Mannheim Steamroller

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mannheim Steamroller is a crossover classical music project by the American musician Chip Davis (born November 15, 1947 as Louis Davis ). From the mid-1980s he was very successful with his classical music in modern instrumentation, especially with Christmas albums. He has sold more than 28 million albums in the US alone. The self-designation is a classic rock group of the 18th century .

Band history

Chip Davis grew up in Ohio. His father was a high school music teacher and his mother an orchestral trombonist. At the age of four he already took piano lessons, later he sang in the youth choir and played the bassoon in the harmony orchestra of the University of Michigan . After graduating in 1969, he spent five years with the Norman Luboff Choir, a crossover choir whose repertoire ranged from pop to classical. This was followed by a time as a music teacher in his hometown of Sylvania before accepting a job as conductor and arranger of a performance of the musical Hair in Omaha . He then worked as an advertising musician and created the character CW McCall alongside country singer Bill Fries in the mid-1970s .

When this project got off to a successful start, he withdrew and turned to his preference for pop arrangements of classical music. Using a synthesizer and bass guitar, he orchestrated classical pieces he wrote himself and produced the album Fresh Aire . When he couldn't find a label, he founded his own company in 1974 and marketed the album under the pseudonym Mannheim Steamroller . The name is an ironic mixture of two terms: the Mannheim roller (ger .: Mannheim Roller ), a German music art of the 18th century, and steamroller (Engl. Steamroller ). First he turned to the trade, who could use the music to demonstrate the quality of his stereo systems, and thus found an audience with music lovers. After the initial success, he produced further albums in the Fres Aire series every two years, but this only found a limited audience.

The breakthrough came in 1984 with his version of the Christmas carol Deck the Halls . It became a hit in the adult contemporary charts and the associated album Mannheim Steamroller Christmas made it into the official album charts at number 110. It developed into a classic that regularly returned to the charts at the end of the year until 1990 and for two decades again occupied top places in the Christmas charts. In 1988, it was first awarded gold for sales. By 2004, it had reached 6-times platinum for 6 million copies sold.

Two years after the breakthrough, an album from the Fresh Aire series made it into the charts for the first time . The following year Classical Gas followed , a collaboration with Mason Williams , who had a hit with the instrumental of the same name in the late 1960s. Both albums were awarded gold. With A Fresh Aire Christmas , Davis released a second Christmas album in 1988, which could repeat the success of the 1984 album. It also got 6-times platinum and even reached number 36 in the official charts, in the Christmas charts in 1988 both albums took the first two places. In 1990, Yellowstone: The Music of Nature , a benefit album that grossed half a million dollars in aid of Yellowstone National Park , and Fresh Aire 7 were released . Both albums hit the official charts and went gold.

In the early 1990s, Chip Davis began to release under his own name, but it wasn't until 1995 that he had another major chart success with another Steamroller Christmas album entitled Christmas in the Aire . This year it sold 3 million copies in the pre-Christmas business alone, and with number 3 on the Billboard 200, it achieved its best chart position. The following year he had his only chart placement under his real name with Holiday Musik . As Mannheim Steamroller , there were two more publications in the following years with the live album Christmas Live and The Christmas Angel - A Family Story , in which Olivia Newton-John and Chip Davis read a Christmas story by Mark Valenti between the pieces of music sold a million times and placed in the top 40.

Every three years, other Christmas albums followed with unbroken success in the 2000s. In 2001 Christmas Extraordinaire reached 5th place and triple platinum. In 2004 Christmas Celebration followed at number 19 and in 2007 Christmas Song followed again at number 5, both albums were million-sellers. In 2009 a compilation of pieces for the 25th anniversary of the first Christmas success achieved gold status again. Despite further chart placement, the success of the Mannheim Steamroller concept had waned and sales figures continued to decline in the 2010s.

