Chris Isaak

Chris Isaak

Chris Isaak is an American singer-songwriter and occasional actor from Stockton, United States. Born in 1956 as Christopher Joseph Isaak, he works in rock, pop rock, rockabilly and roots rock, with a sound that also draws on blues, country, rock and roll and surf rock.

Career

Isaak signs to Warner Brothers Records in 1984 for his first album, Silvertone. In 1988, Warner moves him to Reprise Records. His song “Wicked Game” becomes his best-known track after appearing on the 1989 album Heart Shaped World; an instrumental version later features in David Lynch’s Wild at Heart, and the full version becomes a nationwide top ten hit after radio play. The song’s black-and-white video, directed by Herb Ritts, features Isaak and model Helena Christensen on a beach.

Film and television

Isaak appears in a number of films, usually in minor roles. His larger film parts include Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me in 1992 and Bernardo Bertolucci’s Little Buddha in 1993, where he appears alongside Keanu Reeves and Bridget Fonda. Other film credits include Married to the Mob, The Silence of the Lambs, That Thing You Do! and A Dirty Shame. He also guest-stars in a Super Bowl Sunday episode of Friends and on the HBO miniseries From the Earth to the Moon.

Television work

From 2001 to 2004, Isaak stars in The Chris Isaak Show on Showtime, an adult comedy built around fictional backstage stories in which he and his band play versions of themselves. In 2009, he hosts a music talk show on the Biography channel; each episode features a musical guest and performances by both Isaak and the guest. Guests include Trisha Yearwood, Stevie Nicks, Glen Campbell, Michael Bublé, Chicago, The Smashing Pumpkins, Yusuf Islam and Jewel.

Other activities

Isaak is also an amateur boxer and avid surfer, and he is a former Golden Gloves champion.

Associated labels

His listed labels include Wicked Game and C. Isaak Music Publishing Co.