Christopher Joseph "Chris" Isaak
(born June 26, 1956 [1]) ) is an American rock musician and occasional actor.
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CHRIS ISAAK TICKETS
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Biography
Personal life
Isaak was born in
Stockton,
California,
the son of Dorothy (
née Vignolo), a
potato chip factory worker, and Joe Isaak, a forklift driver. Isaak's mother is
Italian American, originating from
Genoa.
[2] Chris has two older brothers, Nick and Jeff.
Music career
Isaak signed a contract to
Warner Bros. Records in 1984 for his first album
Silvertone
.
The tracks "Gone Ridin'" and "Livin' for Your Lover", from this album, were featured in
David Lynch's cult classic
Blue Velvet
. Isaak's second self-titled album
Chris Isaak
was photographed by fashion photographer
Bruce Weber. Isaak's contract was renewed in 1988 when Warner Bros. moved him to their
Reprise Records label.
His best-known song is "
Wicked Game".
Though released on the 1989 album
Heart Shaped World,
an
instrumental version of the song was later featured in the 1990
David Lynch film
Wild at Heart
.
Lee Chesnut, an Atlanta
radio station music director who was obsessed with Lynch films, began playing the vocal version and it quickly became the station's most-requested song. Chesnut spread the word to other radio stations around the country and the single became a national
Top 10 hit in February 1991. The
music video for the song was directed by
Herb Ritts and was a big
MTV and
VH1 hit; shot in black and white, it starred Isaak and
Danish supermodel Helena Christensen rolling on the beach, embracing and whispering in each other's ears. Another less-seen version of the "
Wicked Game" is directed by David Lynch and comprises scenes from the film
Wild at Heart
. In 1995 Isaak split with long time guitarist
James Calvin Wilsey, and that year's
Forever Blue
and the accompanying tour featured Hershel Yatovitz on guitar.
In 1999, Isaak's "
Baby Did a Bad, Bad Thing" was featured in
Stanley Kubrick's final film,
Eyes Wide Shut,
starring
Tom Cruise and
Nicole Kidman. The song is on his 1995 album
Forever Blue
. The music video for the song is directed by
Herb Ritts, it was shot in color, it starred Isaak and
French supermodel Laetitia Casta in a motel room. This was Isaak's second collaboration with Ritts.
Isaak also composed a
theme song for U.S. late-night television variety/talk show,
The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn.
In 2001, Isaak starred in his own television show,
The Chris Isaak Show.
It aired from March 2001 to March 2004 in the United States on the
cable television network
Showtime. This adult comedy show featured Chris Isaak and his band playing themselves and the episode plots were based on fictional accounts of the backstage world of Chris Isaak—the rock star next door. In 2004, his track "Life Will Go On" was featured on ''
Chasing Libertys soundtrack, which starred Mandy Moore and Matthew Goode. His track "Two Hearts" was featured in the closing credits of the 1993 film
True Romance'', directed by
Tony Scott, written by
Quentin Tarantino, and starring
Christian Slater and
Patricia Arquette.
Isaak's longtime producer, Erik Jacobsen, was instrumental in his sound for 15 years. Jacobsen is known for his production work with
The Lovin' Spoonful, and solo albums from Spoonful's
John Sebastian and
Jerry Yester. Isaak ceased working with Jacobsen on his 2002 album,
Always Got Tonight
. In 2007 Isaak opened for
Stevie Nicks on her Crystal Visions Tour during the first leg of the tour.
Isaak was ranked #68 on
VH1's 100 Sexiest Artists.
Isaak collaborated with
John Shanks for his 2009 album
Mr. Lucky
.
Guitars
Many guitarists have thought Isaak's main electric guitar is a
Gretsch 6120, however Isaak revealed in a 2002 interview with Acoustic Guitar that it is in fact a one-of-a-kind
Gibson:
For my electric, I've got a one-off Gibson version of a Gretsch 6120, a sort of Chet Atkins thing. They made one of these things and gave it to me to see if I liked it, and I liked it so much I've been playing it ever since. People told me they thought it was a White Falcon, but it's not. It's just a white Gibson. I don't think they ever manufactured any of the things. They strung up this one prototype, scratched their heads, and said, 'Huh. Give it to Isaak.
