Name	Paul Simon
Background	solo_singer
Origin	Newark, New Jersey, United States
Birth name	Paul Frederic Simon
Born	October 13, 1941
Genre	Folk rock, folk-pop, soft rock, world fusion
Occupation	Singer-songwriter, musician, record producer
Years active	1957–present
Instrument	Vocals, guitar, bass guitar, piano, percussion
First album	The Velvet Underground and Nico
Latest album	Surprise (album)
Label	Columbia (1964-1977, 2010-present [catalog]Warner Bros. (1978-2009)Hear Music (2010-present)
Associated acts	Simon & Garfunkel
Notable instruments	Martin OM42PS (Paul Simon) and PS2 Yamaha PS Signature Models
Website	}}

Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.

Simon is best known for his success, beginning in 1965, as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, with musical partner Art Garfunkel. Simon wrote most of the pair's songs, including three that reached number one on the US singles charts, "The Sound of Silence", "Mrs. Robinson", and "Bridge Over Troubled Water". In 1970, at the height of their popularity, the duo split, and Simon began a successful solo career, recording three highly-acclaimed albums over the next five years. In 1986, he released ''Graceland'', an album inspired by South African township music that helped fuel the anti-apartheid movement. Besides music, Simon wrote and starred in the film ''One-Trick Pony'' in 1980 and co-wrote the Broadway musical ''The Capeman'' in 1998.

Through his solo and collaborative work, Simon has earned 13 Grammys, including the Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2001, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and in 2006 was selected as one of the "100 People Who Shaped the World" by ''Time'' magazine. Among many other honors, Simon was named the first recipient of the Library of Congress's Gershwin Prize for Popular Song in 2007.

Biography

Early years

Born in Newark, New Jersey to Jewish immigrant parents from Hungary. His father, Louis (1916–1995), was a professional musician who played the bass, while his mother, Belle (1910–2007), was an elementary school teacher. Having also been trained as a musician, she gave private music lessons in her spare time. In Hungary, his father was a first violinist on the main Budapest radio station.

According to Simon's biographer, Marc Eliot, his parents immigrated to the United States in the early 1930s, during a period when Jews were being persecuted throughout Europe. After relocating in the U.S., his father took on the stage name of Lee Sims, and became a regular bassist and eventually a bandleader on several radio and primetime TV shows, including the ''Arthur Godfrey'' show and ''The Jackie Gleason Show''. In 1941 his family moved to Kew Garden Hills, Queens in New York City. Simon was named after his grandfather, Paul, a tailor in Vienna, whom he never knew.

Donald Fagen, lead singer for the rock band Steely Dan, has described Simon's childhood as that of "a certain kind of New York Jew, almost a stereotype, really, to whom music and baseball are very important. I think it has to do with the parents. The parents are either immigrants or first generation Americans who felt like outsiders, and assimilation was the key thought — they gravitated to black music and baseball looking for an alternative culture." Simon, upon hearing Fagen's description, claimed it "isn't far from the truth." Simon says about his childhood, "I was a ballplayer. I'd go on my bike, and I'd hustle kids in stickball." He adds that his father was a Yankee fan:

Simon remembers the time his father first heard him singing to himself in his room, and peeked in: "That's nice, Paul. You have a nice voice." It was a turning point for the young Simon, who, notes Eliot, "idolized his father and was proud of his connection" to the music business. "The compliment was enough to make Paul think he really might want to become a singer."

Simon's musical career began at Forest Hills High School after meeting Art Garfunkel when they were both 11. They performed in a production of Alice in Wonderland for their sixth grade graduation, and began singing together when they were 13, occasionally performing at school dances. Their idols were the Everly Brothers, whom they imitated in their use of close two-part harmony. Simon also developed an interest in jazz, folk and blues, especially musical legends Woody Guthrie and Lead Belly.

Simon's first song written for himself and Garfunkel, when he was 12 or 13, was called "The Girl for Me," and according to Simon became the "neighborhood hit." His father wrote out the words and chords on paper by hand for the boys to use. That paper became the first officially copyrighted Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel song, and is now in the Library of Congress. In 1957, still in their mid-teens, they recorded the song "Hey, Schoolgirl" under the name Tom and Jerry, given to them by their label Big Records. The single reached number forty-nine on the pop charts.

After graduating from high school, Simon majored in English at Queens College, while Garfunkel studied mathematics at Columbia University in Manhattan. Simon was a brother in the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity, earned a degree in English literature, and briefly attended Brooklyn Law School after graduation, but his real passion was rock and roll.

Early career

Between 1957 and 1964, Simon wrote, recorded, and released more than thirty songs, occasionally reuniting with Garfunkel as Tom & Jerry for some singles, including "Our Song" and "That's My Story". Most of the songs Simon recorded in the six years after 1957 were performed alone or with musicians other than Garfunkel. They were released on several minor record labels, such as Amy, Big, Hunt, King, Tribute, and Madison. He used several different pseudonyms for these recordings, including Jerry Landis, Paul Kane (from Orson Welles's film ''Citizen Kane'') and True Taylor. Simon enjoyed some moderate success in recording a few singles as part of a group called ''Tico and the Triumphs'', including a song called "Motorcycle" which reached No. 97 on the ''Billboard'' charts in 1962. Tico and the Triumphs released four 45s. Marty Cooper, known as Tico, sang lead on several of these releases. Bobby Susser, children's songwriter and record producer, and childhood friend of Simon's, co-produced the Tico 45s with Simon. That year, Simon reached No. 99 on the pop charts as Jerry Landis with the hit "The Lone Teen Ranger." Both chart singles were released on Amy Records.

In 1965 Simon moved to England and started touring folk clubs and coffee houses. At the first club he played, the Railway Inn Folk Club in Brentwood, Essex, he met Kathy Chitty who became his girlfriend and inspiration for "Kathy's Song", "America" and others. He performed at Les Cousins in London and toured provincial folk clubs where he was exposed to a wide range of musical influences. In 1965 he recorded his solo LP ''The Paul Simon Songbook'' in England. During his time in the UK Simon co-wrote several songs with Bruce Woodley of the Australian pop group The Seekers including "I Wish You Could Be Here," "Cloudy", and "Red Rubber Ball"; Woodley's co-author credit was omitted from "Cloudy" on the ''Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme'' album. The American group The Cyrkle recorded a cover of "Red Rubber Ball", which reached number two in the US. Simon also contributed to The Seekers catalogue with "Someday One Day," which was released in March 1966, charting at around the same time as Simon and Garfunkel's Homeward Bound.

Simon & Garfunkel

In early 1964, Simon and Garfunkel got an audition with Columbia Records, whose executive Clive Davis was impressed enough to sign the duo to a contract to produce an album. Columbia decided that the two would be called simply "Simon & Garfunkel", a replacement for the group's previous name "Tom and Jerry". Simon claimed in 2003 that this renaming as "Simon & Garfunkel" was the first time that artists' ethnic names had been used in pop music.

Simon and Garfunkel's first LP, ''Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.'', was released on October 19, 1964 and consisted of twelve songs in the folk vein, five of them written by Simon. The album initially flopped, but East Coast radio stations began receiving requests for one of the tracks, Simon's "The Sounds of Silence". Their producer, Tom Wilson, overdubbed the track with electric guitar, bass, and drums, releasing it as a single that eventually went to number one on the pop charts in the USA.

