Louis F. "Chip" Davis Jr. (born September 5, 1947 in

Hamler, Ohio Hamler is a village in Henry County, Ohio, United States. The population was 576 at the 2010 census. Hamler is a rural farming community in Northwest Ohio about southwest of Toledo, Ohio. It is located at the intersection of the former Baltimore ...

) is the founder and leader of the music group

Mannheim Steamroller Mannheim Steamroller is an American neoclassical new-age music ensemble founded and directed by percussionist/composer Chip Davis in 1974. The group is known primarily for its '' Fresh Aire'' series of albums, which blend classical music with ...

. Davis composed the music for several C. W. McCall albums, including the hit 1975 song "

Convoy A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...

". He has also written and made other albums, such as ''Day Parts'', and has written several books.

Early life

Louis F. Davis was born in

. His family later moved to Portland, Ohio, and, when Davis was 11, to Sylvania. He began piano lessons at age 4 and had composed his first piece of music at age 6. He graduated from Sylvania High School and went on to graduate from the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

School of Music, specializing in bassoon and

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Ex ...

and playing the University of Michigan Symphony Band. Davis's parents both attended the university, and his father played clarinet in the band.

Career

After touring with the Norman Luboff Choir, he took a job with

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...

, advertising agency Bozell & Jacobs, Inc. writing

jingle A jingle is a short song or tune used in advertising and for other commercial uses. Jingles are a form of sound branding. A jingle contains one or more hooks and meaning that explicitly promote the product or service being advertised, usually ...

s. These included spots for a local company, Metz Bakery, featuring the fictional trucker C. W. McCall. The spots were co-written with the advertising writer William Fries, who became the voice of McCall. The spots were so popular that Davis and Fries were persuaded to begin writing non-advertising songs featuring McCall. The song "Convoy" reached number 1 on the

Billboard Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streamin ...

the week of January 10, 1976, using

CB slang CB slang is the distinctive anti-language, argot or cant which developed among users of Citizens Band radio (CB), especially truck drivers in the United States during the 1970s and early 1980s. The slang itself is not only cyclical, but also ...

during the CB/

trucker A truck driver (commonly referred to as a trucker, teamster, or driver in the United States and Canada; a truckie in Australia and New Zealand; a HGV driver in the United Kingdom, Ireland and the European Union, a lorry driver, or driver in ...

fad. The duo released five albums between 1974 and 1979. Davis was named SESAC Country Music Writer of the Year in 1976. Davis founded Mannheim Steamroller in 1974 to showcase his interest in fusing modern popular and classical techniques. The first album, ''

Fresh Aire ''Fresh Aire'' is the first album by new-age musical group Mannheim Steamroller. It was originally released in 1975. Background The record was followed by seven additional albums in the ''Fresh Aire'' series. Each of the first four Fresh Aire a ...

'', was completed shortly after. It was turned down by major record labels, so Davis founded

American Gramaphone American Gramaphone is an American record company based in Omaha, Nebraska. It is best known for releasing Chip Davis' new age solo and Mannheim Steamroller albums. History American Gramaphone was formed in 1974 by Chip Davis. American Gra ...

to release it. American Gramaphone has been the label for all subsequent Mannheim Steamroller releases. Eight ''Fresh Aire'' albums were released, concluding with ''

Fresh Aire 8 ''Fresh Aire 8'' is an album by Mannheim Steamroller, released in 2000. It is the final album in the ''Fresh Aire'' series and is based on the topic of infinity, with each track or suite representing a different "aspect of infinity." The tracks' t ...

'' in 2000. Mannheim Steamroller released ''

Mannheim Steamroller Christmas ''Christmas'' (also known as ''Mannheim Steamroller Christmas'') is the first Christmas music, Christmas album and sixth studio album released by American musical group Mannheim Steamroller. It was the band's first album to chart on the Billboar ...

'' in 1984; Davis is credited with revolutionizing the "traditional" sounds of Christmas. The group's subsequent Christmas music albums have sold tens of millions of copies and become among the most popular recordings in that genre. His annual Mannheim Steamroller Christmas concert tour, utilizing two

cover bands A cover band (or covers band) is a band that plays songs recorded by someone else, sometimes mimicking the original as accurately as possible, and sometimes re-interpreting or changing the original. These remade songs are known as cover songs. Ne ...

that tour simultaneously, has continued for over 25 years across the US. Davis was awarded his 19th gold record in 2010. The Recording Industry Association of America has also awarded Davis four multi-platinum and eight platinum records. Davis also hosts a once-a-year, 24-hour Christmas music and story radio program called ''An American Christmas''. The program is produced by WestStar Multimedia and broadcast on December 24–25 over hundreds of radio stations.

Discography

As Chip Davis * ''Sunday Morning Coffee'' (1991) * ''Party: Music That Cooks'' (1992) * ''Dinner'' (1992) * ''Romance'' (1992) * ''Impressions'' (1993) * ''Sunday Morning Coffee II'' (1994) * ''Party 2'' (1995) * ''Holiday Musik'' (1996) * ''Holiday Musik II'' (1997) * ''Romance II'' (1997) * ''Chip Davis Presents: Renaissance Holiday'' (1998) As Mannheim Steamroller * see

References

External links

* Biography in allmusic.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Chip 1947 births Living people Interlochen Center for the Arts alumni American rock musicians American male composers 21st-century American composers Mannheim Steamroller members People from Henry County, Ohio Grammy Award winners University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance alumni People from Meigs County, Ohio People from Sylvania, Ohio 21st-century American male musicians