Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and producer whose work has connected folk, rock, pop, gospel, reggae, jazz, Latin music, and South African musical traditions. Known for his precise songwriting and restless musical curiosity, Simon has built one of the most influential careers in modern popular music, first as half of Simon & Garfunkel and later as a solo artist.
Simon grew up in Queens, New York, and began writing and performing songs while still a teenager. He met Art Garfunkel during elementary school, and the pair first recorded together in the late 1950s under the name Tom & Jerry. After pursuing separate paths, they reunited in the early 1960s as Simon & Garfunkel. Simon was principally responsible for the duo's songwriting, while Garfunkel's distinctive tenor gave the material its familiar vocal character.
Simon & Garfunkel initially worked within the acoustic folk tradition, but their sound changed after producer Tom Wilson added electric instrumentation to "The Sound of Silence." The resulting hit helped establish the duo during the folk-rock boom of the mid-1960s. Albums such as *Sounds of Silence* (1966), *Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme* (1966), *Bookends* (1968), and *Bridge Over Troubled Water* (1970) combined introspective writing with increasingly ambitious arrangements. Songs including "Mrs. Robinson," "America," "The Boxer," and "Bridge Over Troubled Water" became standards. The Graduate, the 1967 film that prominently featured Simon & Garfunkel recordings, further connected their music with the cultural atmosphere of the era.
After the duo separated, Simon began a solo career with *Paul Simon* (1972). The album demonstrated that his interests extended well beyond acoustic folk, incorporating reggae, jazz, rock, and Latin influences. "Mother and Child Reunion" and "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard" became major successes. He followed it with *There Goes Rhymin' Simon* (1973) and *Still Crazy After All These Years* (1975), the latter producing "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" and winning the Grammy Award for Album of the Year.
Simon reached another creative high point with *Graceland* (1986). Recorded partly in collaboration with South African musicians, the album fused American songwriting with township jive, pop, gospel, and other international styles. Its success, especially through "You Can Call Me Al," introduced his music to a new generation. The project also prompted debate about cultural exchange and the political implications of working with South African artists during apartheid. Simon continued his interest in global collaboration on *The Rhythm of the Saints* (1990), which drew heavily on Brazilian musical traditions.
His later work included *Songs from The Capeman* (1997), connected to his Broadway musical *The Capeman*, as well as *You're the One* (2000), *So Beautiful or So What* (2011), and *Stranger to Stranger* (2016). In 2023, he released *Seven Psalms*, a quiet, seven-part work centered on acoustic textures, spiritual imagery, and mortality. The album formed part of the subject matter of Alex Gibney's documentary *In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon*.
Simon has won 16 Grammy Awards, including three Album of the Year honors. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Simon & Garfunkel in 1990 and as a solo artist in 2001. His lasting importance lies not only in the number of enduring songs he wrote, but in his ability to treat popular songwriting as a vehicle for literary observation, rhythmic experimentation, and dialogue between musical cultures.