Genius is an overused word, but most people would agree that Paul Simon is one of the greatest songwriters the world has seen. He is also responsible for helping to popularize World Music, especially in the case of African music. Paul was born in 1941 and grew up in Queens, New York City. He met Art Garfunkel in high school and started up a duo, performing as Tom and Jerry at a few school dances together. They had a moderate hit in 1957 when their single got to number forty nine in the charts.

From then until 1964, Paul released several self penned records as part of Tom and Jerry, as a solo performer, and in conjunction with other artists. It wasn’t until later that the artist would set the world on fire. Simon also did some producing for little known acts. By the mid-1960s, Paul Simon was discovering the folk rock scene in New York and was beginning to really blossom as a songwriter. He co-wrote a song with Bruce Woodley from The Seekers which was a big hit when covered by The Cyrkle.

The big turning point came in 1964 when Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel, operating now as Simon and Garfunkel, secured a recording contract. They released their debut album, Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M. Producer Tom Wilson decided to put out The Sound of Silence as a single and it got to the number one spot in the US. The rest, as they say, is history. Simon and Garfunkel commercial success and critical acclaim from their subsequent albums and singles.

There were landmark recordings that became classics, thanks to the quality of the writing and the sublime vocal harmonies of the duo. The Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme album is one of these, superbly produced by Bob Johnston. They went on to do the soundtrack for the Mike Nichols film of The Graduate, starring Anne Bancroft, Dustin Hoffman, and Katherine Ross. Teo Macero produced the soundtrack album and the songs made a huge contribution to the popularity of the movie. Another favorite for the fans is Bridge Over Troubled Water, which produced a hit single from the title track. Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel co-produced the album with Roy Halee.

After this, Paul and Art pursued solo careers. Paul Simon continued to write great songs and he had a bit hit with his album, Still Crazy After All These Years, produced by Phil Ramone. In 1983, he co-produced Hearts and Bones with Roy Halee again, and also Russ Titelman and Lenny Waronker. Most people agree that Graceland is the best album so far from Simon’s solo years. Paul produced the Grammy award winning album, and worked with Ladysmith Black Mambazo to achieve the catchy African rhythms. Linda Ronstadt contributed to one of the tracks. The title track is about a visit to Graceland in Memphis, the home of Elvis Presley. You Can Call Me Al was a hit single with a promotional video featuring actor Chevy Chase. Paul is still going strong and released a new album in May of 2006 produced by Brian Eno.

Paul Simon has done some movie work, playing a small part in the Woody Allen hit, Annie Hall. He also wrote and starred as an aging rock star in One Trick Pony. Directed by Robert M.Young, his co-stars were Rip Torn and Joan Hackett.

Paul Simon has been married three times. His first marriage produced a son, Harper Simon, who is a professional musician. He was then famously married to Carrie Fisher for eleven months.

His current wife is singer songwriter Edie Brickell, and they have three children together.