Chip Davis, founder and creator of Mannheim Steamroller, celebrates the 35^th anniversary of his annual Christmas concert tour, making it the longest-running consecutive concert tour in the entertainment industry. The tour comes to the Peace Center on Saturday, Nov. 23, at 8 p.m.

 

“I remember when I came out with my first Christmas album in 1984 followed by our first tour. Back then, many in the music industry said focusing on Christmas just wouldn’t work,” said Davis.  

 

“Now, 35 years later, we are still going strong. I want to thank our fans for making us part of their holiday tradition. Today we often see multi-generational families join us during the holidays each year.”

 

Davis founded his own record label, American Gramaphone, which went on to become one of the industry’s largest independent record labels. A Grammy^® Award winner, Mannheim Steamroller has sold more than 40 million albums, 29 million in the Christmas genre. Their holiday CDs have become synonymous with Christmas and occupy top positions on Billboard’s Seasonal Chart every year. 

 

This year’s show will feature the original classic Christmas hits from the first Mannheim Steamroller Christmas album, along with multimedia effects in an intimate setting. Davis will direct and co-produce tour performances with MagicSpace Entertainment.

 

Mannheim Steamroller Christmas by Chip Davis is co-produced by MagicSpace Entertainment. The company is headed by Lee D. Marshall, Joe Marsh, John Ballard, and Steve Boulay and has been producing and presenting national tours, Broadway shows, concerts and museum exhibits worldwide for more than 35 years. They have an office in Park City, Utah. www.magicspace.net

 

About Chip Davis and Mannheim Steamroller

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 18^th 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, and the album’s success made Christmas records a “must do” for all music artists. With more than 29 million Christmas albums sold, Davis is the No. 1-selling Christmas artist of all time, with Elvis coming in at a distant 17 million holiday records sold. With 19 gold, eight multi-platinum and four platinum-certified records, Davis is among an elite group of music artists holding 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.

 

To connect with Mannheim Steamroller, follow on Twitter @MannheimSteam and Facebook at www.facebook.com/MannheimSteamroller or at www.MannheimSteamroller.com. 

 

Tickets for the Saturday, Nov. 23, 8 p.m. performance of Mannheim Steamroller Christmas are $55-$85 and may be purchased by calling 864.467.3000 or 800.888.7768, in person at the Peace Center Box Office or online at www.peacecenter.org. Tickets go on sale to Peacekeepers beginning July 22 and go on sale to the public on Friday, July 26, at 10 a.m. Service fees will apply to phone and online sales.