[3]
Isaak also plays a Gibson J-200 acoustic guitar, which he uses for songwriting.
[4]
Acting and other work
Isaak has also appeared in numerous films, mostly playing minor cameo roles, though he starred with
Keanu Reeves and
Bridget Fonda in the 1993
Bernardo Bertolucci-directed
Little Buddha,
and also played a major role in
David Lynch's
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me
(1992). Other motion pictures include
Married to the Mob
(1988),
The Silence of the Lambs
(1991),
That Thing You Do!
(1996), and
A Dirty Shame
(2004).
Isaak turned down the roles of Jeffrey Beaumont in
David Lynch's
Blue Velvet
(1986) and Ray Sinclair in
Jonathan Demme's
Something Wild
(1986).
thumb
Isaak starred in
The Chris Isaak Show
(2001-2004) playing himself and featuring actual members of his band along with numerous celebrity guests. He also guest-starred on the "
The One After the Superbowl, Part One" - the
Super Bowl XXX edition of the television
sitcom Friends
; and on the
HBO miniseries,
From the Earth to the Moon
, as astronaut
Ed White, the first person to leave the confines of his spacecraft who later died in the
Apollo 1 fire.
Isaak is also an amateur boxer, a former Golden Gloves champion and an avid surfer. He is a correspondent for
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
and
Extra
.
The Biography Channel will air
The Chris Isaak Hour
, a music interview and performance show
[5]. The series premiere will feature
Trisha Yearwood, and will include the first ever performance of "Breaking Apart", a duet from Isaak's new album,
Mr. Lucky
. Additional guests include
Stevie Nicks,
Smashing Pumpkins,
Chicago,
Glen Campbell,
Michael Buble,
Yusuf Islam (formerly
Cat Stevens), and
Jewel.
Discography
- Silvertone
(1985)
- Chris Isaak
(1987)
- Heart Shaped World
(1989)
- Wicked Game
(1991)
- San Francisco Days
(1993)
- Forever Blue
(1995)
- Baja Sessions
(1996)
- Speak of the Devil
(1998)
- Always Got Tonight
(2002)
- Christmas
(2004)
- Best of Chris Isaak
(2006)
- Live in Australia
(2008)
- Mr. Lucky
(2009)
Filmography
- Married to the Mob
...The Clown (1988)
- The Silence of the Lambs
...SWAT Commander (1991)
- Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me
...Special Agent Chester Desmond (1992)
- Little Buddha
...Dean Conrad (1993)
- Grace of My Heart
...Matthew Lewis (1996)
- That Thing You Do!
...Uncle Bob (1996)
- Blue Ridge Fall
...Emerson Cotswold (1999)
- A Dirty Shame
...Vaughn Stickles (2004)
- The Informers
...Les Price (2009)
Television
- Friends
...Rob Donnen (Season 2, Episode 12, 1996)
- From the Earth to the Moon
...Astronaut Edward White II (1998)
- The Greatest
...Himself (50 Sexiest Video Moments, 2003)
- Ed
...Jamie Decker (Season 3, Episode 20, 2003)
- The Greatest
...Himself/Host (100 Greatest Videos, 2003)
- The Chris Isaak Show
...Himself (2001-2004)
- American Dreams
...Roy Orbison (Season 2, Episode 14, 2004)
- The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
...Michael Caine in Space (Season 2, Episode 177, 2006)
- Great Performances Jerry Lee Lewis: Last Man Standing Live
...Himself (2007)
- Australian Idol
...Himself (Season 6, 9-10 November 2008)
- The Chris Isaak Hour
...Himself/Host (2009-Present)
References
- The Great Rock Discography
- Geocities.com
- Acoustic Guitar Central
- Fretbase, Chris Isaak and His Gibson Guitars
- The Biography Channel's ''The Chris Isaak Hour'' website