Following the 1970 breakup of Simon & Garfunkel—one of pop music’s most commercially dominant pairings—Art Garfunkel launched a solo recording career while simultaneously exploring acting opportunities. Although his clear, soaring tenor had defined much of the duo’s signature sound, songwriting duties had rested entirely with Paul Simon; consequently, Garfunkel turned to outside material from composers such as Jimmy Webb and Randy Newman, along with classic rock & roll numbers like “I Only Have Eyes for You,” for the duration of his independent work. While he never matched the commercial heights achieved alongside Simon, Garfunkel still placed several singles inside the Top 40 during the mid-1970s.
His first solo album did not appear until 1973. In the intervening years he concentrated on acting, taking roles in two Mike Nichols features, Catch 22 and Carnal Knowledge. Co-produced with longtime Simon & Garfunkel engineer Roy Halee, the debut release Angel Clare reached stores in autumn 1973. Its understated, meticulously crafted melodic soft-rock approach established the template Garfunkel would follow for the rest of his solo output. Strong sales carried the album into the Top Ten, fueled by the single “All I Know,” which climbed to number nine. Two years later he delivered Breakaway, helmed by Richard Perry and ultimately the biggest-selling record of his solo tenure; it peaked at number seven. A cover of the Flamingos’ “I Only Have Eyes for You” reached number 18 in the United States and number one in Britain. That same autumn Garfunkel rejoined Paul Simon for a Saturday Night Live appearance, and Simon’s “My Little Town,” which featured Garfunkel’s backing vocals, became a Top Ten hit in December.
Watermark, issued in autumn 1977, consisted largely of Jimmy Webb compositions. When its lead single failed to chart, the album was repackaged early in 1978 to include a new recording of Sam Cooke’s “Wonderful World,” supported by guest vocals from both Simon and James Taylor. The single climbed to number 17. Fate for Breakfast followed in 1979; although it reached number two in Britain, American interest had begun to wane—the album stopped at number 67 and none of its singles entered the Top 40. During that autumn Garfunkel appeared in the films Bad Timing and Illusions. Scissors Cut, another collaboration with Roy Halee released in 1981, failed to reverse his declining U.S. profile and did not crack the Top 100.
After Scissors Cut, Simon & Garfunkel staged a concert in New York’s Central Park. Its overwhelming success prompted a year-long world tour, yet mounting friction between the two led to another split once the dates concluded. Garfunkel remained largely silent until 1988, when he issued Lefty; the album lingered only eight weeks on the American charts and never registered in Britain. He waited until 1993 to release the rarities collection Up ’til Now. Another extended hiatus followed before he returned in 1997 with the live set Across America and the children’s album Songs from a Parent to a Child. The largely self-written Everything Waits to Be Noticed appeared in 2002, succeeded in 2007 by Some Enchanted Evening, a survey of American Popular Songbook standards.
