Chris Mulkey wasn’t surprised when I mentioned the recent frost warnings in the area. From his Los Angeles home, just eight blocks from the Pacific, the Wisconsin-born, Minnesota-raised actor had already asked Siri for the Silver Bay forecast in preparation for his visit.
He’ll bring a jacket when he heads north to play with Scarlet Rivera in Rocky Wall Entertainment’s Music in the Park series finale. But more than that, he says, he’ll bring a little California sunshine.
“I pack it every time I go,” he said. “I’m excited about coming up and playing with Scarlet. We’re going to rock out. It’s going to be great.”
You may know Chris Mulkey as Hank Jennings on Twin Peaks, Boss Hague on Boardwalk Empire, or John Cronan in Captain Phillips. My husband knows him as “that guy from Rambo.” He also played a key role in North Country, a film based on a true story about sexual harassment in the mining industry, much of which was filmed in the Iron Range.
“I like doing movies because I like being in the world, on location somewhere. You’re really in the iron mines in Minnesota for North Country, on a ship in the Mediterranean for Captain Phillips, in the jungles of the Philippines for Behind Enemy Lines, or in Hawaii for Lost,” he said. “It’s really cool.”
It’s a long way from the University of Minnesota, where Mulkey reluctantly signed up for acting classes as an elective at a friend’s suggestion. He had been involved in wrestling and had a full scholarship to the University of North Dakota, but he felt the U of M was a better fit. To pay for school, he had to give up wrestling and get a job.
“My friend George Finley said, ‘If you’re looking for an elective, take an acting class. You love movies and music, and it’d be great!’ So I said okay, and I took it. I really found my niche. It’s been great,” Mulkey recalled.
One of Mulkey’s earliest gigs was with the Minneapolis Children’s Theater Company, where he took on a variety of roles. He played the wolf in Peter and the Wolf, performing alongside the Minneapolis Orchestra. He got a taste of what it’s like to be a bad guy in Huck Finn. As the romantic lead in He Who Gets Slapped, he rode a white horse on stage. He also played the Mother Duck in The Ugly Duckling.
Mulkey’s love for performance didn’t stop at the stage. Having learned guitar at 17, he also immersed himself in the vibrant Twin Cities music scene of the 1960s.
“It was so great. We had all these rock ’n’ roll teen clubs, and people would dance their rear ends off,” Mulkey recalled. As a blues harpist, he started playing in African-American clubs with his friend Bobby Lyle, a talented St. Paul pianist who later recorded for Capitol Records.
A fake ID may have been involved. “It said I was 21 and I was from La Crosse,” Mulkey admitted. “I would go to these clubs, step up, play my harp, play the blues — that’s kind of how my start at the clubs began.”
Since those early days, Mulkey has recorded numerous albums both as a solo artist and with bands including Deluxe, Mulkey & Shockley, and Blue Highway to name a few. His discography spans decades and genres, blending blues, rock, and Americana, and showcases his skills as a vocalist, guitarist, and harmonica player.
From early releases like It’s About the Heart (2000) to recent work such as True Blue Avenue (2025), Mulkey has consistently brought his love of live performance and storytelling into the studio, building a musical career as rich and varied as his acting work. He has also written songs for television and movies, including some featured on the soundtrack to North Country.
Mulkey’s creativity doesn’t stop at music, he’s also deeply involved in film and theater. He’s currently working on a sequel to Patti Rocks, an indie movie he collaborated on with his late wife, actress and artist Karen Landry, who was also from Minnesota. Plans are underway to shoot the film in St. Paul and along the North Shore.
During his upcoming trip to Minnesota, he’ll meet with director and friend David Burton Morris in Minneapolis to work on the project before heading to Silver Bay for performances: the Music in the Park series finale on September 5, a Benefit House Concert on September 6, and then back to Minneapolis for a show at the Aster Café on September 7. Additionally, Patti Rocks will be featured at the Main Cinema by the Minnesota Film Society as part of their Minnesota Made series, with Mulkey staying for a Q&A on September 8.
It’ll be a busy start to September for Mulkey, who thrives on staying active. He’s especially looking forward to his Minnesota visit, though he admits he’s disappointed to miss the State Fair this year.
“I’m missing the State Fair because it closes the day I get in,” he said. “I like to go see the livestock. I grew up in Northern Wisconsin and lived in Spirit Lake, Iowa, which is a farm town. All my friends were farmers, so I like being around all that stuff.”
He also enjoys checking out the art in the Arts Building, grabbing a brat, and listening to live bands. Mulkey has even taken the stage at the venue himself a few times, once performing with Jack Knife and the Sharps, a rockabilly band from Minneapolis.
Mulkey will take the stage in Silver Bay with Scarlet Rivera, a Grammy-nominated musician who, according to Rocky Wall Entertainment in a press release for the event, “burned a hole in the fabric of rock history as a pioneer of the electric violin.”
Rivera was discovered by Bob Dylan in the mid- ’70s, and it is her violin on songs like The Hurricane that leaves listeners with chills. Since then, she has worked with many critically acclaimed musicians in the studio and on stage and has released solo albums including All of Me and Dylan Dreams, with her third album Full Circle coming soon.
Mulkey met Rivera through his wife, actress Dana Sparks, who had worked as Rivera’s assistant. One year, when Mulkey’s blues band was set to play a stadium show in Santa Monica called Celebrate America, an event he’s been part of for the past six years, he asked if Rivera would be interested in joining them on stage.
“Scarlet said, ‘That’d be fun,’ and showed up,” he recalled. “We just hit it off. It was great, and we’ve been friends ever since.”
The friends also participate in the Angel Force Band, a collective of musicians who raise awareness for mental health and provide support to military families affected by suicide. Mulkey, Rivera, and their bandmates perform to help fund programs and initiatives that assist families coping with these difficult losses.
Scarlet Rivera will perform with the Chris Mulkey Band on the City Center Park Stage from 7:30 to 9 p.m., playing a mix of original blues and Americana, along with beloved cover songs. They will be joined by Mulkey’s longtime friends and bandmates: drummer Greg Davis, known for his dynamic performances, and bassist Ed White, a master of the instrument who has performed with a wide range of artists.
Neither Davis nor White has been to Minnesota before, and Mulkey says he’s looking forward to sharing the experience with them.
“I really am excited to take them up there because I’ve been going up north for a long time,” he said. “It’ll be really fun.”
Mulkey encourages fans to stop by after the show to purchase CDs, get an autograph, or chat about his upcoming film Long Shadows, set to hit theaters on November 7. For him, it’s all part of sharing the music, stories, and experiences that have shaped his decades-long career and connecting with the people who make it all worthwhile.
For more information about Chris Mulkey’s music, visit chrismulkeymusic.com. Scarlet Rivera’s work can be explored at scarletriveramusic.com. For event details or tickets to the Benefit House Concert, visit rockywallentertainment.org.
