Mannheim Steamroller

  • Omaha, NE
    hometown
  • Pop
    genre
  • 1974
    started
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About Mannheim Steamroller


The alias of composer Chip Davis, Mannheim Steamroller was among the pioneers of neo-classical electronic music, emerging as one of the driving forces behind the new age phenomenon. Born in Sylvania, OH, Davis' father was a high school music teacher, while his mother was a trombonist with Phil Spitalny's All Girl Orchestra. His grandmother was his first music teacher, giving the child his initial piano lessons at the age of four; two years later, Davis composed his first piece, a four-part chorale written in honor of his dog. He later joined a boys' choir as well, and while attending the University of Michigan, played bassoon in the school's concert band. Upon graduating in 1969, Davis was tapped to tour with the Norman Luboff Choir; after five years with the group, performing everything from pop to classical, he returned to Sylvania to teach music at the local junior high school, often adapting classical standards to contemporary harmonies and rhythms for student consumption.

Davis later left teaching, arranging and conducting an Omaha, NB production of Hair before accepting a job writing advertising jingles. With co-worker Bill Fries, he created the enormously popular C.W. McCall character, later the figure behind the chart-topping hit "Convoy." As the McCall craze went into high gear, however, Davis returned to the classical adaptations he'd first composed as a teacher, and soon entered the studio to begin recording what he dubbed "18th century classical rock" -- classical music performed on electric bass and synthesizers. He titled the resulting album Fresh Aire, and when no label would touch it, he founded his own company, American Gramaphone, in 1974, creating a fictitious band named Mannheim Steamroller to better promote the project. Davis initially marketed Fresh Aire to stereo show rooms, where his state-of-the-art sound proved ideal for demonstrating home stereo equipment; the LP became a smash hit among audiophiles, and a series of popular Fresh Aire sequels followed in the years to come.

In 1984, Davis issued Mannheim Steamroller Christmas, which shocked onlookers by selling over five million copies on the strength of a Top 40 Adult Contemporary rendition of "Deck the Halls." It was followed four years later by A Fresh Aire Christmas, another unqualified hit. The environment informed 1986's Saving the Wildlife, the soundtrack to a PBS special, and was followed three years later by Yellowstone: The Music of Nature, which raised over half a million dollars for the National Parks Service. Although in the early '90s Davis began recording under his own name for the first time, he also maintained the Mannheim Steamroller guise for a series of seasonal recordings, among them 1995's Christmas in the Aire, 1997's Christmas Live and 1998's Christmas Angel: A Family Story. 1999's two-disc 25 Years celebrated Mannheim Steamroller's silver anniversary. Continuing with their Fresh Aire series, volume eight was released in mid-2000. The albums Romantic Melodies and American Spirit came in 2003. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi

