Johnny Hates Jazz
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Johnny Hates Jazz was an English pop band formed in 1986 by Clark Datchler (vocals, piano), Calvin Hayes (keyboards), and the German born Mike Nocito (bass).
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[edit] Career
Named after a friend who really did hate jazz, Johnny Hates Jazz released their first single, "Me and My Foolish Heart," on RAK Records in 1986. After searching for a major record label deal they landed one towards the end of 1986 with Virgin Records after a gig at, ironically enough, a jazz club. The group's début single for Virgin, "Shattered Dreams," became a big hit in 1987, reaching #5 in the UK and #2 in the US charts, giving the group their only Top 10 hit in the US. The group's debut album, Turn Back The Clock, also proved successful, reaching #1 on the UK albums chart. They had many more Top 20 singles in the UK from this album, such as "I Don't Want To Be A Hero" (UK #11, US #31 ), "Turn Back The Clock" (UK #12), and "Heart Of Gold" (UK #19), which was their last hit single.
The lead singer and main songwriter, Clark Datchler left in 1988 and was replaced by the former Cure bass guitarist, Phil Thornalley. A month before the release of their second album, Tall Stories in 1992, the band was involved in a serious car accident which left keyboardist Calvin Hayes in a body cast for over a year. The band lost momentum and eventually split.
In September 2007 Calvin Hayes announced that he and Mike Nocito, with a new vocalist, Danny Saxon, would be reforming Johnny Hates Jazz. They intend to join the Here and Now 80s Nostalgia Tour at Butlins, Minehead between 16-19 November for four nights. If successful the band are hoping for more dates in 2008.
[edit] Band personnel details
- Clark Datchler (born 27 March 1964, Sutton, Surrey) — vocalist / keyboardist (up to 1988).
- Mike Nocito (born 5 August 1963, Wiesbaden, West Germany) — bassist.
- Calvin Hayes (born 23 November 1960) — keyboardist.
- Phil Thornalley (born Philip Carden Thornalley, 5 January 1960, Worlingham, Suffolk) — guitarist and vocalist (1988 onwards).
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
[edit] Main releases
- Turn Back the Clock (Virgin Records) - 1987 - #1 UK, #56 U.S.
- Tall Stories (Virgin Records) - 1992
[edit] Compilations
- The Very Best of Johnny Hates Jazz - (Disky Records) - 1993
- The Best Of The 80s - (Disky Records) - 2000
[edit] Singles
Year | Song | UK | U.S. |
---|---|---|---|
1986 | "Me And My Foolish Heart" | - | - |
1987 | "Shattered Dreams" 1 | 5 | 2 |
1987 | "I Don't Want To Be A Hero" ² | 11 | 31 |
1987 | "Turn Back The Clock" | 12 | - |
1988 | "Heart Of Gold" | 19 | - |
1988 | "Don't Say It's Love" | 48 | - |
1989 | "Turn The Tide" | - | - |
1991 | "Let Me Change Your Mind Tonight" | - | - |
1992 | "The Last To Know" | - | - |
Footnotes:
- 1 "Shattered Dreams" was not released in the U.S. until 1988.
- ² "I Don't Want To Be A Hero" was not released in the U.S. until 1988.
[edit] External links
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