"I'm on My Way" is a song and

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

by American

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

singer,

Dean Parrish Dean Parrish (born Philip Anastasi, or Anastasia; December 30, 1942 – June 8, 2021) was an American singer from New York City, best known for the song, " I'm on My Way", which became noted for being the penultimate record that was played at t ...

. Written by

Doug Morris Doug Morris (born November 23, 1938) is an American record executive. He is the current chairman of 12Tone Music Group. He previously served as chairman and CEO of the Universal Music Group from 1995 to 2011 and Sony Music Entertainment from 20 ...

and Eliot Greenberg, it was first released in the US 1967 without any chart success. It was released in the UK in 1975 and found chart success due to its popularity with the Northern soul scene.

Background and chart success

Released in the US in 1967 on the Laurie label, in the UK in the 1970s, "I'm on My Way" came to the attention of

Russ Winstanley Russ Winstanley (born October 1952) is an English DJ, originating from Beech Hill, in Wigan, Lancashire. Early life He attended Wigan Grammar School. Career He is best known for his championing of Northern Soul music at the Wigan Casino. Sinc ...

, a

disc jockey A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include Radio personality, radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music f ...

at the

Wigan Casino The Wigan Casino was a nightclub in Wigan, England. Operating between 1973 and 1981, it became known as a primary venue for Northern soul music. It carried forward the legacy created by clubs such as the Twisted Wheel in Manchester, the Chateau ...

. He began playing the record and it became one of the more popular records at the venue. It was re-released in 1975 on the

UK Records UK Records was a music label launched in 1972 by Jonathan King to distribute his own releases and those by some other artists.

label and was the last record to be played every week at the Wigan Casino. The single reached number 38 in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

in February 1975. Wigan Casino's spin-off record label Casino Classics re-released it on the ''Three Before Eight'' EP in 1978 and '' Casino Classics: Chapter One'' compilation in 1979. The Wigan Casino closed in 1981 and "I'm on My Way" was the last record ever played there. Parrish had remained unaware of the song's revival having stopped performing in the 1960s. Since its success, it has had a regular presence on Northern soul compilation albums, and is considered one of the most popular songs of the Northern soul genre.

References

{{authority control 1967 songs 1967 singles American soul songs 1975 singles Northern soul songs Laurie Records singles UK Records singles