Paul Simon is an American singer-songwriter who did some of his most famous musical work in the 1960s, performing in coffeehouses and other small venues with Art Garfunkel. He should not be confused with former Illinois Senator Paul Simon.
In 2011, Simon responded to a question by NPR about his religious beliefs this way:[1]
- NPR Reporter: “The fact that there is so much reference to religion in this album makes me wonder if you're thinking about religion more, or thinking about God more.”
- Simon: “I don’t think it's really so much about religion. There are quite a few references to God or in a spiritual sense. And I guess I would have to say from the evidence of this album that I am thinking about it more.”
Simon formed a duo with Garfunkel called Tom and Jerry in 1957. In the 1960s they renamed their duo Simon and Garfunkel, and recorded many hits including "I am a Rock," "The Sound of Silence," "Homeward Bound," "The Boxer," "Mrs. Robinson" and "Bridge Over Troubled Water." In the 1970s the duo broke up over artistic differences, and Simon went on to record such solo hits as "Kodachrome," "One Trick Pony" and "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover."[2] Overall, Simon had 21 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, and twice won the Grammy album of the year.[3]
In the 1980s Simon made a stir when he traveled to South Africa and recorded with South African musicians such as the group Ladysmith Black Mombazo at a time when the boycott of South Africa made such a move questionable in the eyes of many. However, the resulting album, Graceland, won the 1987 Grammy Award for Album of the Year and brought recognition to the talents of many unknown black South African musicians.[4]
In 1990, Simon and Garfunkel were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Paul Simon gave his final, farewell concert in Flushing Meadows Corona Park on Sept. 22, 2018, only a 20-minute bike ride from where he grew up, in Queens, New York.[3]