Johnny Hates Jazz

Johnny Hates Jazz formed in London in 1986 with Clark Datchler on vocals, Calvin Hayes on keyboards, and Mike Nocito on drums. Their debut single 'Shattered Dreams' became a worldwide hit, leading to their 1988 album 'Turn Back the Clock.' The album's title track 'Turn Back The Clock' and other songs like 'I Don't Want To Be Hero' followed the same polished pop-soul style that defined their brief moment in the spotlight.

Internal tensions grew as the band tried to follow up their initial success. Datchler's vocal cord injury in 1988 forced tour cancellations, and Nocito left the group in 1989. They released a second album called 'Tall Stories' in 1991 with Hayes departing the following year. The band's active period lasted just a few years, though songs like 'Don't Let It End This Way' and 'Ghost Of Love' continued to receive airplay on adult contemporary stations.

What remains is essentially that first album and its handful of singles. 'Shattered Dreams' still surfaces on 80s retrospectives and playlists, a cleanly produced piece of late-80s pop that captured a particular mood. The band name itself, deliberately awkward, suggesting a character who dislikes jazz, feels like a period artifact from an era when such names were common.