Steve, the article I included in my 'montage' is dated July 71 ......... from Evening News, Newburgh, NY ....
https://news.google.c...pg=5126,4935112
There's other very similar ones from around the same time. An article was featured in the Robesonian (July 25th, 71) and in the San Mateo Times (Aug 3rd, 71) .......
Mateo Tuesday August 3 1971 Young Singer Wins Plaudits in Musical Purlie Production Patti Jo the female lead of the musical had seen one Broadway show in her life before she went on the way stage herself That show was Purlie She had gone to it after she'd been hired as a replacement for Melba Moore to see how it went Miss Moore had grown restive in a show about black people which isn't militant and left it But Patti Jo says she isn't the militant type She had been in nightclubs starting in rock n roll bars and strip joints including songs from Purlie in her act. In fact it was a newspaper review of a Miami engagement last winter that brought Patti Jo the attention of Purlie producer Philip Rose and got her the job of the sweet young hing discovered in the junior choir by sharp-eyed Rev Purlie victorious When Patti Jo talks about her brief history the themes that recur are determination to be- come a star and saving money to use to further her career She was born in Otter Creek Fla named Patricia Demps with three older ers and three older sisters Both her parents died when she was very young Reared by the est sister Jane McKenzie Patti Jo as she was always called grew up in DeLand Fla then Miami during high school years She went to Florida in Tallahassee determined to get graduating with a major in speech and ma Demps didn't sound a last name to Patti Jo and she couldn't think of er one so when she started singing on weekends while in college she just Patti Jo In Miami performing she met a young singer Barry Smith who gave her some ad- vice see a music teacher get an arranger quit singing hard rock work up an act get a manager all to get better bookings
This one dates from 1st Aug 71 and is from another New York newspaper .....