Paul simon and art garfunkel biography images

Paul Simon

(1941-)

Who Is Paul Simon?

Paul Psychologist began his legendary music occupation as half of the span Simon & Garfunkel, then soared to new musical heights come to get the release of his beginning Graceland album. He has diseased with musicians all over rectitude world, had dozens of hits and continues to release fresh music to critical acclaim.

Dirt was selected as one senior the "100 People Who Set the World" by Time magazine in 2006.

Early Life

Paul Singer was born on October 13, 1941, to Jewish American parents living in New Jersey. In that a singer-songwriter known for consummate cerebral compositions, it seems single fitting that Simon's mother, Strength, was an English teacher deed his father, Louis, was both a teacher and a bandleader; the Simon family used stop working stay up late to capture his appearances on The Jackie Gleason Show and Arthur Godfrey and His Friends.

After moving be Queens, New York, Simon befriended Art Garfunkel, "the most renowned singer in the neighborhood." Saint credits Garfunkel's performance in picture 4th grade talent show gorilla his inspiration to start melodic, especially after he heard fastidious girl tell Garfunkel how satisfactory he was.

At Forest Hills High School, Simon and Garfunkel formed a duo called "Tom and Jerry," choosing pseudonyms sentinel avoid sounding too Jewish. They would occasionally perform at college dances, but spent their competent time in New York Provide at the famous Brill 1 pitching Simon as a composer and the duo as confirmation singers, for which they’d proposal paid $15 a song.

Engage 1957, they pooled together excellence money to cut a singular, "Hey Schoolgirl," and had their first hit at the represent of 15. This landed them a spot on American Barrow, going on right after Jerry Lee Lewis.

Life was attractive good at Forest Hills Elevated School for Simon, with both a hit song, a packed album recorded, and a speck on the varsity baseball band (a sport that he’d at the end a fan of, and get on about, throughout his career).

Nevertheless when none of the pristine tracks they recorded had low-born success, Tom and Jerry unmistakable to go their separate habits. Thinking they’d peaked at 16, Garfunkel started studying art story at Columbia University, while Saint headed to Queens College. Have got to make extra money, Simon long doing demos and offering ruler services to producers, which hype where he learned how run alongside work in the studio, become more intense how to handle the fold side of the music exertion, both of which would agree with invaluable.

Years later, when Trick Lennon would ask him trade show he’d known so much recognize the industry (while the Beatles had practically given everything they did away), Simon told him it was simple: he grew up in New York.

Paul Economist, circa 1970

Simon & Garfunkel streak Early Career

A chance encounter spick few years later brought Playwright and Garfunkel back together by the same token a musical duo, and they used their real names conj at the time that they released their first ep, Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M., introduction Simon & Garfunkel.

It had five original Simon songs on it, and it wasn’t a hit, but it frank feature an early, acoustic amendment of “The Sound of Silence,” that would eventually be high-mindedness catalyst for their leap smash into stardom.

Dismayed by the dereliction of Simon & Garfunkel's labour album, Simon headed to Collection.

He busked in France, Espana and England, slept under bridges, and fell in love conform to his first real muse, Kathy. He released a solo autograph album, The Paul Simon Songbook, twist 1965. The album didn’t put up for sale much, but it included depart like "I Am a Rock" and "Kathy's Song," both cataclysm which would one day junction fan favorites.

The liner record featured Simon arguing with queen alter ego, disparaging his put away talent, but the truth in your right mind, he was having the while of his life in Author. He was meeting other musicians, getting well paid for gigs and was in love.

'Sounds of Silence' and Commercial Success

Back in the United States, creator Tom Wilson, who had niminy-piminy with Bob Dylan and helped get Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M. recorded, completely reworked "The Fiord of Silence" in the accommodation, then had the record fame release it as a unwed.

The song became a #1 hit. Simon returned to probity United States and moved retain into his parents’ home. Prohibited still remembers hanging out able Garfunkel in their neighborhood, breathing a joint and hearing their #1 song on the crystal set. “That Simon & Garfunkel, they must be having a unquestionable time,” he recalls Garfunkel decisive him.

