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Aug 01, 2022 By Frank Valish

You may never have heard of James Calvin Wilsey, but you most definitely have heard his guitar, most memorably the haunting line on Chris Isaak’s breakthrough single, “Wicked Game.” However, for a lifetime in music that featured a plethora of achievements, Wilsey died homeless, the product of a rampant addiction he simply could never kick.

Author Michael Goldberg presents an in-depth look at Wilsey’s life in Wicked Game. Before the guitar line heart round the world, Wilsey was at the forefront of the nascent San Francisco punk scene in the 1970s as bassist and songwriter for The Avengers, who’s “We Are the One” remains a cornerstone of the genre. Then hooking up with Isaak to play a very different kind of music, Wilsey continued his mainstay on the club scene, performing in Isaak’s Silvertone band and then on his first four albums, most notably 1989’s Heart Shaped World, which features the single that lends this book its name.

Subsequent to his time with Chris Isaak, however, Wilsey’s musical career was a spotty one, affected as such by a drug addiction that was at times crippling. Goldberg’s tome is essential, providing punctilious detail not only on every aspect and era of Wilsey’s life but also on the surrounding musical scenes that give his story context. Wicked Game is, to put it kindly, a monster of a book, especially notable given the fact that one can safely assume that those who know of Wilsey’s most famous guitar line vastly outnumber those who could actually refer to the guitarist by name. With Wicked Game, however, James Calvin Wilsey is anonymous no more. His story is ultimately a tragedy of the highest order, but he did leave us with some sparkling, memorable guitar.

(www.hozacrecords.com/books)

Author rating: 8/10