Simon & Garfunkel: The Definitive Folk Rock Duo

Simon & Garfunkel are an American folk rock duo consisting of singer-songwriter Paul Simon and singer Art Garfunkel. Hailing from Queens, New York, their intricate vocal harmonies and poetic lyrics came to define the sound of the 1960s, with their 1970 album "Bridge Over Troubled Water" becoming one of the best-selling records of all time.

Early Career

Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel first performed together as teenagers in 1956 under the name Tom & Jerry. Their early foray into the music industry yielded a minor hit with "Hey Schoolgirl" in 1957, but the duo soon parted ways to focus on their individual educations. They reunited in the early 1960s, influenced by the burgeoning folk scene, and began performing in Greenwich Village coffeehouses, eventually signing with Columbia Records in 1964.

Breakthrough

The duo's major breakthrough came in 1965 with the release of the album "Sounds of Silence." Producer Tom Wilson, without the duo's knowledge, overdubbed the original acoustic track of the song "The Sound of Silence" with electric instruments, creating a folk rock version that was released as a single. This version topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart in early 1966, catapulting Simon & Garfunkel to international fame and setting the stage for a series of highly successful albums.

Key Tracks

The Sound of Silence - The electrified single version of this song became their first number-one hit and established their signature sound of melancholic lyrics paired with rich harmony.

Mrs. Robinson - Featured in the landmark film "The Graduate," this Grammy-winning song became an anthem for a generation and showcased Simon's knack for character-driven storytelling.

Bridge Over Troubled Water - The title track from their final studio album is a gospel-influenced ballad featuring Garfunkel's soaring vocal, winning the Grammy for Record of the Year in 1971.

The Boxer - A folk rock epic known for its lyrical narrative of struggle and its iconic "lie-la-lie" refrain, highlighting the duo's sophisticated studio craftsmanship.

Cecilia - This upbeat, percussion-driven track demonstrated the duo's ability to craft catchy pop tunes within their folk rock framework and became a top-five hit.

Following their breakthrough, Simon & Garfunkel released a string of critically and commercially successful albums for Columbia Records, including "Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme" (1966) and "Bookends" (1968). Their music became synonymous with the social and political turbulence of the 1960s, though creative tensions between Simon's songwriting direction and Garfunkel's acting pursuits grew. After the monumental success of "Bridge Over Troubled Water," which won multiple Grammys and spent weeks at number one, the duo officially parted ways in 1970 to pursue solo careers, though they have reunited for several notable performances and a brief studio album project since.

Artists exploring a similar terrain of vocal harmony and lyrical folk rock include The Mamas & The Papas, who also crafted lush vocal arrangements during the same era. The introspective songwriting of Bob Dylan was a profound influence on Paul Simon's early work. Later folk-influenced acts like Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young carried forward the tradition of complex harmonies and social commentary.