Mannheim’s founder knows music touches millions

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Mannheim Steamroller brings its legendary Christmas show to the Paramount in Aurora on Dec. 19.

Updated: April 19, 2011 5:25AM

Although his music has been pleasing fans for more than 35 years, Chip Davis, the founder and creator of the musical phenomenon Mannheim Steamroller, is still not exactly sure what is most appealing about his music. He just knows what his fans tell him.

“I hear a couple of key things from people,” said Davis about his music’s appeal. “When I talk to people about it, they talk about the experience of the music. It is clear that it is touching something more than just their ears; it gets into their hearts.”

The Christmas Music of Mannheim Steamroller by Chip Davis will be performed Dec. 19 at the Paramount Theatre in Aurora.

“I try to paint a picture of the songs and what they mean to me,” said Davis about Mannheim Steamroller’s signature sound, a mix of classical and modern-day rock, as well as a blend of acoustic and electronic music.

Mannheim Steamroller began in 1974 when Davis recorded an album called “Fresh Aire,” which he dubbed “18th Century Classical Rock.” Although Davis was literally a one-man-band at that point, he released that first album under the name Mannheim Steamroller. The name is based on a musical term meaning “crescendo.”

By 1984 Mannheim Steamroller was a multi-platinum recording group because of the “Fresh Aire” series. In that year, Davis decided to record an album of Christmas music combining the group’s signature mix of renaissance instruments with rock ‘n’ roll beats. The resulting album, “Mannheim Steamroller Christmas,” was a hit and propelled Mannheim Steamroller to becoming one of the biggest-selling Christmas music artists in history. The group has sold more than 35 million albums, with more than 27 million sold in the Christmas genre alone.

Although Davis no longer performs on the drums with the group (neck surgery two years ago resulted in limited use of his right arm), he still, among other projects, directs and co-produces two Christmas tour ensembles of Mannheim Steamroller that crisscross the country. Two tours of six-member Mannheim Steamroller ensembles perform 97 dates in 60 cities over a six-week period from Nov. 10 through Dec. 28. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Mannheim Steamroller Christmas tours.

The shows feature the distinctive Christmas music of Mannheim Steamroller along with a multimedia display that includes a light show, giant-screen images and videos which are synchronized with Mannheim Steamroller’s holiday music.

Davis believes Mannheim Steamroller’s success, particularly in terms of the Christmas song repertoire, is due to two things.

“The average life of some artists may be five to 10 years of sales,” Davis said. “When a regular artist gets a hit, it is played year ‘round and it gets saturated. Maybe 10 years later you hear it as an ‘oldie.’ But with Christmas songs, it is a six-week sales period. Then the next year you start on week seven.

“Secondly,” he continued, “I believe there is the uniqueness of the arrangements.”

If there is one musical technique that could be considered the Chip Davis touch, it would be the element of surprise.

“An example of that would be ‘Jingle Bells,’” Davis said. “When I did it on the third Christmas album, it was a lush, orchestral ballad with an oboe melody. It was just the opposite of what anyone would think. It was a completely different feel. So surprise is the key.”