Dean Parrish

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Dean Parrish was an American singer from New York. He was born in 1942 as Philip Anastasi, the child of Italian parents, and grew up in Little Italy. He sang second tenor in a doo-wop group on the street and was a frequent visitor to the Peppermint Lounge, New York's most famous nightclub in the early 1960s. On the advice of Ronnie Spector of The Ronettes he took the name Dean Parrish and began his recording career in 1964.

Music and breakthrough

Between 1964 and 1967 he recorded for four American labels: Laurie, Warner Bros., Musicor and Boom. His soul singles had titles such as I'm On My Way, Tell Her, Determination and Skate. He toured with Dick Clark's Caravan of Stars. In 1967 he took back his old name and became an actor. Musically he remained active as a guitarist, including with Herbie Mann, and as a session musician he played with Jimi Hendrix and Santana in 1970 and with Bob Marley in 1972.

Influence

His second life began in England. In the mid-1970s the DJ Russ Winstanley played I'm On My Way at the Wigan Casino, and the song became a Northern soul classic. It was the second-to-last record played at that club's final all-nighter. Parrish himself knew nothing of this for a long time, until in 2001 he contacted Winstanley and performed again for the first time in thirty years. His story shows how a forgotten American single gained a second existence in a British dance hall.

Listening