Paul Simon

Singer, Songwriter

Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American musician, singer-songwriter, and actor. Simon’s fame, influence, and commercial success began as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel formed in 1964 with musical partner Art Garfunkel.

Simon wrote nearly all of the pair’s songs, including three reaching No. 1 on the United States singles charts: The Sound of Silence, Mrs. Robinson, and Bridge over Troubled Water.

The duo split in 1970 at the height of their popularity, and Simon began a successful solo career as a guitarist and singer-songwriter, recording three highly acclaimed albums over the next five years.

In 1986 he released Graceland, an album inspired by South African township music. Simon also wrote and starred in the film One-Trick Pony (1980) and co-wrote the Broadway musical The Capeman (1998) with the poet Derek Walcott.

Simon has earned twelve Grammys for his solo and collaborative work, including a Lifetime Achievement Award. In 1986 Simon was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Music degree from Berklee College of Music, where he currently serves on the Board of Trustees. In 2001 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and in 2006 was selected as one of the “100 People Who Shaped the World” by TIME Magazine. Among many other honors, Simon was the first recipient of the Library of Congress’ Gershwin Prize for Popular Song in 2007. In 2011 Rolling Stone Magazine named Simon as one of the 100 Greatest Guitarists, and in 2015 also named him as one of the 100 Greatest Songwriters.