Discography

The Fresh Aire series

year title Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements
(Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) 		Remarks
US US
1974 Fresh Aire US-
gold
gold
US
1977 Fresh Aire II US-
gold
gold
US
1979 Fresh Aire III US-
gold
gold
US
1981 Fresh Aire IV US-
gold
gold
US
1983 Fresh Aire V US-
gold
gold
US
1986 Fresh Aire VI US155
gold
gold

(14 weeks)US
1991 Fresh Aire 7 US77
gold
gold

(16 weeks)US
2000 Fresh Aire 8 US-
US

More albums

  • Fresh Aire Interludes ( compilation , 1981)
  • Seasons: A Fresh Aire Collection (Box with Albums I to IV, 1993)
  • Fresh Aire Music Motivator (compilation, 1993)
  • The Fresh Aire Music of Mannheim Steamroller (Compilation, 2007)

Christmas albums

year title Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements
(Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) 		Remarks
US US
1984 Mannheim Steamroller Christmas US50
Six-fold platinum
× 6
Six-fold platinum

(39 1 week)US
the highest ranking was reached in 1988,
number 1 in the Christmas charts (1991)
1988 A Fresh Aire Christmas US36
Six-fold platinum
× 6
Six-fold platinum

(24 1 week)US
1st place in the Christmas charts (1988, 1991)
1995 Christmas in the Aire US3
Quadruple platinum
× 4
Quadruple platinum

(18 weeks)US
1st place in the Christmas charts (1995)
1997 Christmas Live US24
platinum
platinum

(12 weeks)US
Recorded live on January 3rd, 1996 at the Orpheum Theater in Omaha
1st place on the Christmas charts (1997)
1998 The Christmas Angel - A Family Story US25th
platinum
platinum

(11 weeks)US
Music and a story by Mark Valenti
with Olivia Newton-John and Chip Davis as speakers
No. 2 on the Christmas charts (1998)
2001 Christmas Extraordinaire US5
Triple platinum
× 3
Triple platinum

(27 weeks)US
1st place in the Christmas charts (2001, 2002, 2003)
2004 Christmas Celebration US19th
platinum
platinum

(22 weeks)US
1st place in the Christmas charts (2004)
2007 Christmas song US5
platinum
platinum

(15 weeks)US
2nd place in the Christmas charts (2007)
2007 Christmas: traditions US92 (7 weeks)
US
2008 A candlelight Christmas US68 (9 weeks)
US
Compilation
8th place in the Christmas charts (2011)
2008 Christmasville US48 (10 weeks)
US
8th place in the Christmas charts (2008)
2009 Christmas: 25th Anniversary Collection US29
gold
gold

(29 weeks)US
6th place in the Christmas charts (2009)
2011 Christmas Symphony US19 (23 weeks)
US
with Members of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra
2nd place in the Christmas charts (2011)
2013 Christmas Symphony II US26 (11 weeks)
US
with Members of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra
2nd place in the Christmas charts (2013)
2015 live US66 (10 weeks)
US
Recorded live at two concerts in the Orpheum Theater, Omaha
8th place on the Christmas charts (2015)
1 Christmas albums could enter the album charts for several years in a row, while normal albums were then only rated in the catalog charts

More albums

  • Latin Christmas (1993)
  • My Little Christmas Tree & Other Christmas Bedtime Stories (Book with Music CD, 1997)
  • Christmas Collection (CD-Box, 2001, US:goldgold)
  • Winter Wonderland (compilation, 2006)
  • Trimming the Tree (compilation, 2007)
  • Morning Frost (compilation, 2007)
  • Sweet Memories (compilation, 2008)
  • Heading Home (compilation, 2010)
  • Hometown (compilation, 2011)
  • Mannheim Ultimate Christmas Collection (CD-Box, 2011)
  • 'Tis the Seasion (compilation, 2012)
  • Christmas Companion (4 Medleys , 2014)

Other albums

year title Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements
(Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) 		Remarks
US US
1987 Classical gas US118
gold
gold

