Davis, now 62, is the creative force behind Mannheim Steamroller, and he just may be the most successful recording artist you've never heard of, having sold nearly 40 million CDs, including some of the most original takes on Yuletide favorites.
Sound Trak, Inc.
Chip Davis is a trailblazer in New Age Music.
Now, as Davis promotes "Christmas: 25th Anniversary Collection," a compilation CD, he looks back on that time when he penned a novelty tune that would would make him a sensation. It all began when ad exec William Fries asked him to help develop a song around his trucker character C.W. McCall, a citizens band radio user with the handle "Rubber Ducky."
Davis sprinkled the song with lingo like "10-4" and "bear in the air," and the kitschy tune became a sensation.
"When 'Convoy' was a hit, we did tours and because Bill [Fries] was the voice, we were basically shut down, if he couldn't perform," Davis said. "I wanted to do a project that could run without me being there."
From this, his band was born. The first release, "Mannheim Steamroller Christmas," established the group as a holiday favorite.
Although he's released albums pegged to Halloween and Independence Day (but not Groundhog Day – yet!), Christmas remains Davis' busy season.
The group has become so big, in fact, that Davis now has three versions of the Steamroller touring, and he rarely performs with any of them, though he's represented on stage by a coat.
The name "Mannheim Steamroller" refers to an 18th-century German musical term meaning "crescendo," but the band's music is equal parts classical music, prog rock and good old Midwestern showmanship, or what he has called "18th-century classical rock."
After "Convoy" and the CB craze died out, Davis went back to Omaha, Neb., and created Fresh Aire, a musical project based on the various sessions that he considers the start of Mannheim Steamroller and many consider a pioneering New Age album.
Davis was one of the first artists to release albums in the CD format, so Mannheim Steamroller recordings were very popular with stereo salesmen who wanted to show off the virtues of compact discs. As a result, he sold a lot of copies of that first album, which eventually hit the 9 million mark.
Davis' musical M.O. is to put a new spin on familiar Christmas songs. The Steamroller's rendition of "Deck the Halls" has a techno pulse that wouldn't be out of place in a dance club, while he slows down the melody of "Jingle Bells" to a glacial pace.
"I want to call attention to the beautiful melody," he said.
Because Davis is an independent artist who releases all his recordings on his own American Gramophone label, he does whatever it takes to ensure the good times keep steamrolling.
For instance, in addition to sales from CDs and concert tickets, Davis adds to the Steamroller's income by merchandising. But he's not content to simply sell posters and T-shirts at shows. In keeping with the season, he hawks Mannheim Steamroller cinnamon-flavored hot chocolate, as well as Mannheim Steamroller shampoo and Mannheim Steamroller grilling salt.
Davis is able to walk around Omaha without the prying eyes of paparazzi and admits the only time he was ever recognized by a fan was on a scuba-diving trip in the Caribbean.
He would have bought that fan a drink, but they were already included as part of the trip fee.
