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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZISAAK, Chris(b 26 June '56, Stockton CA) Rock'n'roll singer and songwriter, inspired by Elvis Presley and Roy Orbison; also actor. Studied in Japan, got a broken nose in amateur boxing, obtained college degree back home and formed rockabilly trio Silvertone with guitarist James Calvin Wilsey, Rowland Salley on bass and drummer Kenney Dale. They were signed by manager/producer Erik Jacobsen to WB for an eponymous debut album '85 that got good reviews but poor sales. Chris Isaak '87 (still with Silvertone backing) just reached the top 200 US albums, with ten originals and one song by Graham Gouldman, and was named by USA Today as one of the year's ten best. Isaak acted in film Married To The Mob '88 (dir. Jonathan Demme) and David Lynch used Isaak material in his film Blue Velvet. Lynch used an instrumental version of 'Wicked Game' from album Heart Shaped World '89 in film Wild At Heart, leading to disc jockeys picking up the original despite WB's not promoting the album; helped also by Isaak's high profile as a media heart-throb the album finally made the top ten USA and no. 3 UK (where it was renamed Wicked Game). Meanwhile his work was used in TV soap Days Of Our Lives, series Private Eyes and TV movie The Preppie Murder; he acted in Lynch's Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me and Bertolucci's Little Buddha and Demme's Silence Of The Lambs. Album San Francisco Days '93 on Reprise kept fans happy with pure yet delicate rockabilly style; Forever Blue '95 also made the top 40 albums; despite a Tex-Mex flavour Baja Sessions '96 saw some falling off towards the smooth and easy. |