Simon & Garfunkel

Simon & Garfunkel were a folk-pop duo from New York City comprising Paul Simon (vocals, guitar) and Art Garfunkel (vocals), who met as schoolchildren in Queens in the 1950s and became one of the most successful recording acts of the 1960s. Their close vocal harmonies, literate and introspective songwriting, and perfect crystallisation of the folk revival's meeting with pop production made them one of the decade's defining acts and left a body of songs that remain among the most enduring in American popular music. After an early unsuccessful single as Tom & Jerry (1957) and an unsuccessful debut album *Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M.* (1964), producer Tom Wilson added electric instrumentation to their folk recording of 'The Sound of Silence' without their knowledge, releasing it as a single in 1965. It became a number one hit and relaunched their career. *Sounds of Silence* (1966) and *Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme* (1966) established the template of Simon's increasingly sophisticated songwriting paired with Garfunkel's pure, aching tenor. *Bookends* (1968) — a conceptual meditation on the arc of life from youth to old age — featured 'Mrs. Robinson,' written for Mike Nichols's film *The Graduate*, in which the pair also appeared. *Bridge over Troubled Water* (1970) was their commercial peak and swansong: the title track, anchored by Garfunkel's soaring vocal over a gospel piano arrangement, became one of the best-selling singles of all time, and the album won six Grammys. The duo's tensions — Simon's desire for solo recognition, Garfunkel's pursuit of acting — led to their split in 1970. Reunion concerts in 1981 (Central Park, 500,000 attendees) and 2003–04 generated enormous interest, though Simon's prolific solo career and Garfunkel's periodic releases have sustained their individual legacies. Their influence on singer-songwriter pop, vocal harmony, and the literary ambition of popular song has been profound and widely acknowledged.