Calvin Hayes obit

British musician Calvin Hayes dies aged 63 after collapsing at home

 

He was not on the list.

Calvin Hayes, the British musician and co-founder of 1980s pop band Johnny Hates Jazz, has died at the age of 63 after collapsing at his home.

The keyboardist and drummer was found dead at his property in Washington in the US, his wife Kathy has confirmed.

Hayes rose to performing in Johnny Hates Jazz in 1986 alongside singer Clark Datchler and bassist Mike Nocito.

The band’s breakthrough came with their 1987 single Shattered Dreams, which became an international hit and reached the Top 10 in several countries.

Following that, their debut album Turn Back the Clock came out in 1988, which topped the UK charts.

The album produced four UK Top 20 singles, including Shattered Dreams, I Don’t Want to Be a Hero, Turn Back the Clock and Heart of Gold.

Between 1987 and 1988, Johnny Hates Jazz also made eight appearances on Top of the Pops.

After the band’s initial success, the group’s singer Datchler left to pursue a solo career, while Hayes and Nocito continued with a new vocalist Phil Thornalley.

However, the new band’s progress was halted after Hayes was involved in a near-fatal car crash that left him in a body cast for almost a year.

Hayes was also the son of legendary record producer Mickie Most, who worked with artists including Hot Chocolate.

Throughout his career, he played for a range of other artists, including on the drums for Kim Widle’s promotional band.

In a 1988 interview, Wilde described Hayes as ‘the greatest thing that has ever happened to me’ when the pair started to develop a relationship.

Eventually, they went their separate ways but it is believed they stayed in touch.

During the 1990s, Hayes stepped away from the spotlight of music before Johnny Hates Jazz reunited for a series of nostalgia concerts across Europe and Southeast Asia in 2010.