Talk:Ray Williams (producer)

Puff piece

This article was created by a publicist as a puffery for self-promotion. It contained no references and grossly over-inflated the importance of this person. The article still lacks basic details and I have added a link to another web article where this person is mentioned in context - although some information linking him on other new sites to other accomplishments is also incorrect. However, this article should be cut down even further due to the fact that the subject was either an employee of a firm and performing a job, or self-employed and now trying to promote his business on Wikipedia. By listing movies and other productions for which he can show no published and accredited credit other than for performing a regular job in a regular way, this article needs pruning further and watching closely in case it again begins to grow like a weed. All of this raises a question: Aside from being the person who introduced Elton John to someone else during the normal course of his employment, why is this person even listed on Wikipedia in the first place? (By the way, I removed text that was on this page that looks as if it was placed here by mistake by the same person who eventually placed the same text on the article page!)

This entry should be listed as Ray Williams (A&R) and not Ray Williams (producer).

The above is true. Why does Wikipedia allow people to advertise themselves? This should be taken off.

To say Ray Williams was just 'doing his job' is like saying Brian Epstein was just 'doing his job when he found the Beatles or Colonel Tom Parker, was 'doing his job' when he found Elvis. The fact is Ray Williams saw something in Elton John and Bernie Taupin to get them together and write songs. Ray selflessly used his own flat and hired a piano to see them work together in the first instance and then used DJM facilities to ensure the songwriting team flourished. He was eventually let down by the industry when Elton John was getting more prominent. Ray should be considered with the same esteem as Epstein and Parker and your previous correspondent must have an 'axe to grind'.

Au contraire, poster at IP 84.68.23.99.

Ray Williams was an established A&R man at the time, therefore it was his business. If it was anything beyond that, you might say a plumber is expressing his genius and flair when he joins pipes together, and is going way beyond being a plumber.

I rather suspect that, if you use expressions such as "selflessly used his own flat and hired a piano" then "to ensure the songwriting team flourished" without mentioning that he was their manager and it was in his vested interest to do all the aforementioned things - and more - then it is you who has an axe to grind.

As WP indicates quite clearly, at present at the head of this article, it needs additional citations for verification, and contentious material that is poorly sourced should be removed immediately.

I'm sure that everybody would be happy if anybody who feels so strongly about Ray Williams would contribute to the article and provide verifiable sources for that information. Otherwise, as it stands it remains empty puffery.2602:304:AE26:9AF9:DB3:51D5:D172:291A (talk) 13:09, 13 October 2014 (UTC)

Assessment comment

The comment(s) below were originally left at Talk:Ray Williams (producer)/Comments, and are posted here for posterity. Following several discussions in past years, these subpages are now deprecated. The comments may be irrelevant or outdated; if so, please feel free to remove this section.

To say Ray Williams was just 'doing his job' is like saying Brian Epstein was just 'doing his job when he found the Beatles or Colonel Tom Parker, was 'doing his job' when he found Elvis. The fact is Ray Williams saw something in Elton John and Bernie Taupin to get them together and write songs. Ray selflessly used his own flat and hired a piano to see them work together in the first instance and then used DJM facilities to ensure the songwriting team flourished. He was eventually let down by the industry when Elton John was getting more prominent. Ray should be considered with the same esteem as Epstein and Parker and your previous correspondent must have an 'axe to grind'.

Last edited at 18:33, 21 July 2007 (UTC). Substituted at 03:58, 30 April 2016 (UTC)