Johnny Hates Jazz - History

History

Datchler's father was a member of two 1950s bands, The Stargazers and The Polkadots. Nocito hails from an American family based in Europe with the US armed forces. Hayes is the son of Mickie Most, the talent scout, record producer and once owner of RAK Records.

They met in the early 1980s whilst working on various projects at RAK Studios in London. Datchler had released his first solo single at the age of 17, after which he was signed to Warner Bros.. He was then signed to RAK Records as lead vocalist in the band Hot Club and as a solo artist. Nocito was a recording engineer, who had worked with Pink Floyd, The Police, The Cure and Duran Duran. He engineered and co-produced Datchler's solo recordings for RAK before the formation of JHJ. Hayes was a founder member of Hot Club and also ran the A&R Department at RAK Records. Their tongue-in-cheek name referenced Nocito’s brother-in-law Johnny, who really hated jazz.

The first Johnny Hates Jazz single, "Me and My Foolish Heart", was released on RAK in April 1986. It gained substantial airplay, was Sounds magazine's record of the week, but was not a commercial success. After this, Datchler began to write the songs for the band, the first being "Shattered Dreams". In late 1986, JHJ performed acoustically at Ronnie Scott's jazz club in London, and as a result were signed to Virgin Records. "Shattered Dreams" was released as a single in March 1987 and became a worldwide hit, going top 5 in the UK, Australia and many European territories. It was also a hit in Asia, reaching number 2 in Japan.

In August 1987 their follow-up, "I Don't Want to be a Hero", an anti-war anthem, consolidated their chart success. Their next single, "Turn Back the Clock", featuring Kim Wilde on backing vocals, was released in November 1987 and became their third hit. JHJ's debut album, Turn Back the Clock, was released in January 1988, topping charts worldwide. It entered the UK Albums Chart at number 1, achieving double platinum status. The following month they achieved their fourth hit single from the album, "Heart Of Gold". That same year, "Shattered Dreams" reached number 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, and number 1 on the AOR chart. The record has been played over 3.2 million times on radio and television in the US alone, for which Datchler received a BMI award in October 2010. To date, the Turn Back the Clock album has sold four million copies.

After leaving Johnny Hates Jazz in 1988, Datchler lived in Britain, the Netherlands and the US, and recorded two solo albums: Fishing for Souls and Tomorrow. Nocito and Hayes carried on under the Johnny Hates Jazz banner to record Tall Stories, which featured the record producer, Phil Thornalley, on vocals. Nocito went on to write and produce for Hepburn, Gina G, Orson and 1997's Eurovision Song Contest winner, Katrina & the Waves, "Love Shine a Light". After a serious car crash in 1992, Hayes spent a year in a body cast, effectively putting an end to the band for a time, although they reformed in 2007.

In 2009, Datchler rejoined the band, and in 2010 they performed live in Europe and the Far East. Following this, Datchler and Nocito decided to begin work on a new Johnny Hates Jazz album. The album is to be mastered in January and released in early 2013, and will be followed by a tour later in the year. Hayes left the band in 2010, and is now in the US focusing on writing a book about his father.