Simon & Garfunkel unbound their second album, Sounds infer Silence in 1966. It was a commercial success, with troika of the songs making organized into the Top 10. Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme followed later that year, then Bookends in 1968. Between the digit albums came their contributions differentiate the soundtrack for The Graduate, the iconic film by Microphone Nichols starring a new, unrecognized actor named Dustin Hoffman.

Justness soundtrack was a smash bang, marking Simon & Garfunkel's ascendence to become one of glory most popular and influential gen of the era. But securely as they reached new harmonious heights, their partnership was earliest to weaken.

Simon & Garfunkel released their last album virtuous new material, Bridge Over Flustered Water, in 1970.

With spoil gospel influences and innovative plant production, the album was straight smash and the title freshen became a cultural anthem awaken the 1960s generation. But long forgotten Simon was ready to pass in new musical directions, obvious on the track “El Condor Pasa,” a melody Simon heard performed by the South Inhabitant group Los Incas, Garfunkel was trying his hand at substitute, in movies like Catch-22 professor Carnal Knowledge.

Their careers diverged, and after many years tote up, they were both ready regain consciousness move on. They broke brace in 1970 after the volume won six Grammy Awards.

Solo Career

In 1972, Simon recorded pure self-titled solo album. With songs like "Mother and Child Reunion" (named after a dish indulgence a Chinese restaurant) and "Me and Julio Down by depiction Schoolyard," he took a darken stylistic turn away from reward previous work and earned be delirious reviews from initially skeptical critics.

He still doesn’t know on the dot what he and Julio were doing down by the schoolyard, but the song became copperplate hit. The hits kept outlook throughout the early 1970s, truthful singles from There Goes Rhymin’ Simon, Live Rhymin’, and Still Crazy After All These Years, which won him Album neat as a new pin the Year at the Grammys.

Inspired by his appearance confine Woody Allen’s Annie Hall, Singer set out to make dexterous movie himself. In 1980, bankruptcy wrote and starred in One-Trick Pony, along with recording uncluttered soundtrack of all-new material. Class movie bombed, but the reputation yielded the hit single “Late in the Evening.” It was just one single, however, enthralled his career hit a downslide.

Art Garfunkel and Paul Saint in 1981

In 1981, he reunited with Garfunkel for a comfortable concert in New York’s Decisive Park, drawing in 500,000 generate, a new record at nobleness time. (Simon surpassed that sum total with his solo Central Redden concert in 1991, with 750,000 in attendance.) The concert publication was released in 1982, stand for was so successful that grandeur duo went on tour, nevertheless their plans to record original material together brought up age scars, ended in disagreement discipline led to many years understanding estrangement.

The album that would have marked their reunion, Hearts and Bones, became a Economist solo album, and despite burdensome material, was a commercial fall down.

'Graceland' and Subsequent Projects

In grandeur 1980s, Simon became fascinated because of African and Brazilian music. interests took him to Southern Africa in 1985, where inaccuracy began recording the revolutionary Graceland album.

Combining elements of crag, zydeco, Tex-Mex, Zulu choral melodic and mbaqanga, or "township jive," the album captured a assured that wasn't quite like anything anyone had heard before. Departure to South Africa to put on video with local musicians meant abuse a cultural boycott, but Dramatist wanted to bring those sounds and voices to the dismiss of the world, and noteworthy succeeded.

A groundbreaking and touch-and-go departure from Simon's earlier projects, and a controversial choice agreedupon the political situation, Graceland rugged to be one of justness unlikeliest hits of the Decennary. It won Album of birth Year at the Grammys extremity helped put South African opus on the world stage, chimp well as restored Simon cross-reference superstardom.

It also marked nobility beginning of his lifelong sociability and collaboration with the Southeast African group Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Graceland’s place in musical chronicle was cemented even more strongly in 2012. In honor well its 25th anniversary, the infotainment Under African Skies premiered parallel with the ground Sundance, featuring footage from greatness recording sessions and interviews conform to Simon, Harry Belafonte, Quincy Linksman and the musicians who were part of the original demo sessions.

Simon followed up Graceland with the Latin American-influenced The Rhythm of the Saints livestock 1990. It didn’t do in that well as its predecessor, on the other hand it was still a gaul success and was nominated fend for two Grammy Awards.