Simon had gone to England in 1965 after the initial failure of ''Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.'', pursuing a solo career. He returned to the United States, however, to reunite with Garfunkel after "The Sounds of Silence" had started to enjoy commercial success. Together they recorded four more influential albums: ''Sounds of Silence''; ''Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme''; ''Bookends''; and the hugely successful ''Bridge over Troubled Water''. Simon and Garfunkel also contributed extensively to the soundtrack of the Mike Nichols film ''The Graduate'' (1967), starring Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft. While writing "Mrs. Robinson", Simon originally toyed with the title "Mrs. Roosevelt". When Garfunkel reported this indecision over the song's name to the director, Nichols replied: "Don't be ridiculous! We're making a movie here! It's Mrs. Robinson!" Simon and Garfunkel returned to England in the Fall of 1968 and did a church concert appearance at Kraft Hall, which was broadcast on the BBC, and which also featured Paul's brother Ed sitting in on a performance of the instrumental "Anji".

Simon pursued solo projects after the duo released their popular album ''Bridge over Troubled Water''. Occasionally, he and Garfunkel did reunite, such as in 1975 for their Top Ten single "My Little Town", which Simon originally wrote for Garfunkel, claiming Garfunkel's solo output was lacking "bite". The song was included on their respective solo albums: Paul Simon's ''Still Crazy After All These Years''; and Garfunkel's ''Breakaway''. Contrary to popular belief, the song is not at all autobiographical of Simon's early life in New York City. In 1981, they got together again for the famous concert in Central Park, followed by a world tour and an aborted reunion album, to have been entitled ''Think Too Much'', which was eventually released (without Garfunkel) as ''Hearts and Bones''. Together, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.

In 2003, Simon and Garfunkel reunited once again when they received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. This reunion led to a U.S. tour—the acclaimed "Old Friends" concert series—followed by a 2004 international encore, which culminated in a free concert at the Colosseum in Rome. That final concert drew 600,000 people. In 2005, the pair sang "Bridge Over Troubled Water" with Aaron Neville in a benefit for Hurricane Katrina victims.

In 2010, the pair reunited in New Orleans for their first concert in six years, at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.

1971–1976

After Simon and Garfunkel split in 1970, Simon began to write and record solo material. His eponymous album ''Paul Simon'' was released in January 1972, preceded by his first experiment with world music, the Jamaican-inspired "Mother and Child Reunion", considered one of the first examples of reggae attempted by a white musician. The single was a hit, reaching both the American and British Top 5. The album was particularly well received, with critics praising the variety of styles and the confessional lyrics, reaching No. 4 in the U.S. and No. 1 in the UK and Japan. It later spawned another Top 30 hit with "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard".

Simon's next project was the pop-folk masterpiece, ''There Goes Rhymin' Simon'', released in May 1973. It contained some of his most popular and polished recordings - the lead single, "Kodachrome", was a No. 2 hit in America, and the follow-up, the gospel-flavored "Loves Me Like a Rock" was even bigger, topping the Cashbox charts. Other songs, like the weary "American Tune" or the melancholic "Something So Right" – a tribute to Simon's first wife, Peggy – became standards in the musician's catalogue. Critical and commercial reception for this second album were even stronger than for his debut. At the time, it was remarked how the songs were very fresh and unworried on the surface while they were exploring socially and politically conscious themes on a deeper level. The album reached No. 1 on the Cashbox album charts. As a souvenir for the tour that came next, in 1974 it was released as a live album, ''Live Rhymin''', which was moderately successful and displayed some changes in Simon's music style, adopting world and religious music.

Highly anticipated, ''Still Crazy After All These Years'' was his next album. Released in October 1975 and produced by Simon and Phil Ramone, it marked another departure. The mood of the album was darker, as he wrote and recorded it in the wake of his divorce. Preceded by the feel-good duet with Phoebe Snow, "Gone at Last" (a Top 25 hit) and the Simon & Garfunkel reunion track "My Little Town" (a No. 9 on Billboard), the album managed to be his only No. 1 on the Billboard charts to date. The 18th Grammy Awards named it the Album of the Year and Simon's performance the year's Best Male Pop Vocal. With Simon in the forefront of popular music, the third single from the album, "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" reached the top spot of the Billboard charts, his only single to reach No. 1 on this list. Also, on May 3, 1976, Simon put together a benefit show at Madison Square Garden to raise money for the New York Public Library. Phoebe Snow, Jimmy Cliff and the Brecker Brothers also performed. The concert produced over $30,000 for the Library.

1977–1985

After three back-to-back successful studio albums, Simon became less productive during the second half of the 1970s. He dabbled in various projects, including writing music for the film ''Shampoo'' and acting (he was cast as Tony Lacey in Woody Allen's film ''Annie Hall''). He achieved another hit in this decade, with the lead single of his 1977 compilation, ''Greatest Hits, Etc.'', "Slip Slidin' Away", reaching No. 5 in the United States.

In 1980 he released ''One Trick Pony'', his debut album with Warner Bros. Records and his first in almost five years. It was paired with the motion picture of the same name, which Simon wrote and starred in. Although it produced his last Top 10 hit with the upbeat "Late in the Evening" (also a No. 1 hit on the Radio & Records American charts), the album did not sell well, in a music market dominated by disco music. Simon recorded ''Hearts and Bones'', a polished and confessional album that was eventually viewed as one of his best works, but that marked a lull in his commercial popularity; both the album and the lead single, "Allergies", missed the American Top 40. ''Hearts and Bones'' included "The Late Great Johnny Ace", a song partly about Johnny Ace, an American R&B; singer, and partly about slain Beatle John Lennon. A successful US solo tour featured Simon and his guitar, with a recording of the rhythm track and horns for "Late In The Evening." In January 1985, Simon lent his talent to USA for Africa and performed on the relief fundraising single "We Are the World".

1986–1992

As he commented years later, after the disappointing commercial performance of ''Hearts and Bones,'' Simon felt he had lost his inspiration to a point of no return, and that his commercial fortunes were unlikely to change. While driving his car in late 1984 in this state of frustration, Simon listened to a cassette of the Boyoyo Boys' instrumental "Gumboots: Accordion Jive Volume II". Interested by the unusual sound, he wrote lyrics to the number which he sang over a re-recording of the song. It was the first composition of a new musical project that became the celebrated album ''Graceland'', an eclectic mixture of musical styles including pop, a cappella, isicathamiya, rock, and mbaqanga. Simon felt that he had nothing to lose. He traveled to South Africa in an attempt to embrace the culture and find the most comfortable environment for recording the album. Sessions in Johannesburg took place in February 1985. Overdubbing and additional recording was done in April, 1986, in New York. The sessions featured many South African musicians and groups, particularly Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Simon also collaborated with several artists of his own culture, singing a memorable duet with Linda Ronstadt in "Under African Skies", and playing with Los Lobos in "All Around the World or The Myth of the Fingerprints". Warner Bros. Records had serious doubts about releasing an album of this eclecticism to the mainstream, but when it did in August 1986, ''Graceland'' was praised by critics and the public and became Simon's most successful solo album. Slowly climbing the worldwide charts, it reached #1 in many countries, including the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and peaked at #3 in the U.S. It was the second-best-selling album of 1987 in the U.S., selling five million copies and eventually reaching 5x Platinum certification. Another seven million copies were sold internationally to become his best-selling album. Much of the success of the album was due to the lead single, the upbeat "You Can Call Me Al", whose lyrics describe a man experiencing an identity crisis. The track featured many memorable elements – a catchy synthesizer riff, an easy whistle solo, and an unusual bass run in which the second half was a reversed recording of the first half. "You Can Call Me Al" was accompanied with a humorous video featuring actor Chevy Chase, which introduced Simon to a new audience through MTV. In the end, the track reached UK Top 5 and the U.S. Top 25. Further singles, including the title track, "The Boy in the Bubble" and "Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes", were not commercial hits but became radio standards and were highly praised.

