Get in the Christmas mood with Mannheim Steamroller

LIMA — Chip Davis has never let a setback set him back. Instead, the man behind the powerhouse Mannheim Steamroller turns what holds others back into opportunities to soar.

“I wrote my first song when I was 5 years old. My grandma was my piano teacher, and in her little house in Hamler she would tell me to read the notes. Well, no one knew at that time that I needed glasses, including me, so instead of reading the music I picked up by ear what she was playing, and I learned to duplicate back anything almost immediately. From that, I began playing around with classical music, and from that began to create my own music,” Davis said in a phone interview this week with The Lima News.

His musical journey took a series of twists and turns, but by 1984, he landed on an idea he believed spectacular. He founded a group, Mannheim Steamroller, that played Christmas music.

“I thought it was a novel idea, but everyone I pitched it to said it would never work. I thought it might because at the time I was interested in Renaissance Christmas music, but I wanted to balance it with some wild, electronic stuff. That was our first album,” Davis said.

Twenty-six years later, Mannheim Steamroller is the premiere holiday band, performing at sold-out venues all around the country. This year, they will be in the Macy's Day parade for the second year, the first time any group has been invited back because they were so popular.

Because of health reasons, Davis no longer performs with the group. “That left me free to pursue other things,” he said. That included launching a second Mannheim Steamroller troupe, and taking part in an NBC special, “Unforgettable Holiday Moments on Ice,” which airs on Nov. 27.

“I also put together a new album which I think will again break the mold, ‘Exotic Spaces,' which will be released next year.

Then there's the ambiance music he has written for hospitals, the music he wrote for Universal's live Grinch show, and the Halloween music that Mannheim will begin performing.

“There's always something exciting going on. I guess I just want people who listen to the music we create to feel. We want you to explore your range of emotions. Our music can do that, and we also have a 100-foot wide HD video screen to help out that exploration,” Davis said.