

eponym An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Usage of the word The term ''epon ...

ous sisters, Jean, Margot and Lesley. Their debut single, "Good Morning (How Are You?)" (1974), which featured their distinctive high-pitched harmonies, peaked at No. 8 on the

Kent Music Report The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to January 1999. The chart was re-branded the Australian Music Report (AMR) in July ...

Singles Chart. The group released two albums, ''Lost: Somewhere Beyond Harmony'' (1974) and ''State of Shock'' (as The Moirs, 1978), In 1989 Margot Moir (married name: Margot Cesario) released a solo single, "Scarlet Skies" and followed with her album, ''Strong and Mighty'', in 1996. Margot died in 2015 from complications of her

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ap ...

History

The Moir Sisters were formed in 1970 as a folk, pop trio in Melbourne by Jean (born 1956) on co-lead vocals, Margot Rae (born 1959) on co-lead vocals and guitar, and Lesley Moir (born 1961) on co-lead vocals. They were born in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

, to Edward Hoy Moir and June Moir (née Stirling), and emigrated to Melbourne in 1962. They returned to Scotland, where their youngest daughter, Leanne, was born in 1968. Margot was given a guitar as a gift; she took to it immediately, and was soon writing her own songs. The sisters launched their musical trio upon return to Australia late in 1970. In 1974 they won a heat of the TV talent quest, '' New Faces'', on Melbourne's GTV-9, and then they competed in the national final. To capitalise on the national exposure of their ''New Faces'' appearances, the trio were signed EMI Music Australia. Their self-penned debut single, "Good Morning (How Are You?)", Note: For additional work user may have to select 'Search again' and then 'Enter a title:' &/or 'Performer:' was released in May 1974. It was produced by Ian Miller, arranged by film critic and musician Ivan Hutchinson, and engineered by

Roger Savage Roger Savage is an Australian sound engineer who was nominated for an Academy Award in the category Best Sound for the film ''Moulin Rouge!''. After moving from England to Australia in 1964, he engineered some of the most important Australian ...

. It peaked at No. 8 on the

Singles Chart and remained in the top 50 for 19 weeks. Note: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1974 until

Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing th ...

(ARIA) created their own

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in mid-1988. In 1992, Kent back calculated chart positions for 1970–1974. The Moir Sisters released their debut album in 1974, ''Lost Somewhere Beyond Harmony'', with original songs co-written by the sisters. It was produced by Miller, arranged by Geoff Hales (who also played synthesisers and keyboards), engineered by Ross Cockle, with backing from session musicians: guitarists Phil Manning and Billy Green (later known as Will Greenstreet), bass guitarists Barry Sullivan and Duncan McGuire, drummers Graham Morgan, Mark Kennedy and Gary Hyde, keyboard player Mal Logan, jazz saxophonist Brian Brown and backing vocalist, Dan Robinson (ex

Wild Cherries The Wild Cherries were an Australian rock group, which started in late 1964 playing R&B/jazz and became "the most relentlessly experimental psychedelic band on the Melbourne discotheque / dance scene" according to commentator, Glenn A. Baker. ...

). The trio undertook a national tour supporting the Osmonds, but their career was limited as Lesley was 13 at the time, which meant that their live performances had to be approved by the Child Welfare Department of the

Victorian Government The Victoria State Government, also referred to as just the Victorian Government, is the state-level authority for Victoria, Australia. Like all state governments, it is formed by three independent branches: the executive, the judicial, and th ...

. By the late 1970s they were managed by former musician,

Glenn Wheatley Glenn Dawson Wheatley (23 January 1948 – 1 February 2022) was an Australian musician, talent manager and tour promoter. Career Wheatley began his career as a musician in Brisbane in the mid-1960s. In the late 1960s he became known national ...

(then-manager of Little River Band), and after leaving EMI, they signed to Oz Records in Australia, and to Elton John's label,

The Rocket Record Company The Rocket Record Company was a record label founded by Elton John, along with Bernie Taupin, Gus Dudgeon, Steve Brown and others, in 1973. The company was named after the hit song " Rocket Man". The label was originally distributed in the ...

internationally. They shortened their name to the Moirs, and travelled to Los Angeles to record their second album, ''State of Shock'', which was produced by expatriate Australian musician, songwriter and producer, John Farrar, and released later in 1978. In the early 1980s the trio were signed to

Warner Music Group Warner Music Group Corp. ( d.b.a. Warner Music Group, commonly abbreviated as WMG) is an American multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the " big three" recording companies and t ...

in Australia and issued two more singles, "So Excited" (1982) and "Running Scared" (1983), but neither charted. In 1989 Margot Moir released her solo single, "Scarlet Skies", and it was followed by the album, ''Strong and Mighty'' in 1996. In 2003 the sisters were interviewed for ABC-TV's music documentary series, ''Love Is in the Air'', episode two, "She's Leaving Home". Margot Cesario (née Moir) died on 26 January 2015, aged 56, from complications due to long term diabetes.

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moir Sisters Australian pop music groups Sibling musical trios Musical groups established in 1970 Rocket Records artists Musical groups from Melbourne Australian musical trios Vocal trios