The sharply dressed Clark Datchler had a brief flirtation with MTV fame as the vocalist for the British band Johnny Hates Jazz, voted into the one-hit wonder hall of fame with the bittersweet "Shattered Dreams" in 1987. Datchler was born in London, England, on March 27, 1964. Datchler's father, Fred Datchler, was a jazz musician with groups such as the Stargazers and the Polka Dots. Not surprisingly, Fred Datchler wasn't keen on the name of his son's band. Clark Datchler formed Johnny Hates Jazz in 1986 with Calvin Hayes (keyboards) and Mike Nocito (bass). At the time, Datchler had already released a few singles. Datchler's soulful voice and infectious melodies helped Johnny Hates Jazz's debut album, Turn Back the Clock, reap multi-platinum status in the U.K. and America in 1988.

Clark Datchler is best known as singer/songwriter in the successful 1980s band Johnny Hates Jazz. His most famous songs with the band include the international hits ’Shattered Dreams’, ‘I Don’t Want To Be A Hero’, ‘Turn Back The Clock’ and ‘Heart Of Gold’. ‘Shattered Dreams’ reached #2 in the US and Japan, and went top 5 throughout the rest of the World. It has now been played 3.7 million times on US radio alone. The album ‘Turn Back The Clock’ entered the UK charts at #1 and went triple platinum. To this day, it is regarded as one of the seminal albums of the decade.