Bobby Paris - I Walked Away

"I Walked Away" has always been one of the most beloved classics synonymous with Wigan Casino. For those readers unfamiliar with the concept of 'Northern' Soul, the explanation is very simple. It is American soul music which is popular in the north of England. The term was coined in the early seventies by soul journalist Dave Godin. Whilst the South of England was following the latest 'Disco' trends', in which Funk was becoming increasingly popular, the North remained loyal to the more Earthy R&B music of the sixties. Early Motown is probably the most common expression of 'Northern' soul, but this only tells part of the story. DJ's and record collectors began scouring the States for more esoteric releases, some of which might have been big flops, others which might have only seen local release. Thus England assumed the guardianship of those soul treasures which America had rejected. Given these circumstances it will come as no surprise that many of these records were released by one-hit wonders, or more accurately one-flop wonders. Most of these original artists remain obscure even to this day. One name which refused to go away however was that of Bobby Paris and for two very good reasons. Firstly he performed on three records which became anthemic to the scene (Per-so-nal-ly, Night Owl and I Walked Away) and secondly he was white. If this sixties recording artist was an enigma to the Northern soul scene the converse was also true. He only became aware that his records, which had bombed in the states, were very popular on the other side of the Atlantic when record producer and DJ Ian Levine contacted him in 1999. Until that time he had been wholly unaware of the 'Northern' soul scene and his cult status within it. Ian was undertaking a massive project of producing a film entitled 'The Strange World Of Northern Soul' and wanted Bobby to appear on it. Not only did Bobby agree to appear in the film but he was also invited to sing at its premier. The launch took place at the King George's Hall in Blackburn on 31st. July 1999 and became the first time Bobby had ever performed the songs live. His singing is so authentically soulful that it was not only his English fans who had been fooled into thinking he was black. In an interview with Manifesto magazine (October 1999) he revealed, "I hit number 1 locally in the R&B charts, but it was plucked out man as soon as they found out I was white".