At age 45, Simon found himself back at the forefront of popular music. He received the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1987 and also Grammy Award for Record of the Year for the title track one year later. He also embarked on the very successful ''Graceland Tour'', which was documented on music video. Simon found himself embracing new sounds, a fact that some critics viewed negatively – however, Simon reportedly felt it as a very natural artistic experiment, considering that "world music" was already present on much of his early work, including such Simon & Garfunkel hits as "El Condor Pasa" and his early solo recording "Mother and Child Reunion", which was recorded in Kingston, Jamaica. One way or another, Warner Bros. Records (who by this time now controlled and reissued all his previous Columbia albums) re-established Simon as one of their most successful artists. In an attempt to capitalize on his renewed success, WB Records released the album ''Negotiations and Love Songs'' in November 1988, a mixture of popular hits and personal favorites that covered Simon's entire career and became an enduring seller in his catalog.

After ''Graceland'', Simon decided to extend his roots with the Brazilian music-flavored ''The Rhythm of the Saints''. Sessions for the album began in December 1989, and took place in Rio de Janeiro and New York, featuring guitarist J. J. Cale and many Brazilian and African musicians. The tone of the album was more introspective and relatively low-key compared to the mostly upbeat numbers of ''Graceland''. Released on October 1990, the album received excellent critical reviews and achieved very respectable sales, peaking at #4 in the U.S. and No. 1 in the UK. The lead single, "The Obvious Child", featuring the Grupo Cultural Olodum, was a Top 20 hit in the UK and appeared near the bottom of the Billboard Hot 100. Although not as successful as ''Graceland'', ''The Rhythm of the Saints'' was received as a competent successor and consistent complement on Simon's attempts to explore (and popularize) world music, and also received a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year. Here are also more songs about past loves; his ex-wife Carrie Fisher says in her autobiography ''Wishful Drinking'' that the song "She Moves On" is about her. It's one of several she claims, followed by the line, "If you can get Paul Simon to write a song about you, do it. Because he is so brilliant at it."

The importance of both albums allowed Simon to stage another New York concert, and on August 15, 1991, almost a decade after his concert with Garfunkel, Simon staged another concert in Central Park with both African and South American bands. The success of the concert surpassed all expectations, and reportedly over 750,000 people attended, becoming one of the largest concert audiences in history. He later remembered the concert as the "most memorable moment in my career". The success of the show led to both a live album and an Emmy-winning TV special. In the middle, Simon embarked on the successful ''Born at the Right Time Tour'' and promoted the album with further singles, including "Proof" – accompanied with a humorous video featuring, again, Chevy Chase. On March 4, 1992 he appeared on his own MTV Unplugged, offering renditions of many of his most famous compositions. Broadcast in June, the show was a success, though it did not receive an album release.

1993–1998

After ''Unplugged'', Simon's place in the forefront of popular music dropped notably. A Simon & Garfunkel reunion took place in 1993, and in another attempt to capitalize on the occasion, Columbia released ''Paul Simon 1964/1993'' in September, a three-disc compilation that received a reduced version on the two-disc album ''The Paul Simon Anthology'' one month later. In 1995 he only made news for appearing at The Oprah Winfrey Show, where he performed the song "Ten Years", which he composed specially for the tenth anniversary of the show. Also that year, he was featured on the Annie Lennox version of his 1973 song "Something So Right", which appeared briefly on the UK Top 50 once it was released as a single in November.

Since the early stages of the nineties, Simon was fully involved on ''The Capeman'', a musical that finally opened on January 29, 1998. Simon worked enthusiastically on the project for many years and described it as "a New York Puerto Rican story based on events that happened in 1959—events that I remembered." The musical tells the story of real-life Puerto Rican youth Salvador Agron, who wore a cape while committing two murders in 1959 New York, and who went on to become a writer in prison. Featuring Marc Anthony as the young Agron and Ruben Blades as the older Agron, the play received terrible reviews and very poor box office receipts from the very beginning, and ended up closing on March 28 after just 68 performances, becoming a failure from which Simon reportedly lost 11 million dollars. Simon recorded an album of songs from the show, which was released in November 1997. It was received with very mixed reviews, though many critics praised the combination of doo-wop, rockabilly and Caribbean music that the album reflected. In commercial terms, ''Songs from The Capeman'' was a failure—it found Simon missing the Top 40 of the Billboard charts for the first time in his career. The cast album was never released on CD but eventually became available online.

1999–2007

After the disaster of ''The Capeman'', Simon's career was again in an unexpected crisis. However, entering the new millennium he maintained a respectable reputation, offering critically acclaimed new material and receiving commercial attention. In 1999, Simon embarked on a North American tour with Bob Dylan where each alternated as headline act with a "middle" section where they performed together, starting on the first of June and ending September 18. The collaboration was generally well-received, with just one critic, Seth Rogovoy, from the ''Berkshire Eagle'', questioning the collaboration.

In an attempt to return successfully to the music market, Simon wrote and recorded a new album very quickly, with ''You're the One'' arriving in October 2000. The album consisted mostly of folk-pop writing combined with foreign musical sounds, particularly grooves from North Africa. While not reaching the commercial heights of previous albums, it managed at least to reach both the British and American Top 20. It received favorable reviews and received a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year. He toured extensively for the album, and one performance in Paris was released to home video.

On September 21, 2001, Simon sang "Bridge Over Troubled Water" on "America: A Tribute to Heroes", a multinetwork broadcast to benefit the September 11 Telethon Fund. In 2002, he wrote and recorded "Father and Daughter", the theme song for the animated children's movie ''The Wild Thornberrys Movie'', The track was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Song. In 2003, he participed on another Simon & Garfunkel reunion. One year later, Simon's studio albums were re-released both individually and together in a limited-edition nine-CD boxed set, ''Paul Simon: The Studio Recordings 1972-2000''.

At the time, Simon was already working on a new album with Brian Eno called ''Surprise'', which was released in May 2006. Most of the album was inspired by the September 11 terrorist attacks, the Iraq invasion and the war that followed. In personal terms, Simon was also inspired by the fact of being over 60 years old, an age that he turned in 2001 and that he humorously referred already on his single "Old" from the ''You're the One''. Simon showed special care about the musical venture he traveled since 1986's ''Graceland.'' As he put it, "Once you go away for a bit, you wonder who people think you are. If they don't know what you're up to, they just go by your history. I'm so often described as this person that went to other cultures, which is true, but I never thought of it that way. I suspect people are thinking, 'What culture did you go to?' But this record is straight-ahead American." ''Surprise'' was a commercial hit, reaching #14 in the Billboard 200 and #4 in the UK. Most critics also praised the album, and many of them called it a real "comeback" for the artist. Stephen Thomas Erlewine from Allmusic paid attention to the attempts of Simon in embracing his classic folk sound with Eno's electronic textures, and wrote that "Simon doesn't achieve his comeback by reconnecting with the sound and spirit of his classic work; he has achieved it by being as restless and ambitious as he was at his popular and creative peak, which makes ''Surprise'' all the more remarkable." The album was supported with the successful ''Surprise Tour''.

