Paul Simon, 65, was born on October 13, 1941 in Newark, New Jersey. Simon has won 12 Grammy Awards, is a two-time inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame – once for the Simon and Garfunkel duo and again as a solo artist. He is a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame and an Honoree of the Kennedy Center. In 2006, Time Magazine named Paul Simon one of the “100 People Who Shaped the World.”
Paul Simon was the first American artist invited by President Nelson Mandela to perform in post-apartheid South Africa. Simon and Garfunkel’s first song submitted for copyright to The Library of Congress in 1956 was “The Girl For Me.” Paul Simon’s most recent album Surprise was released in 2006. Paul Simon was recently honored by The Library of Congress as the first recipient of the annual Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.
Paul Simon’s solo career began in 1965 with The Paul Simon Songbook, recorded and released only in England, where Simon was living at the time. Simon released a string of 45’s during 1958 – 1962 under the pseudonyms Jerry Landis, True Taylor and Paul Kane. However, the unexpected success of the S&G; single “The Sounds of Silence” in 1965 brought Simon back home to New York, where he reunited and remained with partner Art Garfunkel through 1970.
Paul Simon co-founded The Children’s Health Fund with Dr. Irwin Redlener. The CHF donates and staffs mobile medical vans that bring health care to poor and indigent children around the United States. In the past 20 years, the CHF has provided over 1,200,000 doctor/patient visits. After Hurricanes Andrew and Katrina, the CHF was the primary health care source for those communities decimated by the storms. Paul Simon has also raised millions of dollars for charitable causes such as AMFAR, The Nature Conservancy, The Fund for Imprisoned Children In South Africa and Autism Speaks. In 1989, The United Negro College Fund honored him with its Frederick D. Patterson Award.
These are some of the best performances of his life:
“Homeward Bound” (2:52)
1967 – Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel perform “Homeward Bound” at a concert in Monterey, California
Saturday Night Live Turkey Performance of “Still Crazy After All These Years” (1:59)
1975 – we can hardly forget the hilarious display of Paul Simon’s sense of humor as he dresses in the infamous turkey suit to perform “Still Crazy After All These Years.”
“The Boxer” (4:40)
1975 – one of the best songs ever written! This is a classic performance of “The Boxer” by Simon and Garfunkel.
Saturday Night Live with Paul Simon and George Harrison (6:33)
1976 – The historical performances of “Here Comes the Sun” and “Homeward Bound.”
Sounds of Silence” in Central Park (3:51)
1981 – The world waited for 11 years to see a reunion concert by Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel. This September 19, 1981 live concert performance in New York’s Central Park, proved the infamous duo still had the power to make us crawl out of our skins.
Paul Simon and LadySmith Black Mambazo (8:29)
1987 – The Graceland Tour goes to Africa for a live concert.
“Graceland” (4:37)
1987 – Paul Simon sings his tribute to Elvis Presley during his live concert tour in Zimbabwe, Africa.
“Mrs. Robinson” sung by Paul Simon in Yankee Stadium in Memorial to Joe DiMaggio (3:00)
1999 – Paul Simon is a lifelong New York Yankees fan. He sings “Mrs. Robinson” from the motion picture “The Graduate.” The song was named in the top ten of The American Film Institute’s 100 Years 100 Songs. Paul Simon explains what he meant by the words, “Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio…?” in this article published by the New York Times. It is rumored that Joe DiMaggio was considering a lawsuit over those words, but after having met Paul Simon in a restaurant, he understood what Simon really meant.
“Bridge Over Troubled Water” (5:53)
2003 – Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel perform “Bridge Over Troubled Water” at the Old Friends: Live on Stage Tour in New York
“Fathers and Daughters” (4:56)
2006 – Paul Simon performs “Fathers and Daughters” on Later with Jools Holland
