Emerging prominently among singer-songwriters in the 1960s, Paul Simon shaped folk-rock's contours through the albums he recorded alongside Art Garfunkel. Across five releases, Simon & Garfunkel produced enduring tracks from that decade, such as the lasting favorites "The Sounds of Silence," "Mrs. Robinson," and "Bridge Over Troubled Water." At the peak of their fame in 1970 the pair parted ways, prompting Simon to begin a solo path via his self-titled 1972 debut, an effort that showcased his growing musical curiosity and refined lyricism. His command of sophisticated mainstream pop soon surfaced, placing him regularly in the Top Ten throughout the 1970s via singles including "Mother and Child Reunion," "Kodachrome," "Loves Me Like a Rock," and "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover," the last drawn from the Grammy-winning Album of the Year Still Crazy After All These Years in 1975, yet artistic impatience set in by the 1980s. Immersion in African sounds renewed both his creativity and market appeal, yielding the landmark 1986 release Graceland, which earned him a second Album of the Year Grammy. Subsequent years saw Simon pursue diverse projects, from a Broadway production to a 2006 partnership with Brian Eno and the understated sequence comprising 2023's Seven Psalms.
Paul Frederic Simon entered the world in Newark, New Jersey, on October 13, 1941. His father, Louis Simon, worked as an educator while directing a modest jazz ensemble, and his mother, Belle Simon, instructed in English; when Paul was just months old the family relocated from Newark to Queens, New York. Growing up, Paul nurtured enthusiasms for baseball alongside music, especially jazz and folk, and by his teenage years he gravitated toward the doo wop and R&B styles featured on Alan Freed's programs as well as early rockabilly figures like Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins. At age 11 Simon encountered Art Garfunkel, and the pair quickly bonded over shared musical interests. They formed a harmony act modeled on the Everly Brothers and performed publicly for the first time at a junior high talent showcase. While attending Forest Hills High School they adopted the name Tom & Jerry, with Art as Tom Graph and Paul as Jerry Landis, spending free hours at teen dances and gatherings. In 1955 they composed "The Girl for Me" together, which Simon copyrighted through the Library of Congress. During 1957, while cutting a demo acetate of Simon's "Hey Schoolgirl," the head of a modest label ironically called Big Records stopped by the studio, approved the material, and issued "Hey Schoolgirl" b/w "Dancin' Wild" that autumn. The single climbed to number 52 on the Billboard pop singles charts and earned Tom & Jerry a slot on American Bandstand, though further releases failed to match its impact and it remained their sole success.
Already eyeing an independent route by March 1958, Simon recorded the single "True or False" b/w "Teen Age Fool" as True Taylor. Jerry Landis secured his own contract and delivered "Anna Belle" b/w "Loneliness" in 1959, while Simon also contributed to the studio outfit the Cosines, known for demo work for composers; one participant was Carole Klein, later renowned as Carole King. Toward the decade's close both Paul and Art entered college, sidelining Tom & Jerry for studies, though Simon occasionally taped sessions and supplied material for other performers. In 1961 he joined several vocalists to create Tico & the Triumphs, whose single "Motorcycle" b/w "I Don't Believe Them" edged onto the Billboard charts at number 99 for a single week yet gained heavy rotation in Baltimore and became a local favorite there. Issued by Amy Records, the track led the label to enlist Simon for songwriting and production duties with acts such as Ritchie Cordell, the Fashions, Dottie Daniels, and Jay Walker & the Pedestrians. He also found time for another Jerry Landis outing, and "The Lone Teen Ranger" lingered three weeks on the Billboard listings in early 1963, reaching number 97.
The folk revival overtook New York City in the early 1960s, bringing fresh songwriting perspectives. Having studied English literature, Simon drew inspiration from these artists and reunited with Art Garfunkel in 1963, now using their given names and focusing on the socially conscious material Simon was crafting. Simon & Garfunkel performed in Greenwich Village folk venues and signed with Columbia Records, issuing their debut Wednesday Morning, 3 AM in autumn 1964. Initial sales proved disappointing, so Simon traveled to England, performing in folk clubs, taping BBC sessions, and recording the solo album The Paul Simon Songbook, available solely in the U.K. He also co-wrote several pop numbers with the Seekers' Bruce Woodley, among them "Red Rubber Ball," which became a major success for the Cyrkle. In late 1965 producer Tom Wilson, responsible for Wednesday Morning, 3 AM, noticed scattered airplay for "The Sound of Silence" from that LP and decided to overlay a rock rhythm section on the acoustic original for single release. The approach succeeded: the updated "The Sound of Silence" achieved strong chart placement, leading Simon & Garfunkel to regroup and complete Sounds of Silence, which appeared in 1966 and generated the singles "I Am a Rock" and "Kathy's Song."
