Editing Stan Kelly-Bootle

{{Short description|English archivist, computer scientist, and folk musician (1929–2014)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2021}}
'''Stanley Bootle''', known as '''Stan Kelly-Bootle''' (15 September 1929 – 16 April 2014), was a British author, academic, singer-songwriter and computer scientist.

He took his stage name '''Stan Kelly''' (he was not known as Stan Kelly-Bootle in folk music circles) from the Irish folk song "Kelly, the boy from Killane". His best-known song is the "Liverpool Lullaby" or "The Mucky Kid" which was recorded in 1965 on the ''Three City Four'' LP and sung by Marian McKenzie. It was also sung by the [[Ian Campbell Folk Group]] on the ''Contemporary Campbells'' LP. It was later recorded by [[Judy Collins]] in 1966 for her album ''[[In My Life (Judy Collins album)|In My Life]]''.<ref>{{cite web|author=William Ruhlmann |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/in-my-life-mw0000195828 |title=In My Life - Judy Collins|publisher=AllMusic|access-date=2014-05-15}}</ref> [[Cilla Black]] recorded it three years later as the [[A-side and B-side|B-side]] to her pop hit "Conversations".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.discogs.com/Cilla-Black-Conversations/release/1466118 |title=Cilla Black - Conversations (Vinyl) at Discogs |publisher=Discogs|access-date=2014-05-15}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.discogs.com/Cilla-Black-Conversations/release/3607629 |title=Cilla Black - Conversations (Vinyl) at Discogs |publisher=Discogs|access-date=2014-05-15}}</ref> Kelly-Bootle achieved the first postgraduate [[Cambridge Diploma in Computer Science|degree in computer science]] in 1954, from the [[University of Cambridge]].

==Early life==
Stan Kelly-Bootle was born Stanley Bootle in [[Liverpool]], [[Lancashire]], on 15 September 1929 and grew up in the [[Wavertree]] area of the city. His parents were Arthur Bootle and Ada Gallagher.<ref name="Ancestry">{{cite web|url=http://www.ancestry.co.uk|title=Ancestry™ - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History Records}}</ref>

==Education==
Kelly-Bootle was schooled at the [[Liverpool Institute for Boys|Liverpool Institute]]. He spent 1948–1950 doing his national service in the [[British Army]], achieving the rank of Sgt. Instructor in [[Radar|RADAR]]. He attended [[Downing College, Cambridge]], graduating with a first class degree in Numerical Analysis and Automatic Computing in 1954, the first postgraduate [[Cambridge Diploma in Computer Science|degree in computer science]].<ref name="obituary"/>

==Folk singing career==
In 1954, Kelly-Bootle helped found the St. Lawrence Folk Song Society at [[Cambridge University]]. As a folk singer-songwriter, he performed under the name '''Stan Kelly'''. He wrote some of his own tunes and lyrics set to traditional tunes, made over two hundred radio and television appearances and released several recordings, as well as having his songs recorded by others.<ref name="obituary"/>

===Discography===
Solo releases include:
*''I Chose [[Friden, Inc.|Friden]] – Songs for Cybernetic Lovers''. Computer humour songs recorded in 1963.
*''Liverpool Packet'', Topic Records release TOP 27, 1958. Songs about Liverpool.
*''Songs for Swinging Landlords To'', Topic Records release TOP 60. Rent protest and anti-landlord songs of both varieties.
*Wrote and produced a sound and song depiction of [[Merseyside]] called ''Echoes of Merseyside'' (LPDE 101) for the [[Liverpool Echo]] newspaper.
*''O Liverpool We Love You'', Transatlantic Records XTRA 1076, released 1976. This album was a tribute to [[Liverpool F.C.]], prepared with the team's cooperation. While creating the album, Kelly travelled with the team for both UK and European games for several years, and also for two seasons managed several players, including [[Kevin Keegan]] and [[Tommy Smith (footballer, born 1945)|Tommy Smith]].{{citation needed|date=April 2014}}

Other audio recordings include:
*Kelly performed the part of "The Rambler" in the [[British Broadcasting Corporation|BBC]]'s 1958 production ''The Ballad of [[John Axon]]''. This broadcast won the [[Italia Prize]], and excerpts were subsequently released on a highlights LP. This was the first BBC [[radio ballad]].
*Two tracks ("Liverpool Town" and "The Ould Mark II") on ''Revival in Britain, Vol 1'', produced by Ewan MacColl, Folkways Records FW 8728, Library of Congress R62-1246.
*One track ("The Young Sailor Cut Down in His Prime") on ''Topic Sampler No. 2'', Topic Records, TPS 145, 1966<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.discogs.com/Various-Folk-Songs-Topic-Sampler-No-2/release/3385988 |title=Various - Folk Songs - Topic Sampler No. 2 (Vinyl, LP) at Discogs |publisher=Discogs|access-date=2014-05-15}}</ref>
*Performing on [[Stan Hugill]]'s ''Shanties from the Seven Seas'', HMV 1970

