Jerry Martin is a jazz

Jazz

Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...

 and New Age

New Age

The New Age movement is a Western spiritual movement that developed in the second half of the 20th century. Its central precepts have been described as "drawing on both Eastern and Western spiritual and metaphysical traditions and then infusing them with influences from self-help and motivational...

 composer, famous for composing songs for television commercials, and for The Sims

The Sims

The Sims is a strategic life-simulation computer game developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. Its development was led by game designer Will Wright, also known for developing SimCity...

 and SimCity

SimCity

SimCity is a critically acclaimed city-building simulation video game, first released in 1989, and designed by Will Wright. SimCity was Maxis' first product, which has since been ported into various personal computers and game consoles, and spawned several sequels including SimCity 2000 in 1994,...

 series.

Biography

Jerry Martin had music lessons at the age of 10 and played guitar

Acoustic guitar

An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...

 and keyboards

Electronic keyboard

An electronic keyboard is an electronic or digital keyboard instrument.The major components of a typical modern electronic keyboard are:...

 in various ensembles through his high school and college. Martin received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Composition from California State University

California State University

The California State University is a public university system in the state of California. It is one of three public higher education systems in the state, the other two being the University of California system and the California Community College system. It is incorporated as The Trustees of the...

 at Hayward, California

Hayward, California

Hayward is a city located in the East Bay in Alameda County, California. With a population of 144,186, Hayward is the sixth largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area and the third largest in Alameda County. Hayward was ranked as the 37th most populous municipality in California. It is included in...

.

Martin began graduate studies and received his Master of Fine Arts degree from the Center For Contemporary Music at Mills College

Mills College

Mills College is an independent liberal arts women's college founded in 1852 that offers bachelor's degrees to women and graduate degrees and certificates to women and men. Located in Oakland, California, Mills was the first women's college west of the Rockies. The institution was initially founded...

 in Oakland, California

Oakland, California

Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...

. His academic awards include: Hellman Piano scholarship and Elizabeth Mils Crothers prize for excellence in music composition. In 1985, he founded his original music composition and production company called "Musicontrol". From 1985 to 1995, Martin composed and produced music for various projects such as video soundtracks to national TV and radio commercials, working with over 90 individual film, video and ad agency producers on over 200 different commissions from companies such as AT&T

AT&T

AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications corporation headquartered in Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the largest provider of mobile telephony and fixed telephony in the United States, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services...

, Toyota USA, NBA, Honda

Honda

is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...

, etc. In 1996, Martin joined the Maxis

Maxis

Maxis is an American company founded as an independent video game developer in 1987. It is currently a subsidiary of Electronic Arts . Maxis is the creator of one of the best-selling computer games of all time, The Sims and its first sequel, The Sims 2...

 division of Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...

 as Studio Audio Director and Lead Composer. From 1996 through 2004, he composed and produced music and directed the audio for multi-platinum video game franchises such as The Sims and SimCity.

In 2005, Martin started his new company, Jerry Martin Music, and is currently working on various professional and personal musical projects.

Video game soundtracks

• The Sims
  The Sims
  The Sims is a strategic life-simulation computer game developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. Its development was led by game designer Will Wright, also known for developing SimCity...
  
  
• The Sims Livin' Large
• The Sims House Party
• The Sims Hot Date
• The Sims Vacation
• The Sims Unleashed
• The Sims Superstar
• The Sims Makin' Magic
• The Sims Bustin' Out
  The Sims Bustin' Out
  The Sims Bustin' Out is the second title in The Sims console series. Bustin' Out was released for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, Nintendo GameCube, Game Boy Advance and N-Gage in the fourth quarter of . As the title suggests, the Sims can get out of the house to visit other locations such as Shiny Things...
  
  
• The Sims Online
  The Sims Online
  The Sims Online was a massively multiplayer online variation on Maxis's highly popular computer game The Sims. It was published by Electronic Arts and released on December 17, 2002 for Microsoft Windows. In March 2007, EA announced that the product would be re-branded as EA-Land and major...
  
  
• The Sims 2
  The Sims 2
  The Sims 2 is a strategic life simulation computer game developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. It is the sequel to the best-selling computer game, The Sims, which debuted on February 4, 2000. It was first released on September 14, 2004 for Microsoft Windows. A port to Apple Mac OS X...
  
