Calvin Hayes, keyboardist, drummer and co-founder of British pop group Johnny Hates Jazz, died on Thursday, July 9, 2026, after collapsing at his home in Spokane, Washington. He was 63. His wife, Kathy, confirmed his death. Hayes formed the band in 1986 with Clark Datchler and Mike Nocito, and helped write and record Johnny Hates Jazz’ 1987 breakthrough single “Shattered Dreams” and 1988 chart-topping debut album “Turn Back the Clock.”

Calvin Hayes and Johnny Hates Jazz’s breakthrough years

Hayes, Datchler and Nocito met at RAK Studios in London in the early 1980s, where Hayes’s father, RAK Records boss and producer Mickie Most, signed Datchler as a solo artist after seeing the trio’s earlier group, Hot Club, perform at the Marquee Club. Most also suggested Datchler start writing with Nocito, then a young engineer at the studio. The three released Johnny Hates Jazz’s debut single, “Me and My Foolish Heart,” on RAK Records in April 1986. It did not chart but earned airplay and was named Sounds magazine’s record of the week.

A performance at Ronnie Scott’s jazz club led to a deal with Virgin Records. “Shattered Dreams,” released in March 1987, became a UK top 5 hit and reached No. 2 in Japan, No. 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on the US Adult Contemporary chart. The band’s debut album, “Turn Back the Clock,” followed in January 1988, entering the UK Albums Chart at No. 1 and selling four million copies worldwide on the strength of further hits “I Don’t Want to Be a Hero,” “Turn Back the Clock” (featuring backing vocals from Kim Wilde) and “Heart of Gold.”

Datchler left the band at the end of 1988. Hayes and Nocito continued with former Cure bassist Phil Thornalley as vocalist, releasing a second album, “Tall Stories,” in 1991. It failed to chart, and the band dissolved the following year.

Clark Datchler and Mike Nocito described Hayes as a close friend and bandmate in a statement posted to the band’s official Instagram account: “The three of us were brothers in arms for an extraordinary moment in time, one in which we managed to touch the world with the music we created together. 40 years on, and regardless of the fact that Calvin was no longer in the band, we know he remained incredibly proud of the fact that our songs and recordings, especially from the ‘Turn Back The Clock’ album, continue to resonate with so many people.”

Datchler, Nocito and Hayes reunited as Johnny Hates Jazz in 2009 and performed together at festivals across Europe and Southeast Asia through 2010. Hayes left the band that year, before recording began on the comeback album “Magnetized,” which Datchler and Nocito released without him in 2013. The pair have continued as Johnny Hates Jazz, releasing “Wide Awake” in 2020 and touring the UK, Hong Kong, Singapore and Mexico in 2024. Earlier this year, the band released a new single, “Soul Believer,” with soul singer Jaki Graham.

About Calvin Hayes

Calvin Hayes was born in London in 1962, the son of RAK Records founder and producer Mickie Most, whose credits included the Animals, Herman’s Hermits, Donovan, Suzi Quatro and Hot Chocolate. As a teenager, Hayes played in the band Hot Club alongside singer Clark Datchler, bassist Glen Matlock of the Sex Pistols and guitarist James Stevenson. Hot Club released a single on RAK Records and played London’s Marquee Club in 1983, a show that led Most to sign Datchler as a solo artist and pair him with RAK engineer Mike Nocito.

Hayes, Datchler and Nocito formed Johnny Hates Jazz in 1986. Hayes played keyboards, drums, bass and backing vocals on the band’s early singles and its 1988 debut album, “Turn Back the Clock,” which topped the UK chart and was certified double platinum by the BPI. During the same period, Hayes also drummed in the live band of singer Kim Wilde, with whom he was in a relationship from 1988 until their split in 1990.

After Datchler’s departure in 1988, Hayes stayed on with Nocito and Phil Thornalley for the 1991 album “Tall Stories” before the band dissolved in 1992. He rejoined Datchler and Nocito for Johnny Hates Jazz’s 2009 reunion and performed with the group through 2010, when he left the band for personal reasons. Hayes largely stayed out of the public eye afterward.

Calvin Hayes died on July 9, 2026, at his home in Spokane, Washington, at the age of 63.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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