Paul Simon

Career

Career

‘Columbia Records’ ‘Columbia Records’ registered the duo by their real name and released their first long play ‘Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.’Unfortunately, the album did not perform well on the music charts.

In 1972,In 1972, Simon recorded a self-titled solo album that included songs like ‘Mother and Child Reunion’ and 'Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard.' The tracks gave birth to a new style of music which was quite distinct from his previous works, and earned rave reviews from the initially skeptical critics.

In 1980, In 1980, Simon stepped into the field of filmmaking. Inspired by Woody Allen’s work in the film ‘Annie Hall,’ Simon wrote and starred in his movie ‘One-Trick Pony.’ He also recorded a soundtrack for the film. The movie tanked at the box office, but the soundtrack yielded the hit single ‘Late in the Evening.’

In 1981,In 1981, he reunited with Garfunkel for a free concert in New York’s ‘Central Park.’ The concert album was released in 1982 and was so successful that the duo decided to record another album together. However, while working together, they were reminded of their differences, which led to many years of estrangement.

Career

Simon’s career in music took off at a tender age of 11 when he performed alongside Garfunkel for a production of 'Alice in Wonderland.' From then on, they started performing as a rock duo under the name 'Tom and Jerry.'

Some of their early hits include 'Our Song' and 'That's My Story.' In 1964, the duo impressedClive Davis, the executive of ‘Columbia Records,’ who immediately signed them for an album.

‘Columbia Records’ registered the duo by their real name and released their first long play ‘Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.’Unfortunately, the album did not perform well on the music charts.

Dismayed by the failure of his debut album, Simon headed to Europe. In Europe, he collaborated with Bruce Woodley, a member of the Australian rock band ‘The Seekers.’ Together, they composed a few songs like ‘Red Rubber Ball,’ ‘I Wish You Could Be Here,’ and ‘Cloudy.’

After he returned to the US, a producer named Tom Wilson reworked on his debut album and released it as a single titled ‘The Sound of Silence.’ The album became a massive hit. Its second volume was released as ‘The Sounds of Silence,’ in which Simon worked with Garfunkel.

The duo released numerous chartbusters right after their second LP. Meanwhile, they contributed to the soundtrack of the iconic film ‘The Graduate,’ which became a massive hit.

With back-to-back hits, Simon-Garfunkel was labeled as one of the most popular and influential duos of the era. But as they reached new musical heights, their partnership started to weaken.

Simon & Garfunkel came up with their last album ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’ in 1970. Thanks to its innovative style of composition, the album did well on music charts. The title song became the cultural anthem for the youth.

The Simon-Garfunkel duo parted ways and moved on to build their respective career in different fields. Simon stuck to his music career and began working on imparting new dimensions to rock music.

In 1972, Simon recorded a self-titled solo album that included songs like ‘Mother and Child Reunion’ and 'Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard.' The tracks gave birth to a new style of music which was quite distinct from his previous works, and earned rave reviews from the initially skeptical critics.

In 1980, Simon stepped into the field of filmmaking. Inspired by Woody Allen’s work in the film ‘Annie Hall,’ Simon wrote and starred in his movie ‘One-Trick Pony.’ He also recorded a soundtrack for the film. The movie tanked at the box office, but the soundtrack yielded the hit single ‘Late in the Evening.’

In 1981, he reunited with Garfunkel for a free concert in New York’s ‘Central Park.’ The concert album was released in 1982 and was so successful that the duo decided to record another album together. However, while working together, they were reminded of their differences, which led to many years of estrangement.

The album ‘Hearts and Bones’ would have marked their reunion, but eventually became Simon's solo album. The album was not appreciated by the fans and was a commercial flop.

Simon’s career was revitalized with Grammy-nominated studio albums ‘You’re the One’ (2000), ‘Surprise’ (2006), and ‘So Beautiful or So What’ (2011). These albums were also commercial successes.

He has had a long-time association with the popular TV show ‘Saturday Night Live.’So far,he has appeared on the show on 14 occasions.

Simon released his 13th solo studio album‘Stranger to Stranger’ through ‘Concord Records’ in June 2016.His next album ‘In the Blue Light’ was released in September 2018.