==Computing career==
He started his computing career programming the pioneering [[EDSAC]] computer, designed and built at [[University of Cambridge Mathematical Laboratory|Cambridge University]]. He worked for [[International Business Machines|IBM]] in the United States and the UK from 1955 to 1970. From 1970 to 1973, he worked as Manager for University Systems for [[Sperry Corporation|Sperry-UNIVAC]]. He also lectured at the [[University of Warwick]].<ref>{{cite news|author=Stan Hey |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/apr/29/stan-bootle-obituary |title=Stan Bootle obituary &#124; UK news |work=theguardian.com |access-date=2014-05-15}}</ref>

==Writing career==
In 1973, Kelly-Bootle left Sperry-UNIVAC and became a [[freelance]] consultant, writer and programmer. He was known in the computer community for ''The Devil's DP Dictionary'' and its second edition, ''[[The Computer Contradictionary]]'' (1995<!-- ISBN, publisher, pages needed -->), which he authored. These works are cynical lexicographies in the vein of [[Ambrose Bierce]]'s ''[[The Devil's Dictionary]]''. Kelly-Bootle authored or co-authored several serious textbooks and tutorials on subjects such as the [[Motorola 68000]] family of [[Central processing unit|CPU]]s, programming languages including various [[C (programming language)|C]] compilers, and the [[Unix]] operating system. He authored the "Devil's Advocate" column in ''[[UNIX Review]]'' from 1984 to 2000, and had columns in ''Computer Language'' ("Bit by Bit", 1989–1994), ''OS/2 Magazine'' ("End Notes", 1994–97) and ''Software Development'' ("Seamless Quanta", October 1995 – May 1997). He contributed columns and articles to several other computer industry magazines, as well.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://queue.acm.org/listing.cfm?typefilter=curmudgeon&sort=publication_date&order=desc&qc_type=curmudgeon&article_type=&item_topic=all&filter_type=topic&page_title=Curmudgeon&filter=all |title=Curmudgeon - ACM Queue |publisher=Queue.acm.org |access-date=2014-05-15}}</ref>
 
Kelly-Bootle's articles for magazines such as ''[[ACM Queue]]'', ''AI/Expert'', and ''UNIX Review'' contain examples of word-play, criticism of silly marketing and usage (he refers often to the computer "laxicon"), and commentary on the industry in general. He wrote an online monthly column posted on the Internet. While most of his writing was oriented towards the computer industry, he wrote a few books relating to his other interests, including 
* ''Liverpool Lullabies, The Stan Kelly Songbook'', SING Publications, 1960. Second edition, 1976.<!-- ISBN needed -->
* ''Lern Yourself [[Scouse]]&nbsp;– How to Talk Proper in Liverpool'', Scouse Press, 1961, written with Fritz Spiegl and Frank Shaw. Sixteen editions published through 1991.
* ''The Terrace Muse, An Anthology of Soccer Songs and Chants'', serialized in the ''[[Daily Express]]'' in 1970.

==Death==
Stan Kelly-Bootle died on 16 April 2014, aged 84, in hospital in [[Oswestry]], [[Shropshire]].<ref name="obituary">{{cite news |url=http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/liverpool-singer-songwriter-author-stan-kelly-7003481 |title=Liverpool singer-songwriter and author Stan Kelly has died |newspaper=[[Liverpool Echo]] |date=2014-04-17 |access-date=2014-05-15}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110415043432/http://www.feniks.com/skb/ Stan Kelly-Bootle's homepage]
*[http://www.sarcheck.com/skb/index.htm ''Son of Devil's Advocate aka SODA''], Kelly-Bootle's online monthly column (2000–04); accessed 18 April 2014.
*[http://www.liverpoolconfidential.co.uk/culture/stan-died-no-flowers-or-tears ''Stan died. No flowers or tears''] "Bill Leece salutes Stan Kelly-Bootle, a founding father of modern computing and Liverpool folk legend" - an obituary and tribute from his home town newspaper; accessed 23 April 2014.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kelly-Bootle, Stan}}
[[Category:1929 births]]
[[Category:2014 deaths]]
[[Category:Alumni of Downing College, Cambridge]]
[[Category:English male songwriters]]
[[Category:British technology writers]]
[[Category:English computer scientists]]
[[Category:Musicians from Liverpool]]
[[Category:Writers from Liverpool]]
[[Category:People educated at Liverpool Institute High School for Boys]]
[[Category:Place of death missing]]