From his longtime home in Omaha, Neb., Mannheim Steamroller creator and founder Chip Davis makes innovative music inspired by the sounds of another age. This former teacher and jingle writer founded the music industry’s largest independent recording label, American Gramaphone, in 1974 when industry executives said Davis’ innovative 18th century instrumental rock sound would never sell. In addition to a Grammy Award, Davis is largely credited with establishing the New Age music category.
His first Christmas album in 1984, revolutionized the making and marketing of holiday music, the album’s success made Christmas records a “must do” for all music artists. With more than 31.5 million Christmas albums sold, Davis is the #1-selling Christmas artist of all time. Having 19 gold, 8 multi-platinum and 4 platinum-certified records, Davis is among an elite group of music artists with this number of RIAA records. He is also one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the music industry, offering a rich array of lifestyle products on www.mannheimsteamroller.com including hot chocolate, food, apparel and novelty items. His latest achievement is creating a cutting-edge psychoacoustic technology that is being used in major medical institutions such as Mayo Clinic.