Paul Simon has gone from teen hitmaker, to folk-singing duo, to solo act, to one of the 20th century’s greatest songwriters. Simon turns 82 today. He was born October 13, 1941.
Simon has been making music for seven decades, but did you know Simon grew up in Queens, New York loving music and baseball?
He met Art Garfunkel when they were 11. Simon wrote his first song when he was about 13. He and Garfunkel, then called Tom & Jerry, had a Billboard Hot 100 hit, “Hey, Schoolgirl,” in 1957. They even sang it on “American Bandstand.”
Simon graduated from Queens College and spent a semester in law school before dropping out. He and Garfunkel returned to their music, but after their first album flopped they went their separate ways, Simon to England and Garfunkel to college. Our Song of the Day, “Sound of Silence,” brought them back together. They went on to have four hit albums before breaking up.
Simon’s career without Garfunkel didn’t miss a beat. His first three albums reached number four, two and one respectively on Billboard’s album chart. “Graceland” sold more than 16 million copies.
How do you pick a favorite Paul Simon song? “Sound of Silence” is his pick, according to the website americansongwriter.com. He wrote the song when he was 21.
Simon and Garfunkel recorded an acoustic version in the spring of 1964 for their first album. The album didn’t sell, they went on with life.
They didn’t even know that their producer recut the song, electrifying it. They weren’t thrilled with the version, but it zoomed to the top of the Billboard Hot 100, and they got back together.
They separated again in 1970, and the relationship has been rocky ever since. It’s unlikely Simon will receive a birthday card from Garfunkel today.
Song of the Day is created by Sheldon Zoldan, and produced by Pam James for WGCU. Audio production is by Simon Dunham, WGCU.
To receive the Song of the Day in you inbox every day, send an email to shzoldan@comcast.net with the subject line ADD ME TO SOTD.
