This landed them a spot on American Bandstand, going on right after Jerry Lee Lewis. In 1957, they pooled together the money to cut a single, "Hey Schoolgirl," and had their first hit at the age of 15. They would occasionally perform at school dances, but spent their free time in New York City at the famous Brill Building, pitching Simon as a songwriter and the duo as demo singers, for which they’d get paid $15 a song. As a singer-songwriter known for his cerebral compositions, it seems only fitting that Simon's mother, Belle, was an English teacher and his father, Louis, was both a teacher and a bandleader the Simon family used to stay up late to catch his appearances on The Jackie Gleason Show and Arthur Godfrey and His Friends.Īfter moving to Queens, New York, Simon befriended Art Garfunkel, "the most famous singer in the neighborhood." Simon credits Garfunkel's performance in the 4th grade talent show as his inspiration to start singing, especially after he heard a girl tell Garfunkel how good he was.Īt Forest Hills High School, Simon and Garfunkel formed a duo called "Tom and Jerry," choosing pseudonyms to avoid sounding too Jewish.
Paul Simon was born on October 13, 1941, to Jewish American parents living in New Jersey. He was selected as one of the "100 People Who Shaped the World" by Time magazine in 2006.
He has worked with musicians all over the world, had dozens of hits and continues to release new music to critical acclaim. Paul Simon began his legendary music career as half of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, then soared to new musical heights with the release of his groundbreaking Graceland album.
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