Steve Karmen

Steve Karmen (born January 31, 1937) is an American composer known for his jingles, including "I Love New York", "Call Nationwide, 'Cause Nationwide Is On Your Side", and "Here Comes the King." Prior to working in advertising, Karmen was a Calypso singer and scored soundtracks for nudie films such as The Candidate and What Do You Say to a Naked Lady? (1970). into a conservative family, the son of a civil engineer and an accountant. His older brother, Arthur, was a physician involved in the discovery of alanine transaminase. and their father Hyman was a Russian immigrant who worked as a civil servant for more than 40 years. Karmen attended Bronx High School of Science, where he met Bobby Darin. After high school, they performed in Manhattan clubs as a duo. He later pursued acting at American Theatre Wing. and appeared on Talent Scouts in 1957. Though he lost, host Arthur Godfrey was impressed with his performance and Karmen performed on the Arthur Godfrey Time twice a day for three weeks. Art Davis encouraged him to travel to Trinidad, where he might find better success as a Calypso singer, and Karmen worked on a cruise ship for two months. He appeared in one film, Jukebox Racket, as a "boy hero" and not in any "touchy scenes." He orchestrated a total of 30 film scores, including Teenage Mother and Smorgasbroad.

While working on the nudie films, Karmen was hired to write music for a Girl Scouts commercial in 1966.

After his wife died from cancer in 1974, Karmen took a professional hiatus to spend time with his daughters. When he returned, he began working on his own album, We've All Been There, which he wrote for "emotionally tormented men and women" dealing with loss. was thought to be the highest-paid jingle writer in advertising, charging a $10,000 minimum initial creative fee.

Personal life Karmen and his wife Mary married c. 1961 and had three daughters. In 1976, he was living in Bedford Hills, New York, about 50 miles from New York City with his daughters.

Awards 1971 – Clio Award: "You've Said It All" (Budweiser) and Tijuana Smalls commercials 1979 – Clio Award, Best Music with Lyrics – Opening/Tag Category: "I Love New York"

Selected discography

Jingles 1969 – "Call Nationwide, 'Cause Nationwide Is On Your Side" (Nationwide Insurance) 1969 – "There's Nothing Like The Face Of A Kid Eating A Hershey Bar" (Hershey) 1970 – "Here Comes The King" (Budweiser) 1971 – "The Land of Pleasant Living" (National Bohemian) 1967 – Teenage Mother 1970 – What Do You Say to a Naked Lady? 1981 – Paternity