James Calvin Wilsey


James Calvin Wilsey was an American musician. He played bass with San Francisco punk band the Avengers, but became better known as the lead guitarist for Stockton crooner Chris Isaak's band Silvertone. His playing was featured on Isaak's albums Silvertone, Chris Isaak, Heart Shaped World, and San Francisco Days. He died from multiple organ failure related to hepatitis and drug use.

Musical style

Wilsey's 1965 Fender Stratocaster and use of reverb, delay and gentle vibrato gave a distinctive sound to Isaak hits such as "Wicked Game" and "Blue Hotel".
Dropping the moniker "Calvin", Wilsey released a solo album of guitar instrumentals in 2008, titled El Dorado, which paid homage to musical influences such as Duane Eddy, the Shadows, Billy Strange, James Burton and Link Wray.
Chris Isaak Band
The Chris Isaak band played in many of the local San Francisco night clubs such as The Stone. While Chris would tell long tales about his arrival in San Francisco with a sock puppet, James would grow impatient with the long wait between songs. It could be said that their dynamic was comparable to the one between Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend, so Wilsey's eventual decision to leave the band was not a total surprise.

Selected discography

Solo