Talk:Bentonia, Mississippi

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Notable people in U.S. cities and towns

At the suggestion of User:Magnolia677, I'm taking thr discussion below from that editor's talk page to this one. It concerns how we acknowledge notable people associated with a locality while avoiding puffery or article hijack caused by a shift of focus from the subject of the article, a place, to a person associated with the place.--Robert Swann (talk) 00:44, 15 March 2021 (UTC)[reply]

@Magnolia677:Earlier today, you undid an edit of mine on the premise that it had nothing to do with Bentonia, a town of fewer than 500 citizens in Yazoo County, Mississippi. Jimmy "Duck" Holmes is already mentioned in this article under the heading "Bentonia Blues," but I realize that I failed to clearly connect Jimmy "Duck" Holmes with his Grammy nominated album, Cypress Grove, in the initial edit. I placed the edit under the "Bentonia Blues" heading immediately after the pre-existing mention of Jimmy "Duck" Holmes. My listing of Holmes under "Notable people" was also undone. I hope we can agree that a Grammy nominated bluesman born and raised in a town of fewer than 500 people is a notable person in that town, and that a Grammy nomination for that artist is relevant to an article about the town. I wasn't sure if this was best addressed on a talk page or in the editing history, but I added the appropriate information when I reinstated my initial edit. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Robert Swann (talk • contribs) 19:21, 14 March 2021 (UTC)[reply]

@Robert Swann: My apology for deleting the notable people section. Thanks for adding it back. The article should focus on Bentonia, and not one particular person. Holmes has his own article where details about his life can be added. Thanks. Magnolia677 (talk) 19:31, 14 March 2021 (UTC)[reply]

@Magnolia677: Thank you for your gracious reply. I notice that you also cleaned up the "Historical markers" section to remove, appropriately, material that was anecdotal and subjective, however engaging and informative it may have been. I understand that the Bentonia article should focus on Bentonia and not on an individual, and that Holmes has his own article (where I have added the relevant details about the Grammy nomination). However, were I to read the Bentonia article as is without prior knowledge of Mr. Holmes, I would conclude that Holmes is a café proprietor who happens to play guitar rather than a Grammy Award nominated blues artist with nine albums under his belt who happens to run a café. In other words, it is not immediately clear, without clicking on the link, why he merits mention in an article about Bentonia. A few descriptive words identifying Mr. Holmes would allow the reader to continue reading about Bentonia without clicking over to find out why the café owner matters. The reader learns from the article as written that Skip James and Jack Owens are important enough to have Mississippi Blues Trail markers, and that Holmes learned from Owens, but it is unclear that he, also, achieved success as an artist as opposed to being merely an amateur with a distinguished mentor. Here is the relevant copy as it currently appears, followed by a proposed revision:

The Bentonia School, "Bentonia-style" or "Bentonia Blues" describe a country blues style that originated in and immediately around Bentonia. The annual Bentonia Blues Festival is held in June in Bentonia. The festival's stage is set up in front of the Blue Front Cafe, which is operated by Jimmy "Duck" Holmes who, as a young man, learned the local style from Bentonia Blues musician Jack Owens.

Proposed revision:

The Bentonia School, "Bentonia-style" or "Bentonia Blues" describe a country blues style that originated in and immediately around Bentonia. Each year in the month of June, the Bentonia Blues Festival takes place on a stage set up in front of the Blue Front Cafe, which is operated by Grammy Award nominated blues artist and Bentonia native Jimmy "Duck" Holmes. As a young man, Holmes learned the local style from Bentonia blues musician Jack Owens.

Thanks again. Kindly let me know your thoughts on the proposed revision. I hope it need not be said, but I have neither a personal connection to Mr. Holmes nor an interest in promoting his Grammy nominated album. I follow the Bentonia article because a close friend of mine here in Dallas is from there. He is quite excited about the lustre Mr. Holmes' nomination brings to his small hometown. I'm a relatively new editor who most often edits topics relevant to African American built heritage. I will update to "Grammy Award winning" should Mr. Holmes take the Grammy home this evening.--Robert Swann (talk) 21:39, 14 March 2021 (UTC)[reply]