On March 1, 2007, Simon made headlines again when he was announced as the first recipient of the recently-created Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. The Prize, created by the Library of Congress, was awarded to Simon during a Concert Gala featuring his music at the Warner Theatre in Washington, D.C., on the evening of May 23. The event was nationally broadcast on PBS on the evening of June 27, 2007. Performers at the concert included Shawn Colvin, Philip Glass, Alison Krauss, Jerry Douglas, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Lyle Lovett, James Taylor, and Stevie Wonder as well as Simon's former collaborator Art Garfunkel. On June 26, Warner Bros. released the definitive Paul Simon greatest-hits collection. ''The Essential Paul Simon'' consisted of two discs that reviewed 36 songs from his ten studio albums, and was also released on a special edition featuring a DVD of music videos and memorable live performances. The album was a commercial hit, reaching #12 in the UK.

2008–2011

Paul Simon resides in New Canaan, Connecticut. He is one of a small number of performers who are named as the copyright owner on their recordings (most records have the recording company as the named owner of the recording). This noteworthy development was spearheaded by the Bee Gees after their successful $200 million lawsuit against RSO Records, which remains to this day the largest successful lawsuit against a record company by an artist or group.

All of Simon's solo recordings, even the ones originally issued by Columbia Records, are currently distributed by Sony Records' Legacy Recordings unit. His recordings were issued by Warner Music until mid-2010.

In February 2009, Simon performed back-to-back shows in his native New York City at the Beacon Theatre, which had recently been renovated. Simon was reunited with Art Garfunkel at the first show as well as with the cast of ''The Capeman''; also playing in the band was ''Graceland'' bassist Bakithi Kumalo.

In May 2009, Simon toured with Art Garfunkel in Australia, New Zealand and Japan.

In October 2009, Simon appeared alongside Art Garfunkel at the 25th Anniversary of The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame concert at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The pair performed four of their most popular songs, "The Sounds of Silence", "The Boxer", "Cecilia", and "Bridge Over Troubled Water".

On April 21, 2010 it was announced that Paul Simon would be an honorary degree recipient at the Brandeis University Commencement ceremony to be held on May 23, 2010. Due to student interest expressed through Facebook, Simon performed "The Boxer" at the 59th Commencement Exercises at the University.

In mid-2010, Simon moved his catalogue of solo work from Warner Bros. Records to Sony/Columbia Records where Simon and Garfunkel's catalogue is. Simon's back catalogue of solo recordings would be marketed by Sony Music's Legacy Recordings unit.

Simon's latest album entitled ''So Beautiful or So What'', was released on the Concord Music Group label on April 12, 2011. The bluegrass-influenced album received high marks from the artist, "It's the best work I've done in 20 years." It was reported that Paul Simon attempted to have Bob Dylan guest on the album.

Simon released a new Christmas song called "Getting Ready for Christmas Day". It premiered on National Public Radio on November 16, 2010, and will be on the forthcoming SBOSW album. The song samples a 1941 sermon by the Rev. J.M. Gates, also entitled "Getting Ready for Christmas Day". Simon performed the song live on ''The Colbert Report'' on December 16, 2010. The song is available for free download or viewing with two videos at www.paulsimon.com. The first video features J.M. Gates' giving the sermon and his church in 2010 with its display board showing many of Simon's lyrics; the second video illustrates the song with cartoon images.

In the premiere show of the final season of ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'' on September 10, 2010, Simon surprised Oprah and the audience with a song dedicated to Oprah and her show lasting 25 years (an update of a song he did for her show's 10th anniversary).

Rounding off his 2011 World Tour, which included U.S.A, England, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Germany, Simon appeared at Ramat Gan Stadium in Israel in July 2011, making his first concert appearance in Israel since 1983.

Projects

Music for Broadway

In the late 1990s, Simon wrote and produced a Broadway musical called ''The Capeman'', which lost $11 million during its 1998 run. In April 2008, the Brooklyn Academy of Music celebrated Paul Simon's works, and dedicated a week to ''Songs From the Capeman'' with a good portion of the show's songs performed by a cast of singers and the Spanish Harlem Orchestra. Simon himself appeared during the BAM shows, performing "Trailways Bus" and "Late In the Evening".

Film and television

Simon has also dabbled in acting. He played music producer Tony Lacey in the 1977 Woody Allen film ''Annie Hall'', and wrote and starred in 1980's ''One Trick Pony'' as Jonah Levin, a journeyman rock and roller. Simon also wrote all the songs in the film. Paul Simon also appeared on ''The Muppet Show'' (the only episode to use only the songs of one songwriter, Simon). In 1990, he played the character of—appropriately enough—Simple Simon on the Disney channel TV movie, ''Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme''.

Simon has also appeared on ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') either as host or musical guest for a total of 13 times. On one appearance in the late 1980s, he worked with his political namesake, Illinois Senator Paul Simon. Simon's most recent ''SNL'' appearance was on the May 14, 2011 episode hosted by Ed Helms.

In one ''SNL'' skit from 1986 (when he was promoting ''Graceland''), Simon plays himself, waiting in line with a friend to get into a movie. He amazes his friend by remembering intricate details about prior meetings with passers-by, but draws a complete blank when approached by Art Garfunkel, despite the latter's numerous memory prompts.

Simon also appeared alongside George Harrison as musical guest on the Thanksgiving Day episode of ''SNL'' (November 20, 1976). The two performed "Here Comes the Sun" and "Homeward Bound"" together, while Simon performed "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" solo earlier in the show. On that episode, Simon opened the show performing "Still Crazy After All These Years" in a turkey outfit, since Thanksgiving was the following week. About halfway through the song, Simon tells the band to stop playing because of his embarrassment. After giving a frustrating speech to the audience, he leaves the stage, backed by applause. Lorne Michaels positively greets him backstage, but Simon is still upset, yelling at him because of the humiliating turkey outfit. This is one of ''SNL'''s most played sketches.

On September 29, 2001, Simon made a special appearance on the first ''SNL'' to air after the September 11, 2001 attacks. On that show, he performed "The Boxer" to the audience and the NYC firefighters and police officers. He is also friends with former ''SNL'' star Chevy Chase, who appeared in his video for "You Can Call Me Al" lip synching the song while Simon looks disgruntled and mimes backing vocals and the playing of various instruments beside him. He is a close friend of ''SNL'' producer Lorne Michaels, who produced the 1977 TV show ''The Paul Simon Special'', as well as the Simon and Garfunkel concert in Central Park four years later. Simon and Lorne Michaels were the subjects of a 2006 episode of the Sundance channel documentary series, ''Iconoclasts''.

He has been the subject of two films by Jeremy Marre, the first on ''Graceland'', the second on ''The Capeman''.

On November 18, 2008, Simon was a guest on ''The Colbert Report'' promoting his book ''Lyrics 1964-2008''. He did an interview with Stephen Colbert and then performed "American Tune".

Simon performed a Stevie Wonder song at the White House in 2009, at an event honoring Wonder's musical career and contributions.

In May 2009, ''The Library of Congress: Paul Simon and Friends Live Concert'' was released on DVD, via Shout! Factory. The PBS concert was recorded in 2007.

In April 2011 Simon was confirmed to appear at the Glastonbury music festival in England.

Awards and honors

Simon won 12 Grammy Awards (one of them a Lifetime Achievement Award) and five Grammy nominations, the most recent for his album ''You're the One'' in 2001. In 1998 he received a Grammy Hall of Fame Award for the Simon & Garfunkel album ''Bridge over Troubled Water''. He received an Oscar nomination for the song "Father and Daughter" in 2002. He is also a two-time inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; as a solo artist in 2001, and in 1990 as half of Simon & Garfunkel.

In 2001, Simon was honored as MusiCares Person Of The Year. The following year, he was one of the five recipients of the annual Kennedy Center Honors, the nation's highest tribute to performing and cultural artists.

