Chris Isaak entered this world to the tune of "Blue Suede Shoes," which his mother was singing as he was born. And since that summer day in 1956, the music that grew out of Sun Studio has remained a cornerstone of Isaak's life.
This year, Isaak waxed his own versions of those early rock 'n' roll records right at the source -- the one and only Sun Studio in Memphis, Tenn. The California-based crooner, best known for his sensual 1989 pop hit "Wicked Game," released Beyond the Sun in October. The labor of love pays tribute to musical heroes like Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins and, of course, Elvis Presley.
Isaak gathered his band in Memphis for about a week for the recording sessions, which took place after the studio tours concluded for the day. His guests and spiritual advisors included Cowboy Jack Clement, the first hired engineer-producer at Sun, and Roland James, the longtime guitarist for Jerry Lee Lewis. Working quickly, the combo captured the immediacy and energy of that musical era.
Calling from California, Isaak chatted with CMT.com about setting up the band in Sun, giving due credit to producer Sam Phillips and playing the new album for his parents for the first time.
CMT: Sun Studio is such a small room. How long did it take to figure out where to stand?
Isaak: It's funny because we walked into the room, and my bass player said, "Where do I put the bass?" I looked down at the linoleum floor, and there's a hole where all the bass players have stuck their peg of their stand-up bass from the time of [bassist] Bill Black and [guitarist] Scotty Moore and Elvis on. I said, "Well, if it's good enough for them, it's good enough for us. Stick it right there."
When I took the tour of the studio, I was amazed by how incredibly well-preserved it is. It's not like a replica of Sun Studio. It is Sun Studio.
Yeah, I love the studio. It's a great-sounding room. It's the right size. It's probably not the right size if you wanted to cut Abbey Road, but if you wanted to cut those kind of early rock 'n' roll records, where it's just a couple of guys grooving and swinging, man, it's the best-sounding room ever.
Why do you think those early Johnny Cash records from Sun have stood the test of time?
I think there's a simplicity to those songs that made them bigger than country music or rockabilly or anything else. They're so simple that people can relate to them -- whether they're in a punk band, whether they're a 70-year-old guy listening to country or whether they're a pop fan. They just cut through. That is Johnny Cash's genius.
And I also give huge credit to Sam Phillips because most other producers would have had that band walk in and say, "Let's hear your band." [Isaak impersonates the Tennessee Two's simple boom-chicka beat.] Most producers would have said, "That's it?! We've got to get real players. Let's hire some guy to do all kinds of picking around you." And that would have ruined it!
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