A musical group often described as a New Age ensemble is on the way to Bellingham to help residents celebrate.
Mannheim Steamroller is the brainchild of Chip Davis, a composer and percussionist who founded the group in 1974. The ensemble is large, with as many as 14 members, and is considered a New Age group with touches of rock and classical music. Sales of their albums have topped 28 million records in the United States alone.
The first series of albums began with “Fresh Aire” (1975), followed by “Fresh Air II” in 1977, “Fresh Aire III” in 1979 and Fresh Air IV in 1981. Each of the four albums explored one of the four seasons and all four were rated Gold.
However, the group’s largest success has been their Christmas music, in which they put their own spin on classic carols. They released “Mannheim Steamroller Christmas” in 1984, and watched it earn a 6X Platinum rating from the RIAA; their third Christmas album, 1995’s “Christmas in the Aire,” earned the No. 1 spot on the New Age chart, and No. 3 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart.
Mannheim Steamroller will be at the Mt. Baker Theatre in Bellingham on December 11, with the Mannheim Steamroller Christmas show starting at 7.30 pm. At their live shows, Mannheim Steamroller has not only soloists on stage led by Davis, but an orchestra in the pit. Performances like this benefit from the publicity generated when organizers work with poster printing to create advertisements.
