Talk:Tommy Makem

Importance
Surely an article about Tommy, so very well known in Ireland and the U.S., and an active goodwill ambassador from Armagh and the Ring of Gullion, rates higher than "low" importance. Trevor Hanson 21:17, 3 August 2007 (UTC)

Tone
"Performance notes" is not written in encyclopeadic tone and appears to be written by a big fan. The whole section should be removed and the information placed in a suitable section.202.82.171.186 (talk) 03:20, 29 October 2009 (UTC)

No image
Good article on an excellent performer. A bit chummy - written by family? - but well referenced. Why no image?82.31.113.192 (talk) 01:14, 28 September 2013 (UTC)

Tommy Makem's Middle Name
There seems to be some controversy over Makem's middle name. Most published sources say that it is "James." His obituary in the Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1559277/Tommy-Makem.html) from 3 August 2007 says that his name was Thomas James Makem. The obit in the Independent by Colin Irwin entitled, "Tommy Makem: Irish Folk Musician Who With the Clancys Took the US by Storm" from 4 August 2007 says the same, as does page 63 of the book edited by Jeff Wallenfeldt, "Sounds of Rebellion: Music in the 1960s," which is published by the usually reliable Britannica Educational Publishing. Nonetheless, "James" has been removed from this page as incorrect on two previous occasions with no elaboration or sources given.

I believe that this is probably the right decision, however. Two web pages (http://www.peoplefinders.com/d/thomas+makem/1-24708904 and http://www.lookupanyone.com/results.php?ReportType=8&qs=NH&qc=Somersworth&qf=Thomas&qn=Makem&recordid=064KE3HWVMQ) that list Makem's correct final location and all his immediate family members have his name as "Thomas C. Makem" (yes, they apparently didn't get his death certificate but these are undeniably his records). Since these sites use official public documents to gather information on people, I have to assume that this is indeed correct. A French music website (http://www.urban-music.fr/artiste/tommy+makem-5422.htm) also lists his "Nom réel [real name]" as "Thomas C. Makem." I have no idea what the C. stands for though.

His obituary in the New York Times says that he deliberately did not want to share what his middle name was (this would suggest a name a little more atypical than "James"). It, of course, does not matter on Wikipedia that Makem may not have liked his middle name. This is an encyclopedia and not a memorial site, so his middle name should be listed as it would normally be for biography entries in published encyclopedias. On Wikipedia all the best and most thorough biographical articles include the subject's full name. Since websites using public records show his middle initial as "C.", I believe that should be included in the article (but that was deleted by others too). If anyone discovers what his real middle name is, I would encourage that person to post it in the article (or at least here on the talk page).

For a musical artist as important and influential as Makem, we really should be striving for greater detail and comprehensiveness than is currently in this article, in my opinion. The lead section, the most important part of any article, is also too short and should give a better overview of his career.Rmm413 (talk) 17:49, 17 June 2014 (UTC)

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