In 2005, Simon was saluted as a BMI Icon at the 53rd Annual BMI Pop Awards. Simon's songwriting catalog has earned 39 BMI Awards including multiple citations for "Bridge Over Troubled Water," "Mrs. Robinson," "Scarborough Fair" and "The Sound of Silence". As of 2005, he has amassed nearly 75 million broadcast airplays, according to BMI surveys.

In 2006, Simon was selected by ''Time Magazine'' as one of the "100 People Who Shaped the World."

In 2007, Simon received the first annual Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song in 2007. Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney were to follow in 2009 and 2010. Named in honor of George and Ira Gershwin, this newly created award recognizes the profound and positive effect of popular music on the world’s culture. Upon being notified of receiving this honor, Simon said, “I am grateful to be the recipient of the Gershwin Prize and doubly honored to be the first. I look forward to spending an evening in the company of artists I admire at the award ceremony in May. I can think of a few who have expressed my words and music far better than I. I’m excited at the prospect of that happening again. It’s a songwriter’s dream come true." Among the performers who paid tribute to Simon were Stevie Wonder, Alison Krauss, Jerry Douglas, Lyle Lovett, James Taylor, Dianne Reeves, Marc Anthony, Yolanda Adams, and Ladysmith Black Mambazo. The event was professionally filmed and broadcast and is now available as ''Paul Simon and Friends''.

In 2010, Simon received an honorary degree from Brandeis University, where he also performed "The Boxer" at the main commencement ceremony.

Personal life

When Simon moved to England in 1964 he met Kathleen Mary "Kathy" Chitty (born 1947) on 12 April 1964 at the very first English folk club he played, the Railway Inn Folk Club in Brentwood, Essex, where Chitty was working part-time selling tickets. She was 17, he was 22 and they fell in love. Later that year they visited the US together, touring around mainly by bus. Kathy returned to England on her own with Simon returning to her some weeks later. When Simon returned to the US with the growing success of "The Sound of Silence" Kathy (who was quite shy) wanted no part of the success and fame that awaited Simon and they split up. She is mentioned by name in at least two of his songs: Kathy's Song and America, and is referred to in Homeward Bound and The Late Great Johnny Ace. There is a photo of Simon and Kathy on the cover of The Paul Simon Song Book.

Simon has been married three times, first to Peggy Harper in late autumn 1969. They had a son, Harper Simon, in 1972 and divorced in 1975. The song "Train in the Distance," from Simon's 1983 album, is about this relationship. Simon's 1972 song "Run That Body Down," from his debut solo album, casually mentions both himself and his then-wife ("Peg") by name.

His second marriage, from 1983 to 1984, was to actress and author Carrie Fisher to whom he proposed after a New York Yankees game. (The song "Hearts and Bones" was written about this relationship. The song "Graceland" is also thought to be about seeking solace from the end of this relationship by taking a road trip). A year after divorcing, Simon and Fisher resumed their relationship for several years.

He married folk singer Edie Brickell on May 30, 1992. They have three children together, Adrian, Lulu, and Gabriel.

Philanthropy

Simon is a proponent of music education for children. In 1970, after recording his "Bridge Over Troubled Water," at the invitation of the NYU School of the Arts, Simon held auditions for a young songwriter's workshop. Advertised in the Village Voice, the auditions brought hundreds of hopefuls to perform for Simon. Among the six teenage songwriters Simon selected for tutelage were Melissa Manchester, Tom Mandell and rock/beat poet Joe Linus, with Maggie and Terre Roche (the Roche Sisters), who later sang back-up for Simon, joining the workshop in progress through an impromptu appearance.

Simon invited the six teens to experience recording at Columbia studios with engineer Roy Halee at the board. During these sessions, Bob Dylan was downstairs recording the album ''Self-Portrait'', which included a version of Simon's "The Boxer". Violinist Isaac Stern also visited the group with a CBS film crew, speaking to the young musicians about lyrics and music after Joe Linus performed his song "Circus Lion" for Stern.

Manchester later paid homage to Simon, on her recorded song, "Ode to Paul." Other younger musicians Simon has mentored include Nick Laird-Clowes, who later co-founded the band The Dream Academy. Laird-Clowes has credited Simon with helping to shape the band's biggest hit, "Life In A Northern Town".

However in 1971 Simon, as a jury-member of the Rio de Janeiro song contest, did not give any points to the 15-year-old Marianne Rosenberg, an ethnic Sinti (Gypsy) and child of an Auschwitz survivor, because she represented Germany.

In 2003, Simon signed on as an official supporter of Little Kids Rock, a nonprofit organization that provides free musical instruments and free lessons to children in public schools throughout the U.S. He sits on the organization's board of directors as an honorary member.

Simon is also a major benefactor and one of the co-founders, with Dr. Irwin Redlener, of the Children's Health Project and The Children's Health Fund which started by creating specially equipped "buses" to take medical care to children in medically underserved areas, urban and rural. Their first bus was in the impoverished South Bronx of New York City but they now operate in 12 states, including the Gulf Coast. It has expanded greatly, partnering with major hospitals, local public schools and medical schools and advocating policy for children's health and medical care.

Guitars

Martin Paul Simon Signature PS2

Martin Paul Simon Signature OM42

Martin D-28 Acoustic

Martin D-42 6/12 String Acoustics

Yamaha Paul Simon Signature Model Acoustic

Yamaha FG700S

Yamaha FG730S

Yamaha FX300C

Yamaha F30BL

Yamaha F40BL

Yamaha GCX31C

Taylor PS10

Taylor 114

Taylor 210

Taylor 214

Takamine TC132SC Classical

Fender Stratocaster

Fender Jaguar

Fender Acoustic Guitars

Gear

Dunlop Paul Simon Picks Accessories

Dunlop String Accessories

Fender String Accessories

Discography

Number-one albums

1972 – ''Paul Simon'' (UK, Japan, Norway)

1973 – ''There Goes Rhymin' Simon'' (US Cashbox)

1975 – ''Still Crazy After All These Years'' (US)

1986 – ''Graceland'' (UK, Australia, Canada, Switzerland)

1990 – ''The Rhythm of the Saints'' (UK)

Work on Broadway

''Rock 'N Roll! The First 5,000 Years'' (1982) - revue - featured songwriter for Mrs. Robinson

''Asinamali!'' (1987) - play - co-producer

''Mike Nichols and Elaine May: Together Again on Broadway'' (1992) - concert - performer

''The Capeman'' (1998) - composer, co-lyricist and music arranger - Tony Nomination for Best Original Score

''The Graduate'' (2002) - play - featured songwriter

See also

List of songs written by Paul Simon

References

External links

Official website for Paul Simon

The neck of my guitar - reliable and up-to-date source

Simply Simon French website

A site devoted to Paul Simon

Paul Simon at PBS

Detailed Paul Simon site

Paul Simon at bmi.com

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Name	Art Garfunkel
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Arthur Ira Garfunkel
Born	November 05, 1941Forest Hills, New York
Genre	Folk rock, soft rock, rock, pop
Occupation	MusicianSongwriterActorPoet
Years active	1956–present
Instrument	Vocals, guitar, piano, violin
Voice type	Tenor, Counter-Tenor, Baritone
Label	Columbia RecordsAtco Records
Associated acts	Simon & Garfunkel
Website	Official site }}

Arthur Ira "Art" Garfunkel (born November 5, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter, poet, and actor, best known as being a member of the folk duo Simon & Garfunkel. In 1970, at the height of their popularity, the duo split.

