IF YOU GOWhat: Mannheim Steamroller in concert.When: 7:30 p.m. Monday.Where: Memorial Auditorium, 399 McCallie Ave.Admission: $41.50-$61.50.Phone: 642-TIXS.Website: www.ChattanoogaOnStage.com.
Bing Crosby. Georg Friedrich Handel. Mannheim Steamroller.
When it comes to Christmas music, these are at the top of the list of household names.
The brainchild of multi-award-winning Chip Davis, the first Mannheim Steamroller album, “Mannheim Steamroller Christmas,” was released in 1984, despite doubt about the salability of a Christmas album.
Since then, 9 million copies of the first album have sold, according to a news release, and Mannheim Steamroller continually sells out venues each year.
“At Christmastime especially, people want to listen to something that is familiar in their lives. And for over 25 years, millions of people have grown up listening to our music,” Davis said in a news release. “It’s comforting to hear something from your childhood — kind of like comfort food. Also, Christmastime is family time, and our music and concerts are all family-friendly. We often see three generations attending one of our shows.”
On Monday, Davis will lead the group in a performance at Memorial Auditorium. A severe car accident a number of years ago rendered him unable to perform on tour, “so now I can instead focus on recording and producing the tours,” he said.
Combining New Age and modern sound, including electronica, with traditional music, Mannheim Steamroller offers a unique sound. Best known for Christmas music, Mannheim Steamroller has also tackled Halloween and Disney, in an album titled “Mannheim Meets the Mouse.”
Last year, Mannheim’s 25th anniversary Christmas album was certified gold (sales of 500,000 units), the 19th time the group has been awarded this honor.
Davis founded the record label American Gramophone in 1974, after existing labels rejected the New Age meets classical meets rock sound of his first album, “Fresh Aire.”