Johnny Hates Jazz

Hailing from Britain, Johnny Hates Jazz earned acclaim for their polished, refined pop style that merged electronic textures and new romantic sensibilities with understated R&B accents. Breakthrough success arrived in 1987 through the ubiquitous single “Shattered Dreams,” which reached the Top Ten in six countries, among them the U.S. Its parent album, the multi-platinum 1988 release Turn Back the Clock, maintained strong momentum throughout Europe and claimed the top spot on charts in the U.K., Norway, Sweden, and Finland. After the 1991 follow-up Tall Stories, the band entered an extended hiatus before resurfacing with 2013’s Magnetized, which prompted a steady run of concert dates and eventually led them back into the studio for the 2020 album Wide Awake, steeped in 1970s influences.

The trio formed in 1985 with Clark Datchler handling vocals and piano alongside Calvin Hayes on keyboards and Mike Nocito on bass. Given their families’ deep musical roots, it seemed unlikely any of them would pursue another path. Datchler’s father, Fred, had performed with the Stargazers, the vocal ensemble that became the first British act to top the U.K. singles chart in 1953, and he later contributed backing vocals with the Polka Dots on two late-era Beatles recordings. Hayes, meanwhile, was the son of renowned producer and impresario Mickie Most, while German-born Nocito’s American mother had sung with the Cactus Kids, who performed for U.S. military personnel stationed in Europe. Each member had already notched individual accomplishments before the band coalesced. In 1981 Datchler issued an independent soul single on London’s Blue Inc. label, supported by musicians from Aswad, and subsequently signed a songwriting deal with Warner Bros. Nocito established himself as an engineer for Pink Floyd and the Police, spending time at London’s RAK Studios. The two first connected there in 1982 during sessions for Hot Club, whose lineup also included Hayes along with punk veterans Glen Matlock and James Stevenson. Datchler soon secured a solo contract from Most at RAK, resulting in four years of close studio collaboration with Nocito.

That partnership gradually evolved into Johnny Hates Jazz, a name borrowed from a friend who disliked the style. Hayes came aboard and wrote the bulk of their first single, 1986’s “Me and My Foolish Heart.” Though it failed to chart, the track earned them a showcase at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club that secured a Virgin Records deal. Over the following years, Turn Back the Clock singles saturated European radio; in the U.K. alone the band notched four consecutive Top 20 entries—“Shattered Dreams,” “I Don’t Want to Be a Hero,” “Turn Back the Clock,” and “Heart of Gold”—all penned by Datchler. At the peak of their popularity he departed, reportedly dissatisfied with production and arrangement choices favored by his bandmates. Hayes and Nocito recruited Phil Thornalley, Nocito’s childhood friend and a former touring bassist for the Cure who had already co-written two songs on the debut album. Their resulting effort, Tall Stories, struggled to gain traction amid the post-Madchester landscape, prompting the group to disband.

In the years that followed, Datchler issued three solo albums, the last being 2007’s Tomorrow, tracked at Peter Gabriel’s Real World studio where he spent much of the 1990s. Nocito continued writing and recording for Hepburn, Orson, and Katrina & the Waves, for whom he composed the 1997 Eurovision Song Contest winner “Love Shine a Light.” After the original members reconvened in 2009, Hayes exited for personal reasons following several live shows. The remaining duo completed 2013’s Magnetized, yet promotion stalled when Datchler received a cancer diagnosis shortly after its release. Once recovered, Johnny Hates Jazz focused primarily on touring until the May 2020 release of the classic soul-flavored single “Spirit of Love,” which preceded their fourth album, Wide Awake.