Paul Simon is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actor…..whose musical career has spanned seven decades. He reached fame and commercial success as half of the duo Simon & Garfunkel….which was formed in 1956 with Art Garfunkel….as the duo was originally known as Tom & Jerry. Simon was responsible for writing nearly all of the pair’s songs….which included three that reached # 1 on the U.S. singles charts….”The Sound of Silence”, “Mrs. Robinson” and “Bridge over Troubled Water”.
After the duo split up in 1970 at the height of their popularity….that’s when Simon began a successful solo career….after which recorded three acclaimed albums over the next five years….then in 1986, he released Graceland….an album inspired by South African township music….which sold 14 million copies worldwide on its release and remains his most popular solo work…..then Simon also wrote and starred in the film One-Trick Pony in 1980….as well as co-writing the Broadway musical The Capeman in 1998 with the poet Derek Walcott. On June 3, 2016, Simon released his 13th solo album, Stranger to Stranger…. which debuted at # 1 on the Billboard Album Chart and the UK charts.
Simon has earned sixteen Grammy Awards for his solo and collaborative work….including three for Album of the Year with Bridge Over Troubled Water, Still Crazy After All These Years and Graceland…. along with a Lifetime Achievement Award. 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. In 2011, Rolling Stone named Simon one of the 100 greatest guitarists….and in 2015, he was named one of the 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time by Rolling Stone. Among many other honors, Simon was the first recipient of the Library of Congress’s Gershwin Prize for Popular Song in 2007.
In this video, Paul Simon performs Slip Sliding Away during one of his appearances on Saturday Night Live in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s.
