A soul singer
hailed as “probably one of the best”, who made his name thanks to Wigan’s
Northern soul scene, has died.
Dean Parrish
was best known for his song ‘I’m On My Way’, which was the last track played
every night at Wigan Casino.
The song
reached the UK charts and DJ Russ Winstanley later invited him to perform in
Wigan and around the UK.
Northern soul
fans have been left stunned by his death on June 8, aged 79, in his home city
of New York, USA.
Russ, who DJs
worldwide, said: “It was just such a shock. We didn’t know it was going to
happen.
“The best
thing was he was an absolute gentleman, as well as being probably one of the
best soul singers you could ever know. He was a lovely man.
“He came and
stayed with me. He used to absolutely love coming over here.”
Mr Parrish,
whose real name was Phil Anastasi, began performing as a singer in the 1960s and
released a number of songs in the USA, including ‘I’m On My Way’, ‘Skate’ and ‘Determination’.
About ‘I’m On
My Way’, Russ said: “It hadn’t done very much. I started playing it at Wigan
Rugby Club, before the casino. I was always looking for a certain record to
finish off every night and it got so very, very popular at the rugby club.
“When I
started the Casino, I used it as the finishing record. I used it for every
night really, except the very last night, where it was played a number of times
and then another was played.”
The song was
re-released in 1975 and reached number 38 in the UK charts, thanks to its
popularity among Northern soul lovers, and was later part of an EP entitled
Three Before Eight released by Wigan Casino’s record label Casino Classics. While
it sold 250,000 copies, it did not chart.
He said: “I
did end up finding him and brought him over to Wigan eventually, after the
casino had shut. I became very friendly with him. I must have brought him over
about 20 times.
“He had such
a soulful voice that everyone loved him. When he came across he was just as
good, probably one of the best ever live acts.”
Mr Parrish
performed in Wigan several times, including at a Wigan Casino reunion at the DW
Stadium, as well as at other shows organised by Russ around the country.
He also
worked as an actor and appeared in TV series The Sopranos as a wedding singer.
He was close
to the heart of so many Northern soul fans that this year’s event to mark the
48th anniversary of Wigan Casino will be held as a tribute to him.
Due to take
place from September 24 to 26 at Charles Dickens Hotel in Wigan, it will
feature Russ, Tommy Hunt, Paul Stuart Davies, Johnny Boy, Brian Rigby, Alan
Cain and others.
Tickets cost
£10 for the weekend and will be on sale at the venue from 5pm on July 24. All
proceeds will go to local charities in memory of Mr Parrish.
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