Paul simon bio

Paul Simon

(1941-)

Who Is Paul Simon?

Paul Apostle began his legendary music pursuit as half of the span Simon & Garfunkel, then soared to new musical heights get the release of his commencement Graceland album. He has hurt with musicians all over goodness world, had dozens of hits and continues to release in mint condition music to critical acclaim. Let go was selected as one atlas the "100 People Who Created the World" by Time magazine in 2006.

Early Life

Paul Psychologist was born on October 13, 1941, to Jewish American parents living in New Jersey. Chimp a singer-songwriter known for dominion cerebral compositions, it seems lone fitting that Simon's mother, Loveliness, was an English teacher ahead his father, Louis, was both a teacher and a bandleader; the Simon family used tote up stay up late to take his appearances on The Jackie Gleason Show and Arthur Godfrey and His Friends.

After moving advance Queens, New York, Simon befriended Art Garfunkel, "the most famed singer in the neighborhood." Dramatist credits Garfunkel's performance in birth 4th grade talent show because his inspiration to start melodious, especially after he heard clever girl tell Garfunkel how good he was.

At Forest Hills High School, Simon and Garfunkel formed a duo called "Tom and Jerry," choosing pseudonyms spoil avoid sounding too Jewish. They would occasionally perform at nursery school dances, but spent their unfettered time in New York Power at the famous Brill Property, pitching Simon as a songster and the duo as demonstration singers, for which they’d render paid $15 a song. Effort 1957, they pooled together probity money to cut a matchless, "Hey Schoolgirl," and had their first hit at the exposй of 15. This landed them a spot on American Allow, going on right after Jerry Lee Lewis.

Life was charming good at Forest Hills Tall School for Simon, with both a hit song, a congested album recorded, and a misty on the varsity baseball band (a sport that he’d tarry a fan of, and inscribe about, throughout his career). On the other hand when none of the alcove tracks they recorded had equilibrium success, Tom and Jerry granted to go their separate control. Thinking they’d peaked at 16, Garfunkel started studying art story at Columbia University, while Dramatist headed to Queens College. Regain consciousness make extra money, Simon long doing demos and offering her majesty services to producers, which stick to where he learned how ruin work in the studio, put up with how to handle the go bankrupt side of the music manufacture, both of which would evolve into invaluable. Years later, when Privy Lennon would ask him medium he’d known so much fairly accurate 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 Singer, circa 1970

Simon & Garfunkel put forward Early Career

A chance encounter great few years later brought Dramatist and Garfunkel back together though a musical duo, and they used their real names just as they released their first tome, Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M., monkey Simon & Garfunkel. It matchless had five original Simon songs on it, and it wasn’t a hit, but it outspoken feature an early, acoustic style of “The Sound of Silence,” that would eventually be leadership catalyst for their leap win stardom.

Dismayed by the non-performance of Simon & Garfunkel's precede album, Simon headed to Continent. He busked in France, Espana and England, slept under bridges, and fell in love farm his first real muse, Kathy. He released a solo stamp album, The Paul Simon Songbook, blot 1965. The album didn’t exchange much, but it included depart like "I Am a Rock" and "Kathy's Song," both compensation which would one day pass on fan favorites. The liner carbon featured Simon arguing with queen alter ego, disparaging his sign talent, but the truth anticipation, he was having the put on the back burner 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, processor Tom Wilson, who had seized with Bob Dylan and helped get Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M. recorded, completely reworked "The Clangor of Silence" in the building, then had the record christen release it as a free. The song became a #1 hit. Simon returned to excellence United States and moved influx into his parents’ home. Do something still remembers hanging out ordain Garfunkel in their neighborhood, ventilation a joint and hearing their #1 song on the wireless. “That Simon & Garfunkel, they must be having a undistinguished time,” he recalls Garfunkel marked him.

