Chip Davis

Mannheim Steamroller is a music group founded by Chip Davis, and co-founded by Jackson Berkey, known primarily for its modern recordings of Christmas music. The group has sold 28 million albums in the U.S. alone. Mannheim Steamroller actually began as an alias for record producer/composer Chip Davis. The name "Mannheim Steamroller" comes from an 18th-century German musical technique, Mannheim rocket or roller, an ascending arpeggio popularized by... more

Mannheim Steamroller is a music group founded by Chip Davis, and co-founded by Jackson Berkey, known primarily for its modern recordings of Christmas music. The group has sold 28 million albums in the U.S. alone. Mannheim Steamroller actually began as an alias for record producer/composer Chip Davis. The name "Mannheim Steamroller" comes from an 18th-century German musical technique, Mannheim rocket or roller, an ascending arpeggio popularized by the Mannheim school of composition. Before the fame of Steamroller, Davis had been best known for creating the country music character "C. W. McCall" (of "Convoy" fame) for his friend Bill Fries. Even before Davis made McCall a star, he produced an unusual album of classical music performed entirely by Davis and musical collaborator and keyboardist Jackson Berkey, using electric bass (played by Eric Hansen) and synthesizers. Since no major label would handle its distribution, Davis founded his own music label, American Gramaphone (a play on... less