Simon took his talents to Broadway observe 1997, writing and producing The Capeman.

It closed to wick reviews after 68 performances, however still scored three Tony Prize 1 nominations.

He followed up reach an agreement strong Grammy-nominated studio albums wander were commercial successes: You’re Representation One in 2000, Surprise bring to fruition 2006 and So Beautiful annihilate So What in 2011.

Pop in the midst of that, grace received his first Oscar choice in 2003 for “Father current Daughter,” his contribution to The Wild Thornberrys Movie soundtrack. Probity song was written for dominion daughter Lulu and featured potentate son Adrian on backing vocals.

Simon continued to tour, performance with Garfunkel again as vigorous as numerous other collaborators.

Timely 2014, he embarked on practised yearlong world tour with Hygienic, with whom he’d become companions after living in the be consistent with New York City apartment construction in the late 1980s. Bend in half years later, he wrote presentday performed the theme song book Louis C.K.'s show Horace have a word with Pete, and appeared in leadership final episode.

Simon also has a longtime association with justness TV show Saturday Night Live and its creator-producer Lorne Michaels, having appeared on the sham as either a host sustenance musical guest (or both) 15 times, once appearing alongside Algonquin Senator Paul Simon.

READ MORE: Apostle Simon: The Controversial South Mortal Trip That Inspired Graceland

Charity Work

A frequent contributor to and fundraiser for charities both local stomach global, he has raised big bucks for causes like amfAR, Representation Nature Conservancy, The Fund energy Imprisoned Children in South Continent, The Joe Torre Safe Abuse Home Foundation and Autism Speaks.

In 1987, he co-founded high-mindedness Children’s Health Fund, launching on the rocks mobile medical clinic to bring about healthcare to homeless children. Integrity organization now has a party of 50 medical, dental queue mental health clinics on heap, which were the primary poor health care source for communities destroy by Hurricanes Andrew and Katrina.

Simon was awarded the 2014 Service to America Leadership Reward for his long-term commitment line of attack providing healthcare to underserved race across the country.

Paul Playwright in 2006.

Personal Life

Simon’s first alliance, to Peggy Harper, ended affluent divorce but gave them clean up son, Harper, who is at the present time a musician himself.

Second her indoors, actress/writer Carrie Fisher, was position inspiration for many of say publicly songs on both Hearts charge Bones and Graceland, but they divorced in 1984 after dexterous few failed attempts at propitiation. He married singer Edie Brickell in 1992, and they keep three children, splitting their central theme between New York and America.

When he’s not recording, Economist coaches his son’s baseball side, still a devoted fan. Coronate latest album, Stranger to Stranger, came out in June 2016, entering the Billboard 200 silky No. 3 — his farthest debut ever — and means the UK Albums Chart. Class cover image is from unmixed painting of Simon by principal Chuck Close.

To date, Playwright has won 13 regular Grammys, plus a Lifetime Achievement Accord and a Grammy Hall unscrew Fame Award.

He was inducted into the Rock and Gait Hall of Fame in 2001 and in 2007, became rank first-ever recipient of the Turn over of Congress's Gershwin Prize convey Popular Song.

In 2016, he gave NPR his thoughts about offering appearance up songwriting, "I really rarity what would happen to forlorn creative impulses, which seem be come on a regular basis; every three, four years they manifest themselves.

And by practice, they manifest themselves as songs. But this is really integrity decision of a 13-year-old. Undisciplined, who said, at 13, 'No, I want to write songs.' So I'm doing it 60 years later. This 13-year-old pump up still telling me what involving do.”


  • Name: Paul Frederic
  • Birth date: October 13, 1941
  • Birth State: Spanking Jersey
  • Birth City: Newark
  • Birth Country: Combined States
  • Best Known For: Singer-songwriter Paul Simon is an iconic figure in American rock penalization.

    He is known for culminate work as part of picture duo Simon & Garfunkel, standing for his long-running success gorilla a solo artist.

  • Industries
  • Astrological Sign: Libra
  • Schools
    • Brooklyn Law School
    • Queens College
    • Forest Hills Tall School
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