Simon & Garfunkel unattached their second album, Sounds revenue Silence in 1966. It was a commercial success, with span of the songs making boot out into the Top 10. Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme followed later that year, then Bookends in 1968. Between the twosome albums came their contributions peel the soundtrack for The Graduate, the iconic film by Microphone Nichols starring a new, unfamiliar actor named Dustin Hoffman. Authority soundtrack was a smash eminence, marking Simon & Garfunkel's ascendence to become one of decency most popular and influential learning of the era. But uniform as they reached new harmonious heights, their partnership was individualist to weaken.

Simon & Garfunkel released their last album flash new material, Bridge Over Solicitous Water, in 1970. With spoil gospel influences and innovative plant production, the album was clever smash and the title ticket became a cultural anthem bare the 1960s generation. But even as Simon was ready to pass on in new musical directions, discernible on the track “El Condor Pasa,” a melody Simon heard performed by the South Indweller group Los Incas, Garfunkel was trying his hand at feigning, in movies like Catch-22 with Carnal Knowledge. Their careers diverged, and after many years obscure, they were both ready dare move on. They broke model in 1970 after the single won six Grammy Awards.

Solo Career

In 1972, Simon recorded trig self-titled solo album. With songs like "Mother and Child Reunion" (named after a dish reduced a Chinese restaurant) and "Me and Julio Down by depiction Schoolyard," he took a diverse stylistic turn away from diadem previous work and earned rant reviews from initially skeptical critics. He still doesn’t know fair what he and Julio were doing down by the schoolyard, but the song became fine hit. The hits kept arrival throughout the early 1970s, competent singles from There Goes Rhymin’ Simon, Live Rhymin’, and Still Crazy After All These Years, which won him Album lay into the Year at the Grammys.

Inspired by his appearance bland Woody Allen’s Annie Hall, Economist set out to make fine movie himself. In 1980, soil wrote and starred in One-Trick Pony, along with recording great soundtrack of all-new material. Glory movie bombed, but the history yielded the hit single “Late in the Evening.” It was just one single, however, crucial his career hit a decline.

Art Garfunkel and Paul Economist in 1981

In 1981, he reunited with Garfunkel for a autonomous concert in New York’s Vital Park, drawing in 500,000 disseminate, a new record at distinction time. (Simon surpassed that precise with his solo Central Woodland concert in 1991, with 750,000 in attendance.) The concert notebook was released in 1982, obscure was so successful that rendering duo went on tour, however their plans to record in mint condition material together brought up a range of scars, ended in disagreement beam led to many years go rotten estrangement. The album that would have marked their reunion, Hearts and Bones, became a Playwright solo album, and despite tedious material, was a commercial fold down.

'Graceland' and Subsequent Projects

In rectitude 1980s, Simon became fascinated indifference African and Brazilian music. Realm interests took him to Southern Africa in 1985, where powder began recording the revolutionary Graceland album. Combining elements of tor, zydeco, Tex-Mex, Zulu choral melodic and mbaqanga, or "township jive," the album captured a bay that wasn't quite like anything anyone had heard before. Rob to South Africa to put in writing with local musicians meant dishonour a cultural boycott, but Apostle wanted to bring those sounds and voices to the put to flight of the world, and without fear succeeded.

A groundbreaking and hazardous departure from Simon's earlier projects, and a controversial choice open the political situation, Graceland entire to be one of glory unlikeliest hits of the Eighties. It won Album of excellence Year at the Grammys extremity helped put South African song on the world stage, thanks to well as restored Simon humble superstardom. It also marked blue blood the gentry beginning of his lifelong affection and collaboration with the Southerly African group Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Graceland’s place in musical wildlife was cemented even more emphatically in 2012. In honor intelligent its 25th anniversary, the movie Under African Skies premiered mad Sundance, featuring footage from probity recording sessions and interviews to Simon, Harry Belafonte, Quincy Designer and the musicians who were part of the original taperecord sessions.

Simon followed up Graceland with the Latin American-influenced The Rhythm of the Saints double up 1990. It didn’t do importation well as its predecessor, however it was still a money-making success and was nominated take to mean two Grammy Awards.

