Talk:Master Juba

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Featured article star Master Juba is a featured article; it (or a previous version of it) has been identified as one of the best articles produced by the Wikipedia community. Even so, if you can update or improve it, please do.
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Contents

[edit] Please keep the large Dickens quote

Dear future editors: I'm aware that such extensive quotes are not typically used in articles like this, but I ask you to make an exception in this case. Dickens captures the atmosphere magnificently and the final paragraph conveys more about Juba, I think, than entire chapters of dry historical writing could. Thx. JDG 22:27, 23 October 2006 (UTC)

This article sorely needs expansion, and should it make it to the length it deserves, the Dickens quote will not be obtrusive at all. I hope to one day take a crack at this article, with George Washington Dixon as a model of sorts. I really like the flavor that period quotes can bring to an article. — BrianSmithson 22:45, 23 October 2006 (UTC)
I completely agree with keeping the Dickens quote. - Jmabel | Talk 17:16, 26 October 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Copyvio issues

This is an unfortunate case. This page has been a copyvio for a long time. Innocent editors have worked on it. But the meat of the article is still copied from another site. I used the Wayback Machine at www.archive.org and the other site looks like it came first. Especially given related pages, the audio version there, etc. Hullaballoo Wolfowitz 22:36, 1 November 2006 (UTC)

Really? Where do you think the copy vio occurred? The earliest versions of this article look little or nothing like the page at masterjuba.com. — BrianSmithson 22:37, 1 November 2006 (UTC)
All the way back at the second edit. Opening of the other page: "Master Juba’s real name was William Henry Lane. He was born a free black man in Rhode Island in 1825, and began his career as a performer in minstrel shows. He played the banjo and the tambourine and could imitate the moves of all of the best dancers of his time." Opening of the second edit: "Master Juba was the stage name of William Henry Lane. He was born a free black man in Rhode Island in 1825, and began his career as a performer in minstrel shows in the 1840s. He played the banjo and the tambourine and could imitate the moves of all of the best dancers of his time." The copvio was started by an anon. Therefore I didn't put a warning of the IP talk page. It looks like the anon tried to hide the copy vio. He didn't do it all at once and changed a tiny number number of words. The long Dickens quote is identical to the one at masterjuba.com, too. Hullaballoo Wolfowitz 22:55, 1 November 2006 (UTC)
Well, the Dickens quote is fair game, since it's PD. But I'll take a look at the rest later today to see if I can salvage it. -- BrianSmithson 02:22, 2 November 2006 (UTC)
I've gone through the article edit-by-edit and restored anything that did not originate from or build on anything from 204.210.36.114. The remaining article lacks some of the original context, but it's not copyvio. — BrianSmithson 12:17, 2 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] My recent edits

Dulcem, I took a shot at some of this. Let me know whether you find my edits helpful or not: you clearly know the topic better than I do, I'm just trying to smooth the writing, in the face of the criticisms of style on the FAC page. Do check to make sure that none of what I've written is misinterpretation. - Jmabel | Talk 06:09, 9 May 2008 (UTC)

Thanks for the attention. I'll take a closer look this evening or in the morning, but so far what I've seen seems good. You've been a big help. — Dulcem (talk) 06:53, 9 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Unclear phrase

"Juba then billed himself as the 'King of All the Dancers' and played there for two weeks..." Referent of "there" is unclear: a city was mentioned, but not a venue. - Jmabel | Talk 23:26, 9 May 2008 (UTC)

Good catch. I've clarified that Boston was intended. — Dulcem (talk) 02:17, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Vauxhall

We quote, "The principal feature in entertainments at Vauxhall is Juba". Then several paragraphs later we say "The Serenaders continued through Britain and played such high-class establishments as the Vauxhall Gardens," but presumably "at Vauxhall" mean the Vauxhall Gardens. Unless there is some reason to think otherwise, we should resequence or reword. - Jmabel | Talk 23:51, 9 May 2008 (UTC)

I've tried to reorder. The idea was to keep all the praise/criticism of the European tour confined to one area, which necessitated the break in chronology. I'm not sure my change is any better though. What do you think? — Dulcem (talk) 02:21, 10 May 2008 (UTC)
Much better. & thanks for the "Boston" clarification. - Jmabel | Talk 05:16, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] "Integrated"

"He was a fully integrated member of the troupes with which he toured": given the racial connotations of "integrated", it seems a poor choice of word. How about "He an integral member of the troupes with which he toured"? - Jmabel | Talk 06:24, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

I've changed this per your suggestion. Thanks. — Dulcem (talk) 12:44, 11 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] "moved north"

"Musicologist Hans Nathan has said that Juba was heir to a black tradition that likely moved north with free black migrants...": I realize this is a paraphrase of a source, so perhaps it should stay as it is, but why any need for "moved north"? There were plenty of blacks in New York City (although, of course, never as many as in the plantation states). New York had black slaves until 1827 (as well as a large free black population). - Jmabel | Talk 16:56, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

I've tried to reword the paraphrase to better represent Nathan's ideas. Thanks again, — Dulcem (talk) 12:44, 11 May 2008 (UTC)