Garfunkel also has had a brief career as an actor, receiving a Golden Globe nomination for his portrayal of Sandy Kaufman in ''Carnal Knowledge''.

Highlights of his solo career include one top ten hit, three top 20 hits, six top 40 hits, 14 Adult Contemporary top 30 singles, five Adult Contemporary number ones, two UK number ones and a People's Choice Award.

Through his solo and collaborative work, Garfunkel has earned six Grammys, including the Lifetime Achievement Award. In 1990, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Early life and career

Art Garfunkel was born in Forest Hills, Queens, New York City, the son of housewife Rose and traveling salesman Jacob "Jack" Garfunkel on November 5, 1941. Art has two siblings; the older one named Jules and the younger one named Jerome. who was an actor in his earlier years in Dayton, Ohio, before becoming a travelling menswear salesman. He is Jewish—his paternal grandparents emigrated from Iaşi in Romania. His cousin is impresario Lou Pearlman, on his mother's side. Garfunkel attended the Forest Hills High School. According to the ''Across America'' DVD, Garfunkel's love for singing "Came in the first grade. when we were lined up in size order, and after everyone else had left, I'd stay behind and enjoy the echo sound of the stairwell tiles and sing "Unchained Melody" and "You'll Never Walk Alone", learning to love this goose-bumps song from the tender age of five." Later, Garfunkel's father bought him a wire recorder and from then on, Garfunkel spent his afternoons singing, recording and playing it back, so he could listen for flaws and learn how to improve.

At his Bar Mitzvah in 1954, Garfunkel performed as a cantor performing over four hours of his repertoire to his family. As a young teen, Garfunkel was struck with a lung infection leading to a love for basketball. He explained his love for the sport in a 1998 Interview: "In the summer of ’55, I had a lung infection. I couldn’t run around, but I love basketball and there was a hoop nearby. Much of the summer I spent methodically hitting 96, 98 foul shots out of 100. Then 102! I never played on a team after Junior High School. Just 3 against 3, half court pick up games in the schoolyard." He met his future singing partner, Paul Simon, in the sixth grade – PS 164, Queens, when they were both cast in the elementary school graduation play, ''Alice In Wonderland''. It has been said by Garfunkel that Simon first became interested in singing after hearing Garfunkel sing a rendition of Nat King Cole's "Too Young" in a school talent show.

Between 1956 and 1962, the two had performed together as "Tom & Jerry", occasionally performing at school dances. Their idols were The Everly Brothers, whom they imitated in their use of close two-part vocal harmony. In 1957, Simon and Garfunkel recorded the song "Hey, Schoolgirl" under the name Tom & Jerry, given to them by their label Big Records. The single reached number forty-nine on the pop charts. Garfunkel ("Tom Graph") chose his nickname because he liked to track, or "graph" hits, on the pop charts. He also released some singles as a solo artist under the name Artie Garr, a shortened version of his name. In interviews, Garfunkel has noted himself how these early singles distinguished him as a folk-styled crooner, with songs like "Beat Love" and "Dream Alone" (both released 1959).

After graduating from Forest Hills High School, Garfunkel studied at Columbia College at Columbia University in Manhattan in the early 1960s, where he was a brother in the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity. Garfunkel was a team member in sports like Tennis, Skiing, Fencing and Bowling teams at the College. In 1962, Garfunkel earned a Bachelor of Arts degree majoring in art history, followed by a Master's degree in mathematics, while Simon attended Queens College. Garfunkel also completed coursework toward a doctorate in Mathematics Education at Teachers College, Columbia University during the peak of Simon and Garfunkel's commercial success.

Simon & Garfunkel

In 1963, he and Simon reformed their duo under their own names as "Simon and Garfunkel" and released their first album, ''Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.'' on Columbia Records in October 1964. It was not a critical success, and the duo subsequently split again. The next year, producer Tom Wilson lifted the song "The Sounds of Silence" from the record, dubbed an electric backing onto it, and released it as a single that went to #1 on the Billboard pop charts.

Simon had gone to England in 1965 after the initial failure of ''Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.'', pursuing a solo career. But he returned to the US to reunite with Garfunkel after "The Sounds of Silence" had started to enjoy commercial success, and went on to become one of the most popular acts of the 1960s. Together they recorded four more influential albums, ''Sounds of Silence;'' ''Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme;'' ''Bookends;'' and the hugely successful ''Bridge over Troubled Water''. Simon and Garfunkel also contributed extensively to the soundtrack of the 1967 Mike Nichols film ''The Graduate'' (starring Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft). While writing "Mrs. Robinson", Simon originally toyed with the title "Mrs. Roosevelt." When Garfunkel reported this indecision over the song's name to the director, Nichols replied, "Don't be ridiculous! We're making a movie here! It's Mrs. Robinson!" Simon and Garfunkel returned to England in the Fall of 1968 and did a concert appearance at Kraft Hall which was broadcast on the BBC, and also featured Art's solo performance of "For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her", which received a standing ovation.

While Garfunkel was not a song-writer ''per se'', he did write the poem "Canticle" as a re-write of Simon's "Side of A Hill" from his debut album, for "Scarborough Fair/Canticle". He also worked as the vocal arranger for the duo, working out who the songs would be sung by and how each song was produced. He is also credited as having written the instrumental on "The Boxer", and creating the Audio montage, "Voices Of The Old People" on "Bookends". Citing personal differences and divergence in career interests, they split following the release of their most critically acclaimed album, ''Bridge over Troubled Water'', in 1970.

Both Simon and Garfunkel pursued solo projects after the duo released their popular album ''Bridge over Troubled Water''. Occasionally, they did reunite, such as in 1975 for their Top Ten single "My Little Town", which Simon originally wrote for Garfunkel, claiming Garfunkel's solo output was lacking "bite." The song was included on their respective solo albums; Paul Simon's ''Still Crazy After All These Years'', and Garfunkel's ''Breakaway.'' Contrary to popular belief, the song is not at all autobiographical of Simon's early life in New York City, but of Garfunkel's childhood in Queens. In 1981, they got together again for the famous concert in Central Park, followed by a world tour and an aborted reunion album ''Think Too Much,'' which was eventually released (without Garfunkel) as ''Hearts and Bones.''

Together, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.

In 2003, the two reunited again when they received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. This reunion led to a U.S. tour—the acclaimed "Old Friends" concert series—followed by a 2004 international encore, which culminated in a free concert at the Colosseum in Rome. That final concert drew 600,000 people.

1970–1975: Hiatus and first album

During a three-year hiatus after Simon & Garfunkel's break-up, Garfunkel starred in two Mike Nichols films, one of which had him nominated for a Golden Globe. He also spent late 1971 to early 1972 working as a mathematics teacher at Litchfield Private School, in Connecticut (by request of his fianceé Linda Marie Grossman). However, in late 1972, with Simon & Garfunkel having released their ''Greatest Hits'' album, Garfunkel felt ready to return to his musical career. His first album was 1973's ''Angel Clare'', which contained "All I Know" (B-Side: "Mary Was An Only Child) (no.9 in the United States, US AC no.1), along with "I Shall Sing" (B-Side: "Feuilles-Oh/Do Space Men Pass Dead Souls on Their Way to the Moon?") (US no.38, US AC no.4) and "Travelling Boy" (B-Side: "Old Man")(US no.102, US AC no.30) as singles. The album was received with mixed reviews, reaching no.5 in the U.S.

In 1974, Garfunkel released the hit record, "Second Avenue" (B-Side: "Woyaya") (US no.34, US AC no.6).

