The former lead singer of a Colchester band has been described as “well-loved” and “generous” after his death aged 67.
Bruce Moodie fronted the well-known Colchester band, The Amberlites, who were referred to as the English “Osmonds,” since they were a family band with similar looks.
Members included Bruce’s older brother Louis, and cousins Perry and Michael Rollo. Later, another cousin, Lynne Moodie, joined as a base guitar player.
Bruce grew up in a musical family. His dad, Les, played bass, while his uncles Cliff Chater and John Rollo played guitar and drums.
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The Amberlites formed in the late 1960s and won a talent contest at the ABC Cinema Minors’ Matinee in 1969, when Bruce was 10. They received £2.
They entered another competition, this time in Ipswich and initially took home the trophy as the winners.
That was until the organisers saw that they were underaged; they needed to be 18 and were stripped of the win. The new winners? Showaddywaddy.
They later turned professional and earned £120 per week performing at Pontins Holiday Camps. Those gigs lasted for three years. They also performed for a US air force base in Spain.
After the band split, Bruce formed a duo with Louis in the mid-80s. They were called the Moodie Brothers, and they played regularly at the Piccolo Padre and many other venues.
Away from the stage, he took over as landlord of the Royal Mortar Pub, in Colchester, with his wife Gill. He then went on to work on building sites and set up his own carpentry business.
In 2019, The Amberlites played a 50-year anniversary gig, and raised money for charity.
A statement from the Moodie family read: “Bruce was well-loved by all. He was sociable, friendly and generous to a fault. He was also very funny and had a quick wit, something he learned from his years on the Pontin’s Circuit."
Bruce is survived by his brother Louis; sister Rosemary, his children, Nathan and Natalie and grandchildren Rhian and Nala, of which he was “so proud of.”
His funeral will be held at Colchester Crematorium on November 25 at 11.30.
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