Paul Simon and Arthur Garfunkel, born only 3 weeks apart in 1941, were best friends all through their childhood as they grew up in Queens, NY. They both shared a great love for music, although Paul Simon proved much more talented when it came to songwriting. They started practicing their guitars and making tapes in each other's basements and later teamed up as Tom And Jerry, taking the names of the cartoon characters. In the winter of 1957-58, they scored a chart hit with "Hey Schoolgirl"; both were 16 years old.
Simon continued to try to record hits in the late '50s and early '60s, reaching the charts briefly in 1962 in the group Tico And The Triumphs with "Motorcycle" and under the name Jerry Landis in 1963 with "The Lone Teen Ranger." He and Garfunkel teamed up again as a folk duo in Greenwich Village, signed to Columbia Records, and released "Wednesday Morning 3 A.M." (October 1964). The album flopped initially, but Simon, who had been spending a lot of time in England, was picked up as a solo artist by CBS and recorded "The Paul Simon Songbook", released only in Great Britain in the spring of 1965.
In 1966, Paul was performing as a solo act in Europe when word reached him that "The Sounds Of Silence" had reached number one in the US. Paul was stunned. He had no idea that the record had even been released. He soon found out that Columbia Records producer Tom Wilson had lifted the song from the album "Wednesday Morning, 3 AM" and added electric guitars, bass and drums to the original track of just Paul and Art singing along with Paul's guitar.
Such a sudden burst of fame would have taken most artists by surprise and Simon and Garfunkel were no exception. They quickly reunited, recorded another album and appropriately labelled it "Sounds Of Silence". The next year brought hit songs like "I Am A Rock", a song about self-pity written in almost a sarcastic way, that rose to #3 on the charts. There was also "Homeword Bound", the story of a wanderer who longs to return home. It was written almost sloppily, but rose to #5 on the charts.
Paul's reputation as a song writer grew when a group called Harper's Bazar took his "The 59th Street Bridge Song",("Feelin' Groovy") to the Top Ten. He and Art continued their own success streak in 1966 and 1967 with "Scarborough Fair", "A Hazy Shade Of Winter", "At The Zoo", "Fakin It" and "America".
Another Paul Simon composition, "Red Rubber Ball", sold over 800,000 copies for a band called "The Cyrkle" in 1966.
In 1968, Simon and Garfunkel scored yet another hit with the theme for the movie The Graduate, called "Mrs. Robinson". The Dustin Hoffman film was a smash and the song rose to the top spot on the Billboard chart, and won two Grammys.
Perhaps Paul Simon's most personal song, "The Boxer" tells a story that only a great writer could express. Even though its chorus is illegible, the song rose to #7 on the charts, and is a great example of Simon's talent as a writer, not to mention Simon and Garfunkel the singers.
Success continued as "Cecilia" peaked at the #4 position on the charts, but Paul Simon's best was yet to come. His song, "Bridge Over Troubled Water", is truly a magnificent piece of work. The song won a Grammy, and was seated at the top position on the charts for 10 weeks, showcasing Art's magnificent voice.
Even though the two had been friends since childhood, personal differences were tearing Simon and Garfunkel apart and the two decided to pursue solo careers in 1970.
Simon continued to try to record hits in the late '50s and early '60s, reaching the charts briefly in 1962 in the group Tico And The Triumphs with "Motorcycle" and under the name Jerry Landis in 1963 with "The Lone Teen Ranger." He and Garfunkel teamed up again as a folk duo in Greenwich Village, signed to Columbia Records, and released "Wednesday Morning 3 A.M." (October 1964). The album flopped initially, but Simon, who had been spending a lot of time in England, was picked up as a solo artist by CBS and recorded "The Paul Simon Songbook", released only in Great Britain in the spring of 1965.
In 1966, Paul was performing as a solo act in Europe when word reached him that "The Sounds Of Silence" had reached number one in the US. Paul was stunned. He had no idea that the record had even been released. He soon found out that Columbia Records producer Tom Wilson had lifted the song from the album "Wednesday Morning, 3 AM" and added electric guitars, bass and drums to the original track of just Paul and Art singing along with Paul's guitar.
Such a sudden burst of fame would have taken most artists by surprise and Simon and Garfunkel were no exception. They quickly reunited, recorded another album and appropriately labelled it "Sounds Of Silence". The next year brought hit songs like "I Am A Rock", a song about self-pity written in almost a sarcastic way, that rose to #3 on the charts. There was also "Homeword Bound", the story of a wanderer who longs to return home. It was written almost sloppily, but rose to #5 on the charts.
Paul's reputation as a song writer grew when a group called Harper's Bazar took his "The 59th Street Bridge Song",("Feelin' Groovy") to the Top Ten. He and Art continued their own success streak in 1966 and 1967 with "Scarborough Fair", "A Hazy Shade Of Winter", "At The Zoo", "Fakin It" and "America".
Another Paul Simon composition, "Red Rubber Ball", sold over 800,000 copies for a band called "The Cyrkle" in 1966.
In 1968, Simon and Garfunkel scored yet another hit with the theme for the movie The Graduate, called "Mrs. Robinson". The Dustin Hoffman film was a smash and the song rose to the top spot on the Billboard chart, and won two Grammys.
Perhaps Paul Simon's most personal song, "The Boxer" tells a story that only a great writer could express. Even though its chorus is illegible, the song rose to #7 on the charts, and is a great example of Simon's talent as a writer, not to mention Simon and Garfunkel the singers.
Success continued as "Cecilia" peaked at the #4 position on the charts, but Paul Simon's best was yet to come. His song, "Bridge Over Troubled Water", is truly a magnificent piece of work. The song won a Grammy, and was seated at the top position on the charts for 10 weeks, showcasing Art's magnificent voice.
Even though the two had been friends since childhood, personal differences were tearing Simon and Garfunkel apart and the two decided to pursue solo careers in 1970.