- This article is about the musician; for other Paul Simons, see Paul Simon (disambiguation).
Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941 in Newark, New Jersey) is a renowned Jewish American songwriter, receiving Kennedy Center Honors in 2002.
Simon and Garfunkel
Simon was the primary songwriter in the duo Simon and Garfunkel, which recorded several influential albums, including 1966's Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme, and Bridge Over Troubled Water (1970). However, he wrote, recorded, and released more than thirty songs between 1957 and 1964 when Columbia first recorded the duo (Everett, 1997).
Simon and Garfunkel also contributed extensively to the soundtrack of the 1967 film The Graduate (starring Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft). They wrote Mrs. Robinson specifically for the film; other songs by the duo were also used in the film.
In 2003, he reunited with Art Garfunkel for an international tour.
Solo career
After Simon and Art Garfunkel split in 1971, Paul Simon began to write and record solo material. He released Paul Simon in 1972, although this was not his first solo album, as he released The Paul Simon Song Book as a UK-only LP in 1965. He continued to release remarkable material during the seventies, and in 1986 released the ground-breaking and immensely popular Graceland. In 1991, he married singer Edie Brickell, and they have three children.
In 2000, Simon released an album titled "You're the one" backed up by concerts, one of which filmed in Paris is available on DVD.
Simon has also dabbled in acting. He played music producer Tony Lacey in the 1977 Woody Allen film Annie Hall.
2004 reissues
In 2004, his record company announced the release of expanded editions of each of his solo albums, individually and together in a limited-edition nine-disc box set. "Paul Simon: The Studio Recordings 1972-2000" and each of the expanded individual albums will feature a total of 30 bonus tracks, including original song demos, live recordings, duets, six never-before-released songs and outtakes from each of his nine solo albums.
Among the bonus tracks to be included in the release are an acoustic demo of "Homeless," recorded prior to his sessions in South Africa with Ladysmith Black Mambazo, from Graceland; "Shelter Of Your Arms," a previously unreleased song featuring a solo acoustic performance from the Hearts And Bones sessions; demos of "Me & Julio Down By The Schoolyard" and "Duncan" recorded in San Francisco in 1971 from Paul Simon; the original demo of "Gone At Last," with the Jessy Dixon Singers, from Still Crazy After All These Years; "Spiral Highway" and "All Because Of You," unreleased performances from One-Trick Pony; a work-in-progress called "Let Me Live In Your City," which eventually became the track "Something So Right" from There Goes Rhymin' Siimon; early versions of "The Coast" and "Spirit Voices" from Rhythm Of The Saints; a duet with José Feliciano on "Born In Puerto Rico" plus outtakes from Songs From The Capeman and much more.
Samples
Discography
In addition, there are numerous compilations available.
References
- Everett, Walter (1997). "Swallowed by a Song: Paul Simon's Crisis of Chromaticism", Understanding Rock: Essays in Musical Analysis. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0195100042.
External links
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Wikiquote has a collection of quotations by or about Paul Simon
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- http://www.paulsimon.com
- http://www.paul-simon.info
- http://www.simonandgarfunkel.com
Last updated: 02-05-2005 17:50:10