On his next album, 1975 ''Breakaway'', Garfunkel briefly reunited with Paul Simon for the 1975 hit "My Little Town" (B-Side: "Rag Doll") (US no.9, US AC no.1). The album also included the singles "Breakaway" (B-Side: "Disney Girls") (US no.39, US AC no.1) and "I Only Have Eyes For You" (a 1934 song written by Harry Warren) (B-Side: "Looking For The Right One") (US no.18, US AC no.1, UK no.1), which is noted as being Garfunkel's first U.K. Number One.

1976–1979: Diversity and disaster

In 1976, Garfunkel recorded background and duet vocals for several artists including; Stephen Bishop's ''Careless'' album, James Taylor's ''In The Pocket'' album and J.D. Souther's ''Black Rose'' album. Also, beginning in December 1976, right through until September 1977, Garfunkel worked on his next album.

Garfunkel's next release was the 1978 album, ''Watermark'' (US #19, UK #26), which upon initial release, failed to make an impression on the public. Its main single, "Crying In My Sleep" ("Mr. Shuck 'N' Jive") (UK #25) failed to reach the US Top 40, but after a two-month hiatus where it was taken off the market, it was re-released in January 1978, with Garfunkel's cover of Sam Cooke's "(What a) Wonderful World" (B-Side: "Wooden Planes"), which reached #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart and #17 pop, as the new single. Paul Simon and mutual friend James Taylor had contributed backing vocals to the song, making the song a huge hit on the U.S. A.C. charts.

Garfunkel's last release of the seventies was the 1979 album, ''Fate For Breakfast'' (US #67, UK #2), was his first US flop album. the album first single, "In A Little While (I'll Be On My Way)" (B-Side: "And I Know") (US AC #12) failed to break the top forty, as did his second single, "Since I Don't Have You" (B-Side: "When Someone Doesn't Want You") (US #53, US AC #5, UK #38). But in the U.K. the album was a huge success, scoring a number one hit with "Bright Eyes" (B-Side: "Sail on a Rainbow") (US AC #29, UK #1) (a song written by Mike Batt). A version of "Bright Eyes" also appeared in the movie (based on the famous novel) ''Watership Down''. However, tragedy struck at this time when his longtime girlfriend, Laurie Bird, committed suicide in June 1979, at their Manhattan apartment, just three months after the album's release in March. Garfunkel later admitted that the incident left him in a deep depression for most of the 80s, hence the lack of musical output during the majority of the decade.

1980–1995: Depression and disappearing

Garfunkel's next album was a low point in his career. The 1981 album, ''Scissors Cut'' (US #113, UK #51) (dedicated to Laurie Bird), contained three singles, "A Heart in New York" (B-Side: "Is This Love") (US #66, US AC #10), "Scissors Cut" and "Hang On In", with the latter two failing to chart.

Following disappointing sales of ''Scissors Cut'', Garfunkel reunited with Simon for The Concert in Central Park and a world tour. They had disagreements during the tour. In 1984 ''Stereo Review'' Magazine reported that Simon mixed out Garfunkel's voice from a new album, initially slated to be a Simon and Garfunkel studio reunion, but ultimately released as a Simon solo album (''Hearts and Bones''). In 1986, Garfunkel played the part of the butcher on the Mike Batt concept album, ''The Hunting Of The Snark''. Garfunkel again left the music scene during which time his father died, leading further into depression. But in the fall of 1985 he met his future wife, Kathryn (Kim) Cermack. Garfunkel's retirement lasted a full seven years, until his 1988 album, ''Lefty'' (US, #134), which produced three singles, "So Much in Love" (US #76 AC #11), "When A Man Loves A Woman," and "This Is The Moment."

Garfunkel released his first compilation album in 1984, ''The Art Garfunkel Album'' (UK #12), never released in the U.S., which contained the minor hit "Sometimes When I'm Dreaming" (UK #77, U.S. AC #25). This was followed by 1988 ''Garfunkel'' and 1993 ''Up 'til Now'', neither of which received significant critical or commercial success.

1996–2006: Resurgence

His live 1996 concert Across America (UK #35), recorded at the registry hall on Ellis Island features musical guests James Taylor, Garfunkel's wife, Kim, and his son James.

Garfunkel performed the theme song for the 1991 television series, ''Brooklyn Bridge'', and "The Ballad of Buster Baxter" for a 1998 episode of the children's educational television series ''Arthur'', where he was depicted as a singing/narrator moose. Garfunkel's performance of Monty Python member Eric Idle's "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" was used in the end credits of the 1997 film ''As Good as It Gets''.

In 2003, Garfunkel made his debut as a songwriter on his ''Everything Waits to Be Noticed'' album. Teaming up with singer-songwriters Maia Sharp and Buddy Mondlock, the album contained several songs which were originally poems written by Garfunkel. The album is recognized as his first effort at songwriting since his teenage years with Tom & Jerry.

In 2003, Simon and Garfunkel reunited again for a successful world tour that extended into 2004. In 2005, his song "Sometimes When I'm Dreaming" from ''The Art Garfunkel Album'' (1984) (written by Mike Batt) was re-recorded by ex-ABBA singer Agnetha Fältskog on her album ''My Colouring Book''.

In 2006, Garfunkel signed with Rhino Records (revived Atco Records), and his first Rhino/Atco album ''Some Enchanted Evening'' was released in America on January 30, 2007. The album was a dedicated celebration of pop standards of Garfunkel's childhood. In late February 2007 during a German television interview to promote the new album, he expressed interest in reuniting with Paul Simon on a new Simon and Garfunkel album.

2006–2011: Recent events

In 2009, Garfunkel appeared as himself on the HBO television show ''Flight of the Conchords'' episode entitled "Prime Minister."

He continued to tour in 2009 with four musicians and his son.

On February 13, 2009, Simon and his band re-opened New York's legendary Beacon Theatre, which had been closed for seven months for a renovation. As an encore, Simon brought out "my old friend," Art Garfunkel. They sang 3 songs: "Sound of Silence", "The Boxer", and "Old Friends".

On April 2, 2009, the duo announced a tour of Australia, New Zealand and Japan for June/July 2009. On October 29–30, they participated together in the 25th anniversary of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame concerts at New York's Madison Square Garden. Other artists on the bill included Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band; U2; Metallica; Aretha Franklin; Stevie Wonder, and Crosby, Stills & Nash.

In March 2010, Simon & Garfunkel announced a 13-date spring tour, to kick off in April with a performance at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. Most performances were scheduled for Canada, with four shows in the upper Midwest of the U.S. According to a press release, the set list would focus on their classic catalog, as well as songs from each of their solo careers. On June 17, 2010, Simon & Garfunkel canceled the tour, earlier rescheduled for July 2010, now postponed indefinitely as Garfunkel continues to recover from a vocal cord paresis.

In November 2010, Garfunkel said that, having quit smoking two and a half months before, he was recovering from paresis, and would be touring in 2011.

Voice classification

Garfunkel's voice has been noted as changing over the past four decades, but virtually unnoticeably until his late fifties, when his voice began to lower after years of smoking. Garfunkel has been noted as being a natural voiced tenor who can lower his voice to a G2 on the keyboard (baritone range) and, as heard on the first chorus of "Bridge Over Troubled Water" as high as Eb5, though this is falsetto.

Garfunkel has suggested his next album will have songs that are more vocal based.

Acting career

Garfunkel pursued an acting career in the early 1970s, appearing in two Mike Nichols films: ''Catch-22'' (1970), in which he played the 19-year old naive Lieutenant Nately, and ''Carnal Knowledge'' (1971), in which he played the idealistic Sandy. His role as Sandy fetched him a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor in 1972.

