Roburt

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 .....

Bob, as I wrote in Post 15 .... the actual origins of Boogaloo / Bugaloo is as clear as mud .... it started on the streets & so it took the media / record companies some time to tune into what was happening.... but I tend to go with the assertion that it sprung up first in the NY Latin community. I obviously wasn't there though, so can't be sure of what came first, the Bugulu or the Boogaloo. It is written though that the earliest exponents of this music form included Ray Barreto & Mongo Santamaria who picked up on the beat popular with the 'kids on the street'. I don't believe that Bugulu was actually mentioned (as an actual word) on the earliest tracks.

Before she teamed up with Barry Smith, Patti Jo had been a member of Jesse Ferguson's Gospel Jazz Singers .... ... this outfit had later changed their name to Jesse Lee Ferguson & the Outer Limits.

The Marco Polo had a lot going on back in 73 ....... .. and not just in the Swinger Dating Bar ....

Anyone for tennis ..............

That looks like it will make great viewing .... all we need now is to get a UK TV company to pick up the rights to show it here.

Patti Jo & Barry Smith both started out in the music biz in Miami. They met when both still young & teamed up; thus Patti Jo + Barry Smith = P. J. Smith & Co. .. P.J. = Patti Jo ... Smith = Barry Smith ... & Co. = their backing band. ............. that part of the story I understand quite well ............ I also know that Patti Jo landed a part in the Broadway play 'Purlie' & so moved up to New York. .............................. SO HOW COME ....... it seemed to be Barry Smith that recorded in New York, while Patti Jo teamed up with Curtis Mayfield ............ anyone know how that came about ??

It's the B side to this .........

Back to the Village Gate again .... ... but as a few of these feature jazz artists.... ... I've lumped them all together in a montage ..

!973 & Herb Reed was still getting Miami Beach bookings ....

Now where have I heard of this group before ?!?! ...

A big stadium show down in Miami ........

Well Cleveland is just across the lake from Canada, so no doubt Cleveland radio stn signals were good & strong across a large area of the country. I guess the Canadian label sent 45's across there in the hope that they would get plays ... & that one obviously did.

Ian, I have lots of info on local charts for Baltimore, St Louis (only for a certain time in the 60's) & Miami. Got odd bits of info on what was going on in Cleveland town as well .... early 68 breakouts ... ......... Tony Clarke, Timothy Carr, Jean Wells, etc.

Although many labels were still making good use of regional reps in the mid 70's, some record companies were so small & / or 'off the beaten track', that the guys there couldn't run to such a facility ........ ..... for them it was still the old 'tried & tested' (but not too effective) trade ad ...... still I suppose at least it got the word out, how many people seeing the ad actually followed up on things I have no idea ... ... Cobra Records of Marlboro (west of Boston) tried the method to promote their artist Arlene Bailey ...

Another show at the Village Gate .............

The James Brown package was down in Miami (again) in May 72. Wonder who the 'Soul Twins' were that featured on the bill ?

One from January 1966 here ........... Bit suprised that the Artistics were getting action in LA and Darrow Fletcher in Miami.

Robb, thanks for that info .... yes it makes a lot of sense that old 'vaulted' cuts would (at times) be used as a new 45 release's B side. It does make sorting out an artist's recording history a whole lot more difficult to pin down though. Wasn't the Major starting to get into record production (with 'new & young' artists) himself by the end of his 'Okeh years' .... I guess his studio work with these guys was back in Chicago even if his own sessions were no longer held there.

I know Major Lance cut for Okeh in cities other than Chcago, but after Carl Davis left Okeh, didn't Ted Cooper produce a lot of his tracks ?? Where (city) would Major have laid down his vocal tracks on those cuts (surely a few had to be done in Chicago ?). Perhaps I should have used the words .... lots of the classier sounds always came from Chicago artists !!

Two regional breakout 45's in March 65 ........

Some Boogaloo 45's were popular with the teens miles away from their home city ......

Of course, payola or appointing a regional rep to act as your promo man wasn't the only way to go for a little local label based off the beaten track. You could always place an ad in a trade paper .............. and hope ...........

This KATZ chart rundown from 1968 features a piccy of Donny (as he had returned to the St Louis stn by then).

I suggested to B&S back around 1970/71 that they should feature a series in the mag on little indie US soul labels. They never really took up the suggestion in any meaningful way .... BUT ... they did do an article on Ston-Roc. Only filled a page in the mag but it contained some (superficial) info on how the label worked plus photos of a couple of their artists (I think Cody was one of them).