User:Jeveret/Evaluate an Article

Which article are you evaluating?
(Provide a link to the article here.)J. Mayo Williams

Why you have chosen this article to evaluate?
(Briefly explain why you chose it, why it matters, and what your preliminary impression of it was.)I had previously done research on this figure for a potential acting role. Williams was also engaged in a business that I find highly interesting (record production).

Evaluate the article
(Compose a detailed evaluation of the article here, considering each of the key aspects listed above. Consider the guiding questions, and check out the examples of what a useful Wikipedia article evaluation looks like.)

The lead sentence is a succinct statement that defines Williams' significance to a casual reader. The following statement explaining his nickname would have been better placed in the body of the article as it refers to Williams' business practices, which are explored in greater depth further in the article..The content is rather thorough, covering Williams' recording career as well as his formative years. Much detail is given of Williams' athletic career, which would be of interest to pro football aficionados, Most of the sources are over 10 years old, and I know of additional scholarship done on the subject that is not referenced, so a new reevaluation may be in order.

The tone of the article is neutral and free of any bias, with no overt agenda to criticize or overpraise the subject, and any negative opinions framed as "some critics have stated..." However, the identity of these anonymous critics would be helpful.

As previously mentioned, there are untapped sources known to me that have not been researched for this article, with more information readily available relating to William's music career. Additional information is certainly useful. As Williams was a pioneering African American in the fields of both music production and professional sports, this article achieves the goal of covering marginalized communities.

Overall, the writing is grammatical and clear. I found few if any grammatical errors. The article is organized chronologically, following Williams' life and career in a linear fashion. The reader should get a clear trajectory of a man's life and work. There are three pictures accompanying the text, one of the subject, one of his gravestone and one an example of his product. Two of these images are in the public domain and the other is an author's own work.

On the talk page, there is a lengthy addendum that goes into additional detail regarding William's early life and addressing an apparent dispute about where he was actually born. This conflicting information seems to have been acknowledged in the present state of the article. A link to an additional source was added at some point, the source still active. This article has been rated 'C-class' and is part of 4 WikiProjects, mostly concerned with sports.

Despite the article's 'C' rating, the casual reader could glean a significant amount of information about the subject; however there is more information out there that is still untapped and it's inclusion would greatly enhance the quality of the article.