Chris Isaak was born in Stockton, California on June 26, 1956. In 1980, Isaac graduated from Stockton University and put the diploma in the farthest drawer of his desk, as it later turned out - forever. During his studies, Chris Isaac, whose biography was already ready for change, began to actively participate in the creation of the rock group Silvertone, which very soon took the form of a regular quartet: guitar solo, slide guitar, bass and percussion instruments. Later, an electric organ was added to the composition for background accompaniment. Musicians relied on the impeccable sound of all stringed instruments. The cleanliness of the guitar parts, with the obligatory inclusions of light glissando, made Silvertone music bewitching, if not hypnotic. A good arrangement immediately became the "signature" sign of the group, all the instruments sounded extremely harmoniously and organically complemented each other. Many musical groups suffer precisely from lack of play, the reason for this lies not so much in musical disagreements as in psychological ones. Mutual misunderstanding ends with a change in composition, the departure of some musicians and the arrival of others. Permanent rotation does not benefit the common cause. In the Silvertone group, fortunately, all the musicians remained in their places, and full understanding was the key to success.
Silvertone
Chris Isaac's vocal abilities made it possible to include complex ballads in the repertoire, Silvertone's possibilities seemed unlimited. A good example is the composition Wicked Game, which amazes with its minor lyricism: musicians do not play - they live in melody. Barely audible backing vocals make the composition more voluminous. Drummer Kenny Dale, we must pay tribute to him, subtly feels his role, he does not knock, but accompanies the song with restraint and tact. Although sometimes, in other arrangements, his drums dominate hard and "bluesy", as is the case, for example, in the song Lovely With A Broken Heart.
Chris and Elvis
Chris Isaac often compares himself to Elvis Presley and tries to imitate him. This analogy can be taken with some exaggeration, simply because Presley is unattainable, and any comparison with him looks incorrect. However, Chris by himself, without any comparisons, is a great singer and composer. He has a strong, expressive voice, not wide, but quite sufficient for the performance of hits, range. The first album of Isaac and his group was recorded in 1985 on Warner Bros. Records called Silvertone. Neither the album nor the group itself had been promoted by that time, so the disc was selling slowly. This upset the musicians, but nonetheless they continued to work. Guitarist James Calvin Wilsey, bass player Roland Sally, drummer Kenny Dale, stayed up late, practicing chords, painting the parts for each instrument and methodically achieving complete harmony.
Billboard 200
Two years later, a second disc called Chris Isaak was released, which was soon included on the Billboard-200. And although the album took only the 194th line, its very participation in such a prestigious list said a lot. I must say that all the songs of "Chris Isaac" turned out to be romantic for the selection, with a touch of melancholy. There was only one hit in the album - Blue Hotel, but this song alone was enough to increase sales several times in comparison with Silvertone. Chris Isaac instantly became a popular singer. It remained to consolidate the success, and the musicians took up new compositions, which were to be included in the next collection, comparing favorably with the previous one.
Long-awaited success
Chris's next album, entitled Heart Shaped World, was a real breakthrough, with sales skyrocketing from the previous two discs. In 1996, Heart Shaped World was awarded the RIAA multi-platinum status, which is given for a circulation exceeding 2,000,000 copies sold. However, the triumph was still far away, and in the meantime, Warner Bros. studio Records decided to suspend its collaboration with Chris Isaac due to insufficient commercial returns. The situation was saved by the fact that film director David Lynch included the song Wicked Game in the soundtrack of his film Wild at Heart.
Confession
The year 1991 passed for the singer under the sign of universal recognition. Chris Isaac, whose photo began to appear on the covers of glossy magazines, initiated the re-release of his songs. The 1989 album, reprinted again, was called the Wicked Game and began to be sold like hotcakes, not only in America but also in England. According to the same update scheme, all other albums were reprinted. Isaac received the international rock and roll music award "Best Vocalist of the Year", and the Wicked Game clip was recognized as the best clip of the year.
Now the musician got the opportunity to release albums that advertised themselves and were expected by the public. Chris Isaac is a singer who is constantly improving. His discography includes 11 albums released between 1985 and 2011:
- Silvertone - 1985.
- Chris Isaak - 1987.
- Heart Shaped World - 1989.
- San Francisko Days - 1993.
- Forever Blue - 1995.
- Baja Sessions - 1996.
- Speak of the Devil - 1998.
- Always Got Tonight - 2002.
- Christmas - 2004 year.
- Mr. Lucky - 2009 year.
- Beyond the Sun - 2011.
Filmography
As a self-respecting musician with a bright appearance, Chris Isaac (like Elvis Presley) starred in the movie. The filmography of the singer has 10 paintings with his participation:
- Year 1988 - "Married to the Mafia" directed by Jonathan Demmy. Chris Isaac played the clown.
- Year 1991 - "Silence of the Lambs" directed by Jonathan Demmy. Chris played the special forces commander.
- Year 1992 - "Twin Peaks", directed by David Lynch. The role of Isaac is agent Chester Desmont.
- Year 1993 - "Little Buddha", directed by Bernardo Bertolucci. Chris Isaac played Dean Conrad.
- Year 1994 - the series "Friends", directed by David Crane. Chris Isaac is a guest star.
- Year 1996 - "The Joy of My Heart" directed by Allison Anders, the role of Chris - Matthew Lewis; "What are you doing," directed by Tom Hanks, the role of Isaac is Uncle Bob.
- Year 1999 - "The End of Innocence", directed by James Rowe. Chris Isaac played Emerson Cotswald.
- Year 2004 - "Shameless", directed by Paul Walker. Chris in a cameo.
- Year 2009 - "Informants", directed by Gregor Jordan. Isaac played Forest Price.
Before choosing
Film projects took away from Chris all his time, and at some point he began to complain that he was moving away from his main occupation, ceasing to be a singer and composer. An analogy with Elvis Presley, who once starred in 30 meaningless films, is also possible here. According to Elvis, an insane amount of time was spent on empty films with kisses. Chris Isaac’s situation was about the same, with the only difference being that he didn’t have to kiss, and the roles were insignificant.