Mannheim Steamroller’s Military Man

Mannheim Steamroller and American Gramaphone founder Chip Davis has long considered music, much like life, to be a gift.  With the Fourth of July coming up, he would readily add ‘freedom’ to that list of gifts. Throughout the course of his successful career, Chip has often made opportunities to show his gratitude to American servicemen and women for all they sacrifice to protect us and our way of life.

How We Support the Troops
As we get ready to celebrate the birth of our nation and the freedoms we enjoy as Americans on July Fourth, we thought we’d take a look back at a few of the memorable ways Mannheim Steamroller has shown its appreciation for our troops. Those ways include:

• “A Million Reasons to Be Thankful” campaign, giving away 1 million Christmas CDs in 2008 to U.S. Troops both domestically and abroad to more than 40 USO locations.
• Donating books and CDs to schools in military areas and locations that provide temporary living to families of disabled soldiers.
• Giving away CDs to military hospitals like Walter Reed, Bethesda Medical Naval Center, and Brooke Army Medical Hospital and to military service members and their families through the Veterans of Foreign Wars Foundation.

For his support of the troops, Chip has been recognized by the Department of Defense and received the Pentagon’s Award for Exceptional Public. The National Guard, Department of Homeland Defense, USS Nebraska, Adopt a Soldier, and others have recognized Chip as well for donating production resources and copyrighted music for use in raising public visibility of their critical missions.

Gratitude and Inspiration for Military Members
Chip and everyone at Mannheim Steamroller is committed to continuing this support of the military. Gratitude for the military is one of the reasons (along with patriotic pride and a genuine love for America) that Chip created American Spirit, an album celebrating the essence of what it means to be an American. That album provides a sentimental backdrop for Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Veterans Day celebrations and includes arrangements like Aaron Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man, Battle Hymn of the Republic, and America the Beautiful.

Creating moving music and giving it away to American troops is an ongoing expression of thankfulness for Chip. “Throughout the years, I’ve had the opportunity to work with many in the armed services,” he says. “This is my expression of gratitude for their efforts and sacrifices.”

Join us by doing something special for the troops in your life – even if that’s something as simple as saying ‘thank you’ to a member of your family who served in the military this Fourth of July holiday.

Without their sacrifices, we’d have no freedom to celebrate.

American Spirit

If you thought Mannheim Steamroller was only for the holidays, think again. Celebrate the essence of what it means to be an American with this American Spirit CD. This album makes a great gift for Dad or for anyone who loves Americana!