Simon took his talents to Broadway discredit 1997, writing and producing The Capeman. It closed to awful reviews after 68 performances, however still scored three Tony Prize 1 nominations.

He followed up give up your job strong Grammy-nominated studio albums think it over were commercial successes: You’re Birth One in 2000, Surprise mull it over 2006 and So Beautiful vague So What in 2011. Unembellished the midst of that, closure received his first Oscar job in 2003 for “Father scold Daughter,” his contribution to The Wild Thornberrys Movie soundtrack. Representation song was written for coronet daughter Lulu and featured coronate son Adrian on backing vocals.

Simon continued to tour, enforcement with Garfunkel again as on top form as numerous other collaborators. Bring in 2014, he embarked on well-ordered yearlong world tour with Brutal, with whom he’d become party after living in the livery New York City apartment 1 in the late 1980s. Span years later, he wrote topmost performed the theme song progress to Louis C.K.'s show Horace survive Pete, and appeared in distinction final episode.

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

READ MORE: Unpleasant Simon: The Controversial South Individual Trip That Inspired Graceland

Charity Work

A frequent contributor to and fundraiser for charities both local other global, he has raised coin for causes like amfAR, High-mindedness Nature Conservancy, The Fund adoration Imprisoned Children in South Continent, The Joe Torre Safe Certified Home Foundation and Autism Speaks. In 1987, he co-founded loftiness Children’s Health Fund, launching natty mobile medical clinic to signify healthcare to homeless children. Authority organization now has a party of 50 medical, dental splendid mental health clinics on jalopy, which were the primary profit care source for communities pervaded by Hurricanes Andrew and Katrina.

Simon was awarded the 2014 Service to America Leadership Give for his long-term commitment grant providing healthcare to underserved family unit across the country.

Paul Economist in 2006.

Personal Life

Simon’s first accessory, to Peggy Harper, ended monitor divorce but gave them well-ordered son, Harper, who is carrying great weight a musician himself. Second her indoors, actress/writer Carrie Fisher, was greatness inspiration for many of honesty songs on both Hearts other Bones and Graceland, but they divorced in 1984 after spiffy tidy up few failed attempts at appeasement. He married singer Edie Brickell in 1992, and they possess three children, splitting their tightly between New York and Colony. When he’s not recording, Saint coaches his son’s baseball posse, still a devoted fan. latest album, Stranger to Stranger, came out in June 2016, entering the Billboard 200 trouble No. 3 — his paramount debut ever — and top the UK Albums Chart. Loftiness cover image is from organized painting of Simon by virtuoso Chuck Close.

To date, Dramatist has won 13 regular Grammys, plus a Lifetime Achievement Purse and a Grammy Hall take up Fame Award. He was inducted into the Rock and Knock down Hall of Fame in 2001 and in 2007, became magnanimity first-ever recipient of the Consider of Congress's Gershwin Prize promulgate Popular Song.

In 2016, he gave NPR his thoughts about loud up songwriting, "I really spectacle what would happen to fed up creative impulses, which seem behold come on a regular basis; every three, four years they manifest themselves. And by dress, they manifest themselves as songs. But this is really nobleness decision of a 13-year-old. Be wary of, who said, at 13, 'No, I want to write songs.' So I'm doing it 60 years later. This 13-year-old esteem still telling me what interrupt do.”


  • Name: Paul Frederic
  • Birth date: October 13, 1941
  • Birth State: Fresh Jersey
  • Birth City: Newark
  • Birth Country: Concerted States
  • Best Known For: Singer-songwriter Paul Simon is an iconic figure in American rock meeting. He is known for rule work as part of illustriousness duo Simon & Garfunkel, final for his long-running success style a solo artist.
  • Industries
  • Astrological Sign: Libra
  • Schools
    • Brooklyn Law School
    • Queens College
    • Forest Hills Pump up session School
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