Simon & Garfunkel

Simon & Garfunkel were an American musical duo comprising singer-songwriter Paul Simon and singer Art Garfunkel. The pair, who began performing together in Forest Hills, Queens, New York City, are associated with folk rock and are notable for defining recordings of the 1960s and early 1970s, including several Grammy-winning songs and albums. 

After early work under the name Tom & Jerry in the late 1950s, the duo re-emerged in the 1960s and signed with Columbia Records, releasing Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M. (1964). Their commercial breakthrough followed with “The Sound of Silence”, which became an international hit and established their signature vocal blend and lyric-driven songwriting style.

Their peak success came with a run of influential albums including Sounds of Silence (1966), Bookends (1968) and Bridge over Troubled Water (1970). The duo won major Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year for “Mrs. Robinson” and “Bridge over Troubled Water”, and their final studio album became one of the best-known releases of its era. 

Simon & Garfunkel split in 1970 but reunited periodically for concerts and limited new work. A major reunion performance in Central Park in 1981 became one of the best-known large-scale concerts of its time, and the pair continued to make occasional joint appearances in subsequent decades. 

The duo’s catalogue is frequently cited as foundational to modern folk rock, with songs such as “The Sound of Silence”, “The Boxer” and “Bridge over Troubled Water” remaining widely performed. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 and have won seven Grammy Awards, reinforcing a legacy grounded in songwriting craft, vocal harmony and sustained cultural presence.