  
• SimCity 3000
  SimCity 3000
  SimCity 3000 is a city building simulation personal computer game and the third major installment in the SimCity series. It was published by Electronic Arts and developed by series creator Maxis, a wholly owned subsidiary of EA...
  
  
• SimCity 3000 Unlimited
• SimCity 4
  SimCity 4
  SimCity 4 is a city-building/urban planning simulation computer game developed by Maxis, a subsidiary of Electronic Arts. It was released on January 14, 2003. It is the fourth installment in the SimCity series. SimCity 4 has a single expansion pack called Rush Hour which adds features to the game...
  
  
• SimCity 4 Rush Hour
• SimCopter
  SimCopter
  SimCopter is a 1996 computer game from Maxis. This game is a 3D offshoot from Maxis's normal fare, putting the player into a 3D city. Like Streets of SimCity, SimCopter lets the user import SimCity 2000 maps into the game.- Objective :...
  
  

• SimTunes
  SimTunes
  SimTunes is a children's software toy designed by Toshio Iwai and released by Maxis in 1996. It involves painting a picture with dots , where each color represents a musical note...
  
  
• SimPark
  SimPark
  SimPark is a 1996 video game by Maxis. The object of the game is to cultivate and manage a successful park. Similar to SimTown, it is targeted more towards children than the average gamer. SimPark attempts to show the importance of ecological balance...
  
  
• SimSafari
  SimSafari
  SimSafari is a construction and management simulation game almost identical to SimPark, except that the park is set in Africa rather than in North America, and therefore has African animals and plants. It was created by Maxis, partly as an educational tool for children to learn about environmental...
  
  
• SimGolf
  SimGolf
  SimGolf is a computer game created by Maxis in 1996. The game allows players to design their own golf-courses and play them, much akin to how SimCity 2000 can be used to create cities to play in Streets of SimCity and SimCopter....
  
  
• Streets of SimCity
  Streets of SimCity
  -External links:* *...
  
  
• Supercross 2000
  Supercross 2000
  Supercross 2000 is a racing game for the Nintendo 64 and PlayStation based on the motorbike racing sport of supercross. It was released at the end of 1999 by EA Sports, and includes campaign and multiplayer modes, as well as a "free play" feature for practicing tricks, similar to many other trick...
  
  
• Tony La Russa Baseball
  Tony La Russa Baseball
  Tony La Russa Baseball is a baseball computer and video game console sports game series , designed by Don Daglow, Michael Breen, Mark Buchignani, David Bunnett and Hudson Piehl and developed by Stormfront Studios. The game appeared on Commodore 64, PC, and Sega Genesis, and different versions were...
  
  

Companies whose TV commercials feature Martin's compositions

• AT&T Communications
  AT&T Communications
  AT&T Communications - East, Inc. was a holding company for the 23 subsidiaries that provide interexchange carrier and long distance telephone services owned by AT&T.-AT&T Long Lines:...
  
  
• Acer Corporation
• Alamo Car Rental
  Alamo Rent A Car
  Alamo Rent a Car is the third-largest car rental agency in the United States. Based in Clayton, Missouri, it has branches across the United States, Canada, Mexico, Central America, South America, parts of Africa, Europe, and Australia, and various Caribbean islands...
  
  
• Apple
  Apple
  The apple is the pomaceous fruit of the apple tree, species Malus domestica in the rose family . It is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits, and the most widely known of the many members of genus Malus that are used by humans. Apple grow on small, deciduous trees that blossom in the spring...
  
  
• Avocet
  Avocet
  The four species of Avocets are a genus, Recurvirostra, of waders in the same avian family as the stilts.Avocets have long legs and long, thin, upcurved bills which they sweep from side to side when feeding in the brackish or saline wetlands they prefer...
  
  
• Buick Dealers Association
• Cost Plus Imports
  Cost Plus, Inc.
  Cost Plus, Inc. is the owner and operator of the chain of Cost Plus World Market specialty/import retail stores. The name originated from the initial concept, since abandoned, of selling items for "cost plus 10%".-History:...
  
  
• Electronic Arts
  Electronic Arts
  Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...
  
