Keith Hughes

[paul_nixon]

I heard from Keith's sons this afternoon with the very sad news that Keith had passed away after a short illness - his contributions to the Motown reissues over the past few years have been invaluable.

[reese]

Very sad. May he R.I.P.

[MIKEW-UK]

So very sad to hear of Keith's passing. Irresplaceable authority on all things Motown

[SatansBlues]

Sad news indeed. Prayers for his family. As a Motown fan I am very grateful for all of Keith's contribution in keeping the Motown flame alive.

[Clifton Miller]

A tragic loss. His Motown work was extraordinary, whether with DFTMC or TCMS or those Ace albums. That legacy, at least, will ensure that he's not forgotten.

[thommg]

This is very sad news. He was always willing to share his knowledge of the music with us. His legacy with the music will live on. RIP, dear Keith.

[bradsupremes]

Very sad news to read. I think we all can agree how thankful we are to him for continuing the Motown legacy with his AMAZING work on Don't Forget The Motor City site along with the releases through Ace. I still visit DFTMC every day to check on a song, producer, writer, or artist info. It's a gem and I hope the site keeps going from the tremendous foundation Keith built there.

[Motown Eddie]

I'm Very Sorry to hear about the passing of Keith Hughes and my Condolences go out to his Friends & Family. RIP Keith Hughes.

[bradburger]

Indeed, this is very sad news.

I can only echo what has been said about his contribution to Motown reissues, and documenting Motown history.

Cheers

Paul

[jboy88]

I was afraid to open this thread, because I just don’t want this to be true. Mr Hughes went above and beyond to bring us all those details and keeping the Motown legacy alive.

[grapevine]

Oh my goodness - Keith was such a lovely, friendly, knowledgeable man - he will be sorely missed - God bless him

pic: Keith sporting his prized Studio A shirt [[me with Gordy behind) among friends in my neck of the woods



Grape

[Boogiedown]

what a legacy

DON'T FORGET THE MOTOR CITY


we won't!

RIP Keith Hughes

[mysterysinger]

Very sad news indeed. Keith will be sorely missed by us all. His work and contributions to this forum were invaluable.

[sansradio]

This is absolutely devastating. Rest well and thank you for your diligence.

[DWSheffer]

Sorry to hear of this. Although I'm not as much of a Motown scholar as so many on the forum, the DFTMC is a site I've referenced many times over the years and for that I'm indebted to Keith, thank you.
Darin

[carlo]

I am very sorry to hear that he passed on. It is a big loss for our Motown community.

[rovereab]

Sad news. My condolences to Keith’s family. What a wonderful Motown legacy!

[Roger Polhill]

Very sad news. What a wonderful contributor to our favourite music, thank you so much.
My condolences to family and friends.

[Roger Polhill]

Grape, who are the other desperate looking types?

[snakepit]

Very sad news..RIP Keith

[grapevine]

Without Keith Hughes our Motown collections would be a fraction of what they are today ...God bless him ...may he rest in peace...

...here's just part of his Motown legacy...

https://www.discogs.com/artist/515942-Keith-Hughes

Grape

[robb_k]

Sorry to hear this very sad news. I've always thought of Keith being so young, so I didn't expect something like this. It was always a pleasure to compare Motown notes with him. And he facilitated so much new old Motown music getting out to the fans over the years, and so brough t extra enjoyment to all of our lives. My condolences to his family and friends. We'll all miss him.

[danman869]

Rest in peace, Mr. Hughes. We will be forever grateful for all you did over the years to help keep the Motown Sound playing for the world and for sharing your knowledge and information via DFTMC.

[Philles/Motown Gary]

What a sad and unexpected shock! After all Keith did to keep Motown alive, he surely deserved better. May he rest in peace, and may his family and loved ones find comfort in his memory.

[Graham Jarvis]

I will miss him so badly, without him I would have never understood what "Motown" was really about, I was so grateful for everything. God bless Keith, he will be missed, may he rest in peace.

[pj1]

My prayers and condolences are with Keith's family and friends. His memory will live on whenever we listen to the many 'gifts' he brought to us in the Motown re-issues he fought for and spearheaded.

[Thatkliqkid]

How sad. May he rest in peace and condolances to his family, friends and loved ones.

[144man]

I am so sorry to hear this news. Keith was always ready to give credit to his sources in DFTMC and in TCMS.

RIP Keith Hughes

[copley]

If anyone would like to the details for Keith's funeral, the below will provide the relevant dates, others can help and support just follow the below.

https://www.dignityfunerals.co.uk/fu...-keith-hughes/

Graham, link is not for our Keith Hughes! Please delete.

[MIKEW-UK]

All about the amazing Keith. A very talented man who made a unique and priceless contribution to the Motown legacy.

https://mrweb.com/drno/news37005.htm

[woodward]

A beautiful tribute written about Keith from a current director of the firm he worked for, Merlinco.

Merlinco Blog
In Memoriam – Keith Hughes
In Memoriam – Keith Hughes
I am deeply sorry to announce that Keith Hughes, a founding director of Merlinco, has died peacefully at the age of seventy-six, following a short battle with cancer.

His career began in 1965 at MAS Research, where he began to focus on computerised survey analysis. After working at ICL, CRC and Libra he became a consultant in 1973 and co-authored the prototype version of MERLIN. In the 1980s he helped found the Tab Shop and Market Research Software and continued developing MERLIN until quite recently when others took over the task. In 2010, Keith was made an Honorary Member of the Association of Survey Computing in recognition of his work developing the Triple-S standard, and earlier this year was made an Honorary Fellow of the Market Research Society for the same reason.

I have already received numerous comments from clients and colleagues to tell me how much Keith was loved and appreciated, especially for his eccentricities! Working with him was never dull – he had strong opinions but was never upset if you disagreed with him as he enjoyed a good discussion.

I first met Keith in 1976 but did not see much of him until 1990 when I became a MERLIN client. When that happened, he delivered a training session to my department and spoke non-stop with great enthusiasm and volume, and I recall taking a headache tablet at the end of the day! 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)!

John Tebboth,
Director
July 2024

[grapevine]

Keith Hughes funeral service will take place at 12noon on Monday 12th August at South Oxfordshire Memorial Park and Crematorium, Garford, Abingdon, OX13 5PA.

Here's further details... https://www.greensfunerals.co.uk/funeral-details?tribute=keith-hughes-1947-2024

God bless him RIP

Grape

[gordy_hunk]

Grape
Thanks for posting the information about his funeral - and of the photograph taken when we were in Portsmouth. I remember him playing one of the newly discovered tracks to us which astonished me how good it was - 'Suspicion' by the Originals.

Keith was an amazingly knowledgeable Motown Historian and it's our loss that he's no longer with us.

Are you and Maggi going to the funeral?

[grapevine]

Hi Gordy Hunk

We'll be remembering Keith in our prayers ...and may have a tipple in his honour ...on Monday ...Keith was a a lovely man in so many ways

God bless him +

https://www.greensfunerals.co.uk/fun...ghes-1947-2024

Grape

[grapevine]

Our dear friend ...Andy Skurow ...has left a fitting tribute to Keith Hughes ...together with a 'rogues gallery' of Keith's Motown friends and colleagues over the years ...on facebook...!

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/dovbWsgadPYqHfzo/

Grape