Obituary: Keith Hughes

Keith Hughes, founding Director of MR software firm Merlinco, co-developer of the Triple-S standard, Mojo Award-winning Motown Records historian and the first person ever to have to make sense of one of my table specs, has died aged 76 following a short battle with cancer.

Hughes began his career in 1965 at MAS Research, steering his attention towards computerised survey analysis - then worked at ICL, CRC and Libra before becoming a consultant in 1973 and co-authoring the prototype version of MERLIN MR software. In the 1980s he helped found the Tab Shop and Market Research Software Ltd - he also continued developing MERLIN until quite recently when others took over the task. In 2010 he was made an Honorary Member of the Association of Survey Computing in recognition of his work co-developing the Triple-S standard, and in 2024 he was made an Honorary Fellow of the Market Research Society for the same reason.

Merlinco Director John Tebboth says working with Huges was 'never dull', adding 'he had strong opinions but was never upset if you disagreed with him as he enjoyed a good discussion'. He recalls: 'In 1991 he phoned me to say he was starting a new company (Merlinco) and asked me to join him, especially to deliver client training as he did not think that was his strength. The very same week another friend (whom I will call Fred) mentioned the possibility of collaborating with him, so I called someone who knew both Keith and Fred to ask for advice, which I will never forget: If you want to make money, go with Fred. If you want to be happy, go with Keith! Based on that advice, I joined Merlinco where I spent many happy years working with Keith (and we made some money as well)!'

'Keith was known in the survey software business as someone who wrote machine efficient (i.e. fast!) code, someone who listened to what users wanted and implemented new features to extend the application' says Peter Jackling, whom Hughes approached in early 1991 to partner him in forming Merlinco. 'His MERLIN survey analysis system is legendary, helping research companies process large and complex data sets rapidly, but he was also an advocate of making sure different software packages linked together, both with his own 'Toolkit' and through Triple-S'. He adds: 'He was always excellent company on sales trips and attending exhibitions. Keith had a few special interests, and became an expert in each. It was an eclectic mix: cricket, steam trains, wine (French, red), history, and his particular expertise in music. A special person, sorely missed'.

Hughes is also well known in the music world as a historian, compiler and restorer. He worked for more than twenty years with Universal Music's U.S. catalogue division, co-producing and annotating its CD series The Complete Motown Singles, as well as with UK independent label Ace Records on a number of licensed Motown compilations. Harry Weinger, VP of A&R at Universal Music Enterprises, describes him as 'an extraordinarily passionate fan who became an indispensable resource for so many projects, particularly The Complete Motown Singles series, which we co-produced. Working with him was an unforgettable experience. I will miss his drive, his knowledge, and his way with a story'. Along with Ritchie Hardin, Hughes also co-founded the web site Don't Forget The Motor City, which features a comprehensive database of Motown recording sessions, artists, songwriters, producers, recording dates and other data. In 2007 he became - as far as I know - the only prominent member of the market research community to receive a MOJO award - he did so on behalf of Universal, for its Complete Motown Singles Volume 6 1966, which he co-produced - as reported by DRNO.

A Motown contact, Andy Skurow, paid tribute on Facebook: 'Back around 2000, Keith Hughes came to visit the studio and vault when it was in Edison, NJ. He was frustrated with the antiquated systems the company used. He was perplexed that so many pieces of the historic Motown research sources were not yet digitized. There was no budget to do so, and at that time, there was no interest, no need to do so. But Keith was a database guy, and he believed you could put everything in a database and make it work... On his own dime, he traveled back and forth and preserved pieces of this puzzle that needed preserving... In 2020, during the global pandemic, I was able to work with historic documents thanks to Keith's determination to digitize and database. We didn't always agree on things like how we interpreted the data, but we always discussed it.

'When The Complete Motown Singles Series happened, there were many of us who worked very hard on it. Some who got credit, some who didn't. Without minimizing anyone's contribution, the project was thanks to Keith. His tireless input, level of detail, tenacity, and the amount of work, love, blood, sweat and tears, was to contribute to making this the best series ever made. And in many ways we succeeded. Thanks to Keith's vision'.

Kay Drury, whom Hughes asked to join Merlinco 'temporarily' in 2010 but who ended up staying until she retired, comments: 'Professionally Keith was the most talented market research software programmer I ever knew... He understood our needs and did everything he could to simplify them - Triple-S was a result of our need to transfer data to satisfy client demands. He turned it into an industry standard, not just selfishly adding it to his own products. More than anything, Keith became a dear friend. Our families socialised. We had a common interest in music. Most people now know that Keith was a Motown fan with encyclopedic knowledge of the music and people, that went on to him receiving music industry awards. It's probably less well-known that he had a similar interest in The Beatles, which was and still is one of my passions. I even took him to see Paul McCartney at an album launch party once. Up until the end we shared opinions on new mixes and re-releases and our love of the music. And of red wine..'

MR software exec Pat Molloy knew Keith for around 30 years and remembers: 'Back in the day John Williamson at MIL Research (the company my father ran) used MERLIN to process the UK's largest car survey called New Car Buyers. It was a formidable beast of a survey - very large, very detailed and with an enormous sample size. The output, produced by MERLIN, was at the time the 'bible' of the UK Car Industry. Keith was always on hand to smooth the inevitable bumps.

'With the rest of the Triple-S crew he co-authored the best selling book Triple-S XML 3.0, still available on Amazon to this day... I hear a movie is in the making, with Tom Cruise taking a starring role! During one particular jocular session over a glass or two of red, Keith said of the book 'You know those books that are un-put-downable?? Well this is 'un-pick-upable' .. Once you put it down, you'll never want to pick it up again!! He was the person you wanted on your team at the ASC Pub Quiz nights. Generally brilliant at almost everything, but an encyclopaedic knowledge of music in general, and Motown music in particular.'

And those tables? Well I didn't know Keith as well as any of the above, but as a 'baby researcher' at IFF in 1989 it was reassuring to know that however much of a hash you made of your spec, someone seriously kind and knowledgeable who seemed to be 'on your side' was there at the other end of a phone to sort things out, and that you'd get there in the end. Reading the above it seems I was testing the patience of one of the best MR software people of his generation, but the patience was never found wanting. I imagine for many who didn't know him very well but depended on him in a greater or lesser degree, that would have been their experience of Keith. Great man!

Nick Thomas

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.