Paul Simon

American singer and songwriter who teamed up with Art Garfunkel to become folk-rock music icons of the 1960s with songs such as "The Sounds of Silence," "Homeward Bound," "America," "The Boxer" and "Scarborough Fair." The troubled duo broke up in 1970 after winning six Grammy awards for their album Bridge Over Troubled Water. After a slump in the early '80s Simon came back in 1986 to win several Grammys for Graceland.

Simon's parents, Louis and Belle, were a happily married couple who produced a secure home environment for him and his brother. Simon's first love was sports, particularly baseball, and he claims it gave him confidence and a certain male image. He began writing songs at 13 while growing up in Queens, New York, listening to Gospel and rock 'n' roll. In sixth grade Simon met Art Garfunkel, also a pretty good ballplayer, who later became the other half of the singing duo. At 15 they recorded "Hey Schoolgirl" under the name of Tom and Jerry and when it was released in 1957 it became a top-50 hit. After two more records flopped Simon went on to Queens College and Garfunkel to Columbia University. Later an accidental meeting would find them auditioning for and being signed up with Columbia Records.

In 1964 they released the album Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M. but got nowhere. When Columbia saw the success of Bob Dylan's folk-rock records, Columbia took a song from the Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M. album, over-dubbed the acoustic version with electric guitar, drums and bass and re-released "The Sound of Silence" in 1964. It became a No. 1 single which Simon calls a turning point in his life. The duo continued to create hits including "The Boxer," "America," and "Mrs. Robinson," which was in the soundtrack of the movie The Graduate starring Dustin Hoffman. Simon and Garfunkel had a turbulent relationship and in 1970, after winning six Grammys for the album Bridge Over Troubled Water, they spit up. They had a reunion concert in New York's Central Park in 1981.