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  • Mannheim Steamroller

Tour Dates

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  • Nov 12 Tuesday
    Pueblo, CO, US Pueblo Memorial Hall
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  • Nov 13 Wednesday
    Williamsport, PA, US Williamsport Community Arts Center
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  • Nov 14 Thursday
    Glens Falls, NY, US Glens Falls Civic Center
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  • Nov 15 Friday
    Easton, PA, US State Theatre Center for the Arts
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  • Nov 16 Saturday
    Wilmington, DE, US DuPont Theatre
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  • Nov 17 Sunday
    Akron, OH, US E. J. Thomas Hall
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  • Nov 18 Monday
    Great Falls, MT, US Mansfield Center for the Perf. Arts
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  • Nov 19 Tuesday
    Fayetteville, NC, US Crown Theatre
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  • Nov 20 Wednesday
    Asheville, NC, US Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, Civic Center
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  • Nov 21 Thursday
    Portland, OR, US Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
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  • Nov 22 Friday
    Lexington, KY, US Lexington Opera House
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  • Nov 23 Saturday
    Kennewick, WA, US Toyota Center
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  • Nov 24 Sunday
    Seattle, WA, US Paramount Theatre
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  • Nov 25 Monday
    Youngstown, OH, US Powers Auditorium
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  • Nov 26 Tuesday
    Lima, OH, US Veterans Memorial Civic & Convention Center
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  • Nov 27 Wednesday
    Toledo, OH, US Stranahan Theater
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  • Nov 29 Friday
    Morristown, NJ, US Mayo Performing Arts Center
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  • Nov 30 Saturday
    Denver, CO, US The Buell Theatre
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  • Dec 1 Sunday
    Denver, CO, US The Buell Theatre
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  • Dec 2 Monday
    Elmira, NY, US Clemens Center - Powers Theater
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  • Dec 3 Tuesday
    Santa Rosa, CA, US Wells Fargo Centre for the Arts
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  • Dec 4 Wednesday
    Portland, ME, US Merrill Auditorium, Portland City Hall
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  • Dec 5 Thursday
    Santa Barbara, CA, US Granada Theatre
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  • Dec 6 Friday
    Lowell, MA, US Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell
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  • Dec 7 Saturday
    Syracuse, NY, US Landmark Theatre
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  • Dec 8 Sunday
    Buffalo, NY, US Shea's Performing Arts Center
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  • Dec 10 Tuesday
    Burlington, VT, US Flynn Center for the Performing Arts
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  • Dec 11 Wednesday
    Spencer, IA, US Clay County Regional Events Center
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  • Dec 12 Thursday
    Baltimore, MD, US Lyric Opera House
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  • Dec 13 Friday
    University Park, PA, US Bryce Jordan Center
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  • Dec 14 Saturday
    Cincinnati, OH, US Procter and Gamble Hall
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  • Dec 15 Sunday
    Flint, MI, US Whiting Auditorium
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  • Dec 16 Monday
    Springfield, IL, US Sangamon Auditorium, University of Illinois
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  • Dec 17 Tuesday
    Owensboro, KY, US RiverPark Center
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  • Dec 18 Wednesday
    Springfield, MO, US Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts
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  • Dec 19 Thursday
    Dodge City, KS, US United Wireless Arena
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  • Dec 20 Friday
    Indianapolis, IN, US Murat Theatre
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  • Dec 21 Saturday
    Cedar Falls, IA, US Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts Center, University of Northern Iowa
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  • Dec 22 Sunday
    Benton Harbor, MI, US Mendel Center
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  • Dec 23 Monday
    Dayton, OH, US Mead Theatre, Schuster Performing Arts Center
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  • Dec 27 Friday
    Salt Lake City, UT, US Abravanel Hall
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  • Dec 28 Saturday
    Salt Lake City, UT, US Abravanel Hall
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  • Dec 29 Sunday
    Reno, NV, US Pioneer Center For The Performing Arts
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Discography

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Next Page
  • The Music of the Spheres (2013)
    Mannheim Steamroller
    The Music of the Spheres (2013)
    American Gramaphone Records
  • Sweet Tooth (2012)
    Mannheim Steamroller
    Sweet Tooth (2012)
    American Gramaphone Records
  • Christmas Symphony (2011)
    Mannheim Steamroller
    Christmas Symphony (2011)
    American Gramaphone Records
  • Christmas: Sweet Memories (2008)
    Mannheim Steamroller
    Christmas: Sweet Memories (2008)
    American Gramaphone Records
  • Christmasville (2008)
    Mannheim Steamroller
    Christmasville (2008)
    American Gramaphone Records
  • A Candlelight Christmas (2008)
    Mannheim Steamroller
    A Candlelight Christmas (2008)
    American Gramaphone Records
  • Christmas Song (2007)
    Mannheim Steamroller
    Christmas Song (2007)
    American Gramaphone Records
  • Christmas Traditions (2007)
    Mannheim Steamroller
    Christmas Traditions (2007)
    American Gramaphone Records
  • Romantic Themes (2005)
    Mannheim Steamroller
    Romantic Themes (2005)
    American Gramaphone Records
  • Christmas Celebration (2004)
    Mannheim Steamroller
    Christmas Celebration (2004)
    American Gramaphone Records
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