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Chris Isaak is known for his ability to effortlessly fuse so many facets of music, including country, blues, pop and rock and roll, and yet have a unique sound all his own, marked by his distinctive voice.
Isaak, a former boxer, signed his first contract with Warner Bros. Records in 1984 and released "Silvertone." In the beginning of his career, he banked on the old Hollywood sound of Roy Orbison’s classics such as "In Dreams," "Oh, Pretty Woman" and "Cryin." It was the melancholy nature of the tunes and his likeness to Orbison, fused with his surf rock, which brought him attention.
His first hit came from the "Heart Shaped World" album in 1989 – "Wicked Game." The video for the single, which features Isaak and model Helene Christiansen on the beach, was a hit on MTV and VH1. Another hit for the singer includes "Somebody’s Crying" in 1995, off of the Forever Blue album. Another monster hit came with "Baby Did a Bad, Bad Thing" in 1999, which was featured in the Stanley Kubrick film "Eyes Wide Shut."
Isaak has been constantly tweaking the sound of his music over the years – "Baja Sessions" has a more acoustic sound, while "Speak of the Devil" goes back to his rock origins. He stayed out of the studio from 1998 through 2992 when he recorded "Always Got Tonight." In 2004, he released "Christmas," the seasonal collection that featured five new songs and several classics. Most recently, Isaak put out 2006’s "Best of Chris Isaak"
While it seems as though Isaak has stepped back from music in recent years, he has merely tried to balance his time with a different hobby- acting. From 2001 through 2004, Isaak starred in his own Showtime series, "The Chris Isaak Show," and he has appeared in firms such as "Little Buddha," "The Silence of the Lambs" and "That Thing You Do!" among others.
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