Christmas (Mannheim Steamroller album)
Christmas is the first Christmas album and sixth studio album overall released by American musical group Mannheim Steamroller. It was the band's first album to chart on the Billboard 200 album chart, peaking at No. 50.
On June 21, 2004, the album was certified 6× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for shipment of six million copies in the United States since its 1984 release, making it one of the best-selling Christmas/holiday albums in the U.S.
Seven of the album's 11 tracks were included in the group's 2004 compilation Christmas Celebration.
It is Manheim Steamroller's second best selling Christmas album, and as of November 2014, it was the seventh best-selling Christmas/holiday album in the U.S. during the Nielsen SoundScan era of music sales tracking, having sold a total of 3,500,000 copies during that period according to SoundScan.
2019 marked the 35th anniversary of the album, which was celebrated with special-edition vinyl and compact disc releases.
Personnel
- Louis F. "Chip" Davis Jr. - drums, percussion, recorder, bells, dulcimer, crumhorn, vocals, pencil, dry ice
- Eric Hansen - bass, lute
- Jackson Berkey - Baldwin S-10 piano, Davis harpsichord, clavichord, toy piano, Prophet 5 synthesizer, Fender Rhodes, camel bells, vocals
- Ron Cooley - 6 and 12-string guitars
- Willis Ann Ross - flute
- David "High D" Kappy - French horn
- Mary Walter - harp
- Russell Powell - bass guitar
- String section includes Steve Shipps, Richard Lohmann, Richard Altenbach, Grace Granata, Deborah Fuller, Scott Shoemaker, Michelle Brill, Michael Strauss, Roxanne Adams, David Low, Kim Rockshaw, Greg Clinton, Wayne Anderson, and Bill Ritchie
- Ron Dabbs - camel bells, sound effects engineer
- Louis Davis Sr. - keyboard technician