Chris Isaak suits up for another show

Chris Isaak is like any other working stiff. He puts on a suit and goes to the office.

Except the Central Valley-bred singer’s suits and job are a little different from your average Joe’s. Like covered in disco-ball mirrors and performing for presidents different.

The Central Valley-bred rock crooner known for his shiny suits and silky voice returns to the Gallo Center on Friday with a rollicking holiday show. The 58-year-old Stockton native said his suits are an extension of his performance. Sure, he likes to look good, but he said it’s also about giving the audience the best experience possible.

“I like dressing up, but not because I’m so special. It’s because I’m not so special, so they’d better know that I’m in the band. If I dress up they’ll say ‘he’s definitely in the band,’” Isaak said in a recent phone interview from his home in San Francisco. “It makes it more fun for people.”

Isaak, who broke out big in 1990 with his sultry hit and even more sultry video for “Wicked Game,” gets all his concert suits custom made from the same place in Los Angeles – Jaime Western Tailor.

“He’s a nice guy, real quiet and has a shop that is not huge. There’s not a lot of phony baloney. You have one guy sewing, another guy putting on sequins,” Isaak said. “If I was in any other profession I’d still want to wear one of those sparkling suits. What good is being in show business if you can’t wear a sparkling suit?”

Looking the part has certainly had its advantages for the performer. Once, while in a meet-and-greet line after an event in the White House, Isaak got to shake then-President George W. Bush’s hand. Afterward, the president motioned over to him.

“I saw him beckoning me. He said, ‘Hey, hey.’ And I was like what? He can’t be talking to me. He is the president of the whole fricking world. But he said, ‘Hey, Chris, I love your suit. Where’d you get your suit?’” Isaak said.

Still, the singer and his longtime band Silvertone have never been into music for the presidential perks. The music, and the show, have been what have mattered for more than a quarter-century together.

“I’m very focused on what I do and I really enjoy it. I don’t have family, kids of my own. I don’t have huge hobbies. My hobby is that I like making music and being with my band,” Isaak said. “I do shows and afterward I make a sandwich and shut up. I am focused on what I’m doing. To me it’s a big deal. I really want to hit the high notes well. If I didn’t I feel like I’m ripping people off.”

He said he and his bandmates, many of whom have been with him throughout his career, believe in giving people their money’s worth. But there are also ulterior motives to their work ethic.

“My whole band, we all grew up small towns with working-class fathers with blue collar jobs,” he said. “For us it’s such a treat to be in show business and we’re not going to let anyone take this away from us.”

So they are determined to put on a good show, come rain or shine or Central Valley heatwave. The singer has performed in Modesto and the surrounding area several times over the years, but a 2004 show in downtown Modesto mid-August stands out.

“My band still talks about how hot it was, that one time we played there and it was legendary hot,” Isaak said. “But I am a Valley guy, I am really used to weather. To stand on stage and sing and jump around is no worse than doing roofing work at 110 degrees or working at a port or throwing hay – all which I’ve done. Singing is better. When I go to Modesto, Fresno, other places in the Valley, I love playing there because it reminds me of my hometown.”

Much of Isaak’s family still lives in Stockton. He said he visits often and knows both the highway and backroad routes by heart. Since his father died a couple years ago, he returns even more to see his mother.

“There’s nothing like going home to remind you of what your level is,” he said. “On the road, you’re a rock star. You go home, and my mom is like, ‘Something died by the garbage can, you’d better scrub it out.’”

It was in his Stockton home that Isaak found his enduring taste in music. His parents had records from the likes of Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Ray Orbison and Elvis Presley.

“I don’t know exactly why you latch onto something. Like everyone else, I heard music around me, all kinds of different music. Why didn’t I end up sounding like Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and that kind of music? But the stuff that really knocked me off my feet was my parents’ record collection,” he said. “I loved it because it was so pretty. When people play rock ’n’ roll, a big part to me was the pretty element – the romantic and beautiful singing.”

In 2011, Isaak released a record honoring his favorites from his family’s music collection – all of whom came from Memphis’ Sun Records – with the album “Beyond the Sun.” The release featured covers of classic Cash, Presley, Lewis and other hits, as well as Isaak originals in tribute to the label’s signature sound.

Isaak said his show at the Gallo Center should include some of those songs as well as his well-known hits like “Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing” and “Somebody’s Cryin’.” As it’s a holiday show, also expect some seasonal surprises and even Santa Claus.

“Some people don’t like doing Christmas songs, but I love doing them – they’re fun,” he said. “But we’re currently looking for a Santa Claus. We have a mechanical Santa onstage who moves around. But we noticed last year he looked a little funny. And we were worried we’d scare the kids because Santa’s head fell off onstage once. I mean, we put it back on with glue. But he still looked a little cockeyed. So we’re getting a new Santa. So say that, ‘Now coming to town with a new Santa. Won’t scare the kids.’”

This story was originally published November 26, 2014 at 3:45 PM with the headline "Chris Isaak suits up for another show."