(19 weeks)US
with Mason Williams as a musician and pieces composed by him
1990 Yellowstone - The Music of Nature US167
gold
gold

(8 weeks)US
Benefit album for the benefit of Yellowstone National Park
1999 Mannheim Steamroller Meets the Mouse US89 (10 weeks)
US
Melodies from Disney films
1999 25 Year Celebration of Mannheim Steamroller US168 (1 week)
US
2003 Romantic melodies US41 (6 weeks)
US
2003 American spirit US78 (8 weeks)
US
with 4 songs by CW McCall ( American Spirit , Convoy , Wolf Creek Pass and Tin Type )
2003 Halloween US53 (5 weeks)
US
Mixture of classical music and original compositions
2004 Halloween: Monster Mix US65 (2 weeks)
US
2005 Romantic themes US172 (1 week)
US
2006 Halloween 2: Creatures Collection US68 (4 weeks)
US
2014 30/40 US53 (9 weeks)
US
Compilation for the 30th anniversary of the first Christmas and the 40th anniversary of the first Fresh Aire album

More albums

  • Saving the Wildlife (Soundtrack to a TV documentary, 1986, re-released as Safari in 2012 )
  • To Russia with Love (original compositions and pieces by Russian classical composers, 1994)
  • Huskers Music ( EP , 1996)
  • A Mannheim Massage (compilation, 1997)
  • In the Deed / The Glory (compilation, 1998)
  • Ambience: Bird Song (2000)
  • Ambience: Summer Song Song (2001)
  • Ambience: Ambience Song (2003)
  • Exclusive Collection (compilation, 2004)
  • Halloween: Sweet Tooth (Compilation, 2006)
  • Toccata: Best of Mannheim Steamroller (Compilation, 2006)
  • The Music of the Spheres (2007)
  • True Wilderness (2010)
  • Snapshot: Mannheim Steamroller (compilation, 2013)
  • Exotic Spaces (2017)

Chip Davis Compilations

Compilations of pieces by different performers, mostly with an introductory or closing piece by Mannheim Steamroller

year title Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements
(Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) 		Remarks
US US
1996 Chip Davis' Holiday Music US168 (1 week)
US

More albums

  • Chip Davis' Day Parts: Sunday Morning Coffee (1991)
  • Chip Davis' Day Parts: Party Music That Cooks (1992)
  • Chip Davis' Day Parts: Romance (1992)
  • Chip Davis' Day Parts: Dinner (1992)
  • Impressions (1992)
  • Chip Davis' Day Parts: Sunday Morning Coffee 2 (1993)
  • Chip Davis' Day Parts: Party Music That Cooks 2 (1995)
  • Chip Davis' Holiday Music II (1997)
  • Chip Davis' Day Parts: Romance II (1997)
  • Chip Davis Presents: Renaissance Holiday (1998)

Video albums

  • 1997: Christmas Live (US:goldgold)
  • 2004: Mannheim Steamroller Music DVD Collection (US:goldgold)

Awards for music sales

Golden record

  • CanadaCanada Canada
    • 1989: for the album Christmas Record

Note: Awards in countries from the chart tables or chart boxes can be found in these.

Country / Region Gold record icon.svg gold Platinum record icon.svg platinum Sales swell
Awards for music sales
(country / region, awards, sales, sources)
Canada (MC) Canada (MC) Gold record icon.svg gold1 0! P- 50,000 musiccanada.com
United States (RIAA) United States (RIAA) Gold record icon.svg 13 × gold13 Platinum record icon.svg 23 × platinum23 28,600,000 riaa.com
All in all Gold record icon.svg 14 × gold14th Platinum record icon.svg 23 × platinum23

swell

  1. ↑ a b c d Mannheim Steamroller in the gold / platinum database of the RIAA (USA)
  2. ↑ a b c Mannheim Steamroller / Chip Davis in the US charts (Billboard)
  3. ↑ Chart sources Chip Davis: New Age Charts / Billboard 200

Web links