Chip Davis Wears Many Different Hats Mannheim Steamroller Has Sold More Than 40 Million Records, Completed 35 Christmas Tours
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Fellowship • Scholarship • Education And the Best View in Town VOLUME 69 • NUMBER 22 JANUARY 2019 WWW.OMAHAPRESSCLUB.COM SEE PAGE 3 SEE PAGE 5 Former ‘Face’ Chip Davis wears many different hats Mannheim Steamroller has sold more than 40 million records, completed 35 Christmas tours By Tom O’Connor best-selling Christmas music artist in history. tradition. “It’s one of the biggest honors Communications Committee Elvis Presley lags far behind with sales of 17 that you can possibly have – to be invited million albums. into people’s homes through my music and visionary musician and businessman, “Everyone in the music industry back have them integrate me into their Christmas Chip Davis’s remarkable career has in 1984 told me, ‘A Christmas album? You traditions,” Davis said. “I absolutely love it A spanned five decades. and love being part of At age 71, he’s still going strong, OVER THE YEARS, A WIDE VARIETY their families.” working out of his 150-acre farm outside The music has OF NOTABLES HAVE BEEN HONORED Omaha. Davis, who was honored by the become like “com- Omaha Press Club in 1989 as the 42nd BY HAVING THEIR LIKENESSES fort food” for many “Face on the Barroom Floor,” has indel- DISPLAYED ON THE FLOOR OF families, Davis said, ibly left his mark on the music industry, noting that it’s typical THE OMAHA PRESS CLUB. IN THIS while wearing many other different hats for three generations including entrepreneur, book author, OCCASIONAL SERIES, WE REVISIT of fans to attend one amateur astronomer and philanthropist. SOME OF THOSE INDIVIDUALS. of Mannheim Steam- Playing what Davis calls “18th centu- Chip Davis roller’s concerts. ry classic rock,” his six-member Mann- For Davis, his heim Steamroller band just finished its 35th can’t do that. Only artists who have run out first big break came in the 1970s when he Christmas tour performing before sold-old of ideas ever do a Christmas album,’” Davis and ad executive Bill Fries created a series of venues around the country. Accompanied by said. “But you know me. When someone commercials about a fictional truck driver 12-15 local symphony members at concerts, says, ‘It’ll never work,’ I take it as a personal named C.W. McCall and his waitress girl- the group has sold more than 40 million challenge.” friend, Mavis, at the “Old Home Filler Up records worldwide -- 30 million of which For many families, the music of Mann- are Christmas albums. It has made Davis the heim Steamroller has become a Christmas Continue on Page 2 World-Herald staffers to discuss OPC Annual Meeting news industry challenges on Jan. 17 will look back and ahead ocal newspapers across the country are facing financial challenges in the ark your calendars for Thursday, Ltransition to the digital age. They’ve Jan. 17, the date of the Omaha seen losses of both advertising dollars and MPress Club Annual Meeting. print subscriptions, the results seen in A 5:30 p.m. social, featuring layoffs, smaller newspapers and increases in complimentary hors d’oeuvres, will precede subscription prices. the 6 o’clock call-to-order. The meeting The Omaha World-Herald has not been will include reports from the outgoing immune to these challenges and is working Graham Archer Henry Cordes president, Woody Bradford, and OPC’s hard to adapt to the industry’s challenges. the newsroom. executive director, Steve Villamonte, plus At a Noon Education Forum on Jan. 17, the annual reports from committee chairs. three members of the World-Herald News • Graham Archer is Also on the agenda are the election Department will offer a look at how they the newspaper’s digital of 2019 officers and a vote on a proposed are doing that and what the future may editor in charge of amendment to the club bylaws. hold. Omaha.com and the In an effort to make board of directors World-Herald’s digital meetings as productive as possible for • Executi Melissa Matczak oversees the properties. Melissa Matczak the club and its members, President-elect day-to-day operations of the World-Herald and Omaha.com and handles recruiting for Continue on Page 2 Continue on Page 2 CHIP DAVIS, Continued from Page 1 ANNUAL MEETING, Continued from Page 1 Fun Facts – Chip Davis and Mannheim Steamroller and Keep on Truckin’ Café.” Jeremy Maskel has proposed a change to The jingles became quite popular and the OPC bylaws that would require board led to the production of the song “Convoy” • Davis began his musical training at age members to attend 6 out of the 10 meetings in 1975. More than 10 million copies of 4; wrote his first piece of music at age in a year. The board could vote to excuse a the song were sold, and a movie was made 6 – a four-part chorale about his dog member in event of illness, travel or family starring Kris Kristofferson and Ali McGraw. Stormy; joined the Vienna Boys’ Choir emergency. For his work, Davis won the Country Music at age 11; played bassoon in the Toledo Board members present at the October Writer of the Year Award. meeting voted unanimously to support the Mannheim Steamroller was formed in Symphony at age 16; and sang as a tenor in the Norman Luboff Choir. proposal and put it to the full membership. 