In 1957, two teenage high school friends obsessed with the music of Elvis Presley and the Everly Brothers, formed a doo-wop music duo and released their first record entitled ‘Hey, Schoolgirl’, performing under the name of Tom & Jerry.
Who could anticipate that, within five years, these two, bright, well-educated, young Jewish boys from Queens, New York City, would go on to become the most successful folk-rock duo in music history? Simon & Garfunkel. All largely due to a song entitled ‘The Sound of Silence’. Their spectacular career went on to produce five wonderful albums - the most celebrated being 1970’s Bridge Over Troubled Water - one of the best-selling albums of all time. But, by then, sadly, best friends had become worst enemies who would rarely perform together again. Instead, Paul Simon, always encouraging musical exploration and embracing new sounds, went on to become one of the world’s most loved and respected singer-songwriters. He has sold more than 30 million albums as a solo artist, with 1986’s brilliant Graceland alone achieving sales of 16 million copies; Simon & Garfunkel are estimated to have sold more than 100 million albums in total.
In this beautifully illustrated, independent publication, music writer and journalist Pete Chrisp explores how - despite his on-off relationship with Art Garfunkel, his often tempestuous private life and the political controversies surrounding his African masterpiece, Graceland - Paul Simon, now aged 82, has, after all these years, maintained world recognition as one of the greatest singer-songwriters of all time.
