By: Brooke Johnpier, Music Department Member
Simon and Garfunkel were an American folk-rock duo that consisted of Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel. Simon was a singer-songwriter and Garfunkel was a singer. They were active for multiple segments between the years of 1956-2010, and they were one of the best-selling music acts of the 1960s.
Simon and Garfunkel met in elementary school in Queens, NY, in 1953 and started messing around with their harmonization and writing songs together. A few years later as teens, they went out under the name of “Tom & Jerry” and had very little success.
After not performing for a few years, Simon and Garfunkel got back together in 1963 and were signed to Columbia Records as a folk-rock band. Their first album was released on October 19, 1964, and was called Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M. This album contains only one song that I’ve heard of, and that’s “The Sounds of Silence.” The debut album would also peak at number 30 on the Billboard Top LP’s chart.
Simon and Garfunkel’s next album, Sounds of Silence, shares the name of the only song I know off their first album – and was released on January 17, 1966. This album contains a different version of that song, in which their producer overdubbed the original with a rock rhythm section. The album would have great success, landing number 21 on the US albums chart.
The duo’s third album, Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme, was released nine months after their second album. Even though I don’t know any of the songs on this album, the US sure did. The album landed number four on the Billboard 200 charts and landed on Rolling Stone’s The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time List in 2012 at number 202.
Two years later, the duo would release their fourth studio album, Bookends, on April 3, 1968. It’s a concept album that explores a life journey from childhood to old age. This album contains the number one hit single, “Mrs. Robinson,” and propelled the duo to become the biggest duo in the world at that time. Multiple producers contacted the duo about making content for films, and they turned them down. This album would peak at number one on the Billboard 200 charts and would also land on Rolling Stone’s Top 500 Albums of All Time at number 234. It also made the magazine’s list of Top 25 Rock and Roll Albums of the ‘60s at number 21.
The duo’s fifth, and final, studio album, Bridge Over Troubled Waters, was released on January 26, 1970. This album contains its title namesake, which became an instant number one hit. The album also became a number one hit, doing so in practically every country across the world.
During their career, Simon and Garfunkel won 14 Grammys and were nominated for 18. Their final album won two, while the title track alone won five Grammy’s. That is also my favorite song by the duo. The duo was also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990, and the Vocal Hall of Fame in 2006.
Simon and Garfunkel are one of the most iconic duos in music history. If you haven’t given them a listen yet, do so. You won’t regret it, and you will understand why they’re in the prominent position they are today.
Want to share your thoughts? Have a band/artist you want to be featured? Email Brooke at johnpibl23@bonaventure.edu!
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