1974 and Davis established his own record- The Maskel motion: • Davis took out a loan to cover the ing company, American Gramaphone Re- "I move to amend the OPC bylaws cords, to record his first “Fresh Aire” album. costs of his first Christmas tour. Today to require that members of the Board of “Fresh Aire was well liked by all the big the Mannheim Steamroller tour consis- Directors attend six (6) of the ten (10) record companies, but they all turned us tently ranks among the top 20 tours in regularly scheduled meetings throughout down because they couldn’t figure out how America and is the longest running in the year, with the understanding that the to market an instrumental group that com- the industry. Board of Directors could vote to excuse a bined Renaissance instruments with rock • Davis is the author of several chil- member's absence in the event of illness, beats,” Davis said. “They said, ‘There’s no dren’s books and marketed an entire travel, a family emergency or similar line of food products – some of which situation." come from his own recipes. He also has Also up for a vote are these nominees: apparel, gift and other items under the President: Jeremy Maskel, Ralston Public Mannheim Steamroller brand. Schools President-elect: Tom Shatel, Omaha • Davis developed a patent-pending World-Herald music therapy system called Ambient Treasurer: Dale Ervin, First National Therapy. It combines music with natural Bank sounds and is being used by the Mayo Secretary: Bridget (Weide) Brooks, Image Clinic, Wake Forest Medical Center, The Building Communications National Intrepid Center for Wounded Immediate Past President: Woody Warriors and other medical facilities, Bradford, Houghton Bradford Whitted including the Chihuly Sanctuary at the Board Members: Chip Davis Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center Mike McKnight, WOWT at the University of Nebraska Medical Melissa Hoeman, Nebraska Medicine Kristyna Engdahl, MECA category for this. It will never work.’ ” Center/Nebraska Medicine. • Mannheim Steamroller provided onsite Chris Allen, UNO How wrong they were. Mannheim Cindy Workman, Creighton University technology to capture and record the Steamroller has produced 19 gold, eight Erin Johnson, First National Bank multi-platinum, and four platinum-certified launch and landing of the space shuttles For those who wish to vote but are records. The “Fresh Aire 7” album won a Discovery and Atlantis. It has been char- unable to attend the meeting, a proxy Grammy Award for Best New Age Record- acterized by NASA as the most accurate ballot is on page 3. Please mail the ballot to ing in 1990. audio recording of a shuttle launch and the Press Club or email it to opcchristine@ The group has performed at the White landing ever made. gmail.com House for three different National Christmas • Davis donated $1 million to his alma Tree Lighting Ceremonies and appeared mater, the University of Michigan, to WORLD-HERALD, Continued from Page 1 multiple times in the Macy’s Thanksgiving help create the Chip Davis Technology Day Parade. Lab in the School of Music, providing • Henry Cordes is a general assignment Born in Hamler, Ohio, a small farming students with cutting-edge technology reporter focusing on public policy matters community (population 552), Davis has es- at the state, regional, and national levels. and developments in the music field. chewed going to the East or West Coast and He has been at the World-Herald for more remained in the Midwest. “The community • Active in nature-related causes, Davis than 30 years. atmosphere and values helped shape who I donated $350,000 to Fontenelle Forest’s The forum will be conducted from noon am today,” he said. “The farm boy is still in Raptor Recovery Center to enable the to 1 p.m.. The $17 charge includes lunch, me.” building of an eagle mew to hold the with food service beginning at 11:30 a.m. He has three children – Kelly, 27, Evan, first American bald eagle on display in Non-Press Club members are welcome. 22, and Elyse, 19. Nebraska. Call 402-345-8008 for reservations or [email protected]. Fu Page 2 JANUARY 2019 STROTHERT, continued from Page 1 A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT Bridget (Weide) Brooks, who is representative of Marhoon. Speaking of the latter, it was this a group of loyal board members and committee committee that, with our own staff, created heads.