  
• Emporium
• GMC Trucks Dealers Association
• Gallo Salame
• Grass Valley Group
• Growing Healthy Inc.
• Hilltop Shopping Center
  Hilltop Mall
  Hilltop Mall is a mall in the Hilltop neighborhood of Richmond, California. Hilltop is managed and co-owned by Simon Property Group, and is anchored by longtime tenants JC Penney, Macy's, Sears, and lastly Wal-Mart, a 2007 addition. -History:...
  
  
• Hitachi Data Systems
  Hitachi Data Systems
  Hitachi Data Systems is a company providing mid-range and high-end storage systems, software and services. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi Ltd. and part of the Hitachi Information Systems & Telecommunications Division....
  
  
• Honda
  Honda
  is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...
  
   Dealers Association
• KTVU Channel 2
  KTVU
  KTVU, virtual channel 2 , is the Fox-affiliated television station serving the San Francisco Bay Area. Licensed to Oakland, California, the station has been owned by Atlanta-based Cox Enterprises since 1964, making it the largest Fox affiliate by market size that is not owned and operated by the...
  
  
• Landor Associates
  Landor Associates
  Landor Associates is a San Francisco-based brand and creative design consultancy. Founded by Walter Landor and his wife Josephine in 1941, Landor pioneered many of the research, design and consulting methodologies that are now standard in the branding industry.-Operations:Landor offers brand...
  
  
• Longs Drug Stores
• Lucky Stores
  Lucky Stores
  Lucky Stores is an American supermarket chain founded in Alameda County, California in 1935. Lucky is currently operated by SuperValu in Southern California and Nevada and by Save Mart in Northern California and Nevada.In 1998, Lucky's parent company, American Stores, was taken over by Albertsons,...
  
  
• NBA
• Nationwide Marketing
• Olympic Stain
• Pacific Bell
  Pacific Bell
  The Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Company was the name of the Bell System's telephone operations in California. It gained in size by acquiring smaller telephone companies along the Pacific coast, such as Sunset Telephone & Telegraph in 1917...
  
  
• Philip Morris
  Philip Morris USA
  Philip Morris USA is the United States tobacco division of Altria Group, Inc. Philip Morris USA brands include Marlboro, Virginia Slims, Benson and Hedges, Merit, Parliament, Alpine, Basic, Cambridge, Bucks, Dave's, Chesterfield, Collector's Choice, Commander, English Ovals, Lark, L&M, Players and...
  
  
• Primerica
• Project Open Hand
  Project Open Hand
  Project Open Hand is a volunteer agency maintained and operated non-profit organization offering hot meals, grocery service, and nutrition education to those who qualify in both San Francisco and Alameda Counties...
  
  
• RSCVA
• Raychem Corporation
• Quantum
  Quantum Corp.
  Quantum Corporation is a manufacturer of tape drive, tape automation, data deduplication storage products and scalable file storage software, based in San Jose, California...
  
  
• Rolm
  ROLM
  -Products:The company first produced rugged mil-spec computers which used Data General software. The company divisionalized in 1978 becoming Rolm Mil-Spec Computers and Rolm Telecom...
  
  
• Safeway Eastern Division
  Safeway Inc.
  Safeway Inc. , a Fortune 500 company, is North America's second largest supermarket chain after The Kroger Co., with, as of December 2010, 1,694 stores located throughout the western and central United States and western Canada. It also operates some stores in the Mid-Atlantic region of the Eastern...
  
  
• Sierra Pacific Power
• Southern Pacific
• Sun Microsystems
  Sun Microsystems
  Sun Microsystems, Inc. was a company that sold :computers, computer components, :computer software, and :information technology services. Sun was founded on February 24, 1982...
  
  
• SYVA
• Suzuki USA
• Toyota
• Toyota USA
• Toyota Dealers Association
• Weinstock's
  Weinstock's
  Weinstock's was an American department store headquartered in Sacramento, California. The store was purchased by The Broadway in 1992, and later purchased by Federated Department Stores in 1995. Shortly after the purchase, most of the Weinstock's stores were converted to Macy's, while the...
  
  
• Wells Fargo Bank
• Wesson Oil
• Yamaha USA

External links

• Jerry Martin's official site
• Composer profile at OverClocked ReMix
  OverClocked ReMix
  OverClocked ReMix, also known as OC ReMix and OCR, is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and paying tribute to video game music through arranging and re-interpreting the songs with new technology and software, as well as by various traditional means...