Simon & Garfunkel sustained notable achievements in the following years, standing among the rare early-1960s folk-revival acts to thrive with acoustic material amid the psychedelic period, largely due to Simon's compositions. Although 1970's Bridge Over Troubled Water delivered substantial commercial and critical acclaim while mirroring the era's closing atmosphere, underlying creative tensions between Simon and Garfunkel intensified during its making, and their pause in joint work turned into a definitive split once Simon issued his self-titled solo record in 1972. Paul Simon contained the hits "Mother and Child Reunion" and "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard," incorporating reggae, Latin elements, and refined soft rock. The 1973 follow-up There Goes Rhymin' Simon expanded ambitions with optimistic tones, gospel touches, New Orleans jazz, and R&B-infused rock and pop. Informed by his divorce from first wife Peggy Harper, the 1975 album Still Crazy After All These Years included "My Little Town," marking Simon's first reunion with Garfunkel since Bridge Over Troubled Water. Simon's subsequent endeavor took extended preparation; he scripted a film narrative centered on a musician preserving his marriage and livelihood, writing accompanying songs and starring in the resulting picture. Though One Trick Pony marked not his initial screen appearance—he had a brief yet notable part in Woody Allen's Annie Hall—his performance alongside seasoned actors drew mixed reactions upon the 1980 release. The soundtrack, his first for Warner Bros. after years with Columbia, produced the hit "Late in the Evening" yet underperformed commercially overall.
In September 1981 Simon & Garfunkel staged a large-scale Central Park reunion concert that sparked a short tour. The event became a successful live album, prompting plans for new studio work, but studio disagreements resurfaced and Simon's 1983 release Hearts and Bones appeared without Garfunkel's input. Poor sales followed, and by his own account Simon lacked fresh ideas until encountering "township jive" by South Africa's the Boyoyo Boys. Captivated by its diverse components, he crafted an album rooted in South African pop, tracked mainly in Johannesburg with local musicians. The outcome, 1986's Graceland, unexpectedly became a major hit, yielding several singles, exposing global listeners to those rhythms, and sparking renewed discussion of apartheid. The project also stirred debate, with some viewing the sessions as violations of a United Nations cultural boycott; additionally, Los Lobos members credited on the record alleged Simon used their melody for "All Around the World, or the Myth of Fingerprints" without songwriting acknowledgment. Brazilian influences guided his next effort, 1990's The Rhythm of the Saints, which retained several South African contributors from Graceland. Though not matching Graceland's scale, it earned solid praise and sales, restoring Simon's standing as an active artist.
Following a live document from the supporting tour, Simon withdrew to develop an unconventional endeavor, the Broadway musical The Capeman, drawn from the real experiences of Salvador Agron, a Latino gang member and convicted murderer who later became a poet and activist. Collaborating with Derek Walcott on the book, Simon composed fresh songs for the production. Challenges plagued the show, which premiered in 1998 to unfavorable notices and shuttered after 68 performances owing to weak ticket demand; a revised staging in 2010 garnered stronger responses. An album of Simon's renditions of the material achieved only modest results, while the original cast recording received a delayed digital issue in 2006.
Recovering from the setback, Simon returned to the studio in 2000 for You're the One, blending the African and Latin textures he had explored with a more personal early style. Two years later he rejoined Art Garfunkel for a concert tour, documented on the 2004 live album Old Friends: Live on Stage. In 2006 he delivered Surprise, produced with the unexpected choice of Brian Eno. The 2011 release So Beautiful or So What reflected a return to organic songcraft not heard since Graceland, while lyrics demonstrated ongoing engagement with contemporary sounds and concepts; it marked his debut on Hear Music, which also issued the 2012 live set Live in New York City from an intimate hometown performance during that tour. Summer 2016 brought Stranger to Stranger, co-produced with longtime associate Roy Halee and released on Concord Records.
Simon launched a farewell tour in 2018, near its conclusion issuing In the Blue Light, a set of reinterpretations of songs he felt had been underappreciated at the time of writing. Despite these retrospective gestures he continued creating new music. In May 2023 he unveiled Seven Psalms, a cohesive suite intended for continuous listening. The acoustic mini-suite included contributions from VOCES8 and vocals by Edie Brickell.