He later appeared in Nicolas Roeg's ''Bad Timing'' (1980) as Alex Linden, an American psychiatrist who serves as the film's main antagonist. The film received the Toronto Film Festival's highest honour, the People's Choice Award, in 1980 and the London Film Critics Circle Award for Best Director.

He appeared in ''Good to Go'' (1986) directed by Blain Novak, starring as a Washington, D.C. journalist who struggles to clear his name after being framed for rape and murder. Garfunkel then appeared in the medical crime drama ''Boxing Helena'' (1993), directed by Jennifer Lynch, as Dr. Lawrence Augustine.

Garfunkel's most recent film is ''The Rebound'' (2010), directed by Bart Freundlich, playing Harry Finklestein, the slightly senile and comedic relieving father of the film's main character, played by Justin Bartha.

Garfunkel has said he turned down numerous film offers in the 1970s. He reportedly turned down the role of Billy Pilgrim in the adaption of Kurt Vonnegut's ''Slaughterhouse-Five'' and the role of Tom Hagen in ''The Godfather'' in the same year (1972).

Poetry career

Garfunkel, an avid reader and bibliophile, has admitted that the Garfunkel household was not a literary family, but it was not until his entrance to Columbia College in 1959, that he began to "read a million books and became a reader". It was through this he began an interest in poetry.

Garfunkel's poetic career began in 1981, while on the Simon & Garfunkel 1981-1982 tour in Switzerland, he was riding a motorcycle and began writing a poem describing the countryside. In 1989, ''Still Water'', Garfunkel's collection of prose poetry was released to wide acclaim. Topics included his depression over the loss of his father; Laurie Bird, his companion who committed suicide; the friendship of Paul Simon; and the joy of returning to music.

He reportedly has plans to release a second book in the near future.

Personal life

Garfunkel married Linda Marie Grossman in 1972; they divorced in 1975. He has claimed that the marriage was turbulent and ended bitterly. Garfunkel has never spoken to her since and claims he never loved her.

He was also romantically involved with actress and photographer Laurie Bird from March 1974 (when he was 32 and she was 20) until her suicide in 1979. According to a 1986 interview, Art said about his relationship with Laurie Bird "I asked myself constantly why I didn't marry her, because surely she was the apple of my eye. She was everything I was looking for in a woman. But I was very hurt by my first marriage, so as far as marriage to Laurie was concerned, I was extra scared. I was heartbroken. It laid me low. I used to get very sad when the sun went down. The nights were very lonely for me."

Garfunkel had a brief affair with actress Penny Marshall in the mid 1980s and credits her with helping him through his depression. Their friendship stayed strong even after the relationship's end. Garfunkel would later say of Marshall, "Everything changed. Penny is a sweet human being who can bring anybody down to earth. We had a lot of laughs, great sex and a ton of party nights".

In fall of 1985, Garfunkel met former model Kathryn (Kim) Cermack while shooting ''Good To Go''. They married on 18 September 1988. The two have been married for over twenty years.

The two have two children, James, born 15 December 1990, and Beau Daniel, born 5 October 2005 via a surrogate mother.

Garfunkel is an avid reader and bibliophile; his website contains a year-by-year listing of every book he has read since 1968. Currently the list contains more than 1,000 books. He has also read the entire Random House Dictionary.

Garfunkel is a huge fan of the philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau, having twice read his book ''Confessions'' (according to his library, the book was the first and thousandth book he'd read).

Garfunkel has undertaken several cross-continental walks in his lifetime, writing poetry along the way. In the early 1980s, he walked across Japan in a matter of weeks. From 1983 to 1997, Garfunkel walked across America, taking 40 excursions to complete the route from New York City to the Pacific coast of Washington. In May 1998, Garfunkel began an incremented walk across Europe.

His all-time favorite pop song is the Beatles's "Here, There and Everywhere" and his all-time favorite album is ''Rumours'' by Fleetwood Mac. When asked about his musical preferences, he answered, "I have a very sure-footed sense of what I like, and exactly how much I like it. Give me two listenings of a song, and I can tell you exactly how it sits with me, and...I know my musical taste. I know my ears, I know what I respond to."

Garfunkel has been arrested twice for the possession of cannabis: once in early 2004 and again in August 2005.

Garfunkel is the brother of Jerome Garfunkel, the former member of the American (ANSI) and International (ISO) Committees who wrote the specification for the COBOL programming language. His older brother Jules B. Garfunkel was a United States Navy Veteran and financial analyst who died on September 17, 2006 in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Garfunkel is 6'0 (1.83 m), which is a large contrast to Paul Simon's 5'3 (1.60 m).

Garfunkel is very religious, but said he has become more spiritual in his later years, often drawing from religious values for his poetry.

Art Garfunkel is left-handed and is a multi-instrumentalist: he plays guitar, piano, and violin.

Nominations

1972 Golden Globe, Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture, for ''Carnal Knowledge''

Awards

1969 Grammy Award, Record of the Year, for "Mrs. Robinson" (with Paul Simon)

1969 Grammy Award, Best Contemporary Pop Performance, for "Mrs. Robinson" (with Paul Simon)

1970 Grammy Award, Best Pop Album, for ''Bridge Over Troubled Water''

1970 Grammy Award, Best Single Record, for "Bridge Over Troubled Water"

1970 Grammy Award, Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalists, for ''Bridge Over Troubled Water''

1977 Britannia Award, Best International Pop LP and Single, 1952–77, for "Bridge Over Troubled Water"

1998 Grammy Award, Best Children's Album, for ''Songs From A Parent To A Child''

Work on Broadway

''Rock 'N Roll! The First 5,000 Years'' (1982) - revue - featured singer for Mrs. Robinson

''Mike Nichols and Elaine May: Together Again on Broadway'' (1992) - concert - performer

''The Graduate'' (2002) - play - featured songwriter

Discography

''Angel Clare'' (1973)

''Breakaway'' (1975)

''Watermark'' (1978)

''Fate For Breakfast'' (1979)

''Scissors Cut'' (1981)

''The Animals' Christmas'' (with Amy Grant) (1986)

''Lefty'' (1988)

''Songs from a Parent to a Child'' (1997)

''Everything Waits to Be Noticed'' (2002)

''Some Enchanted Evening'' (2007)

Filmography

Year	Film	Role	Notes
1970	''Catch-22''	Lieutenant Edward J. Nately III	Debut Screen Role
1971	''Carnal Knowledge''	Dr. Sandy Kaufman	Nomination for Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture
1980	''Bad Timing''	Dr. Alex Linden	Winner of the 1980 People's Choice Award
1986		S.D. Blass	Out Of Print
1993	''Boxing Helena''	Dr. Lawrence Augustine
1998		Himself	Cameo
2000		Himself	Cameo
2010	''The Rebound''	Harry Finklestein	Most Recent Performance

References

Sources

External links

Official Website

Art Garfunkel MySpace

Official Facebook Page

Arthur Ira Garfunkel - Columbians Ahead of Their Time, article at Columbia University.

The Life and Music, Thus Far, Of Art Garfunkel - An Interview

Category:1941 births Category:American buskers Category:American film actors Category:American Jews Category:American musicians of Romanian descent Category:American people of Romanian-Jewish descent Category:American male singers Category:Columbia University alumni Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Jewish actors Category:Jewish American composers and songwriters Category:Jewish singers Category:Living people Category:People from Forest Hills, Queens Category:Columbia Records artists Category:Simon & Garfunkel members

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