1. Paul Frederic Simon was born on October 13,1941 and is an American singer-songwriter known for his solo work and his collaborations with Art Garfunkel.
120 Facts About Paul Simon
1. 2.
Paul Simon reunited with Garfunkel for several tours and the 1981 Concert in Central Park.
3.
In 1986, Paul Simon released his most successful and acclaimed album, Graceland, incorporating South African influences.
4.
In 1998, Paul Simon wrote a Broadway musical, The Capeman, which was poorly received.
5.
Paul Simon has twice been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and has been the recipient of sixteen Grammy Awards, including three for Album of the Year.
6.
Paul Simon is a co-founder of the Children's Health Fund, a nonprofit organization that provides medical care to children.
7.
Paul Simon was born on October 13,1941, in Newark, New Jersey, to Hungarian-Jewish parents.
8.
Paul Simon's father, Louis, a professor of education at the City College of New York, was a double-bass player and dance bandleader who performed under the name Lee Sims.
9.
Paul Simon described his father as funny and smart, but said he worked late and did not see his children much.
10.
Paul Simon met Art Garfunkel when they were 11 years old and performed together in a production of Alice in Wonderland for their sixth-grade graduation.
11.
At the age of 12 or 13 Paul Simon wrote his first song, "The Girl for Me", for him and Art Garfunkel to perform.
12.
Paul Simon's father wrote the words and chords on paper for the boys to use, and that paper became the first officially copyrighted Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel song.
13.
Paul Simon was a brother in the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity, and attended Brooklyn Law School for one semester in 1963.
14.
Between 1957 and 1964, Paul Simon wrote, recorded and released more than 30 songs.
15.
Paul Simon enjoyed moderate success with singles as part of the group Tico and the Triumphs, including "Motorcycle", which reached number 99 on the Billboard charts in 1962.
16.
Also in 1962, Paul Simon reached number 97 on the pop charts as Jerry Landis, with the novelty song "The Lone Teen Ranger".
17.
In 1965, after the album's release, Paul Simon moved to London and performed in folk clubs.
18.
In England, Simon recorded a solo album, The Paul Simon Songbook, featuring just his voice and guitar accompaniment; it was released in the UK only at the time, but later released elsewhere.
19.
Paul Simon contributed to the Seekers' catalog with "Someday One Day", which was released in March 1966, charting around the same time as Paul Simon and Garfunkel's "Homeward Bound".
20.
Wilson did not inform the duo of his plan, and Paul Simon was "horrified" when he first heard it.
21.
At the urging of his wife, Peggy Harper, Paul Simon called Davis to confirm the duo's breakup.
22.
Paul Simon pursued solo work, reuniting occasionally with Garfunkel for various projects.
23.
Paul Simon gave a solo performance at the Cleveland Arena in April 1972 in a benefit concert for the George McGovern 1972 presidential campaign, and he and Garfunkel reunited in mid-June that year at Madison Square Garden in another political concert for McGovern.
24.
Paul Simon provided guitar on Garfunkel's 1973 album Angel Clare, and added backing vocals to the song "Down in the Willow Garden".
25.
Simon's next album, Paul Simon, was released in January 1972, following his first experiment with world music, the Jamaican-inspired song "Mother and Child Reunion", which reached both the American and British Top 5.
26.
Paul Simon reached number 4 in the US and number 1 in the UK and Japan, and later produced another Top 30 hit, "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard".
27.
On May 3,1976, Paul Simon put together a benefit show at Madison Square Garden for the New York Public Library which raised over $30,000.
28.
Paul Simon achieved another hit with "Slip Slidin' Away", the lead single of his 1977 compilation Greatest Hits, Etc.
29.
In 1980, Paul Simon released One-Trick Pony, his first album with Warner Bros.
30.
The album was paired with the motion picture of the same name, which Paul Simon wrote and starred in.
31.
Five were rearranged as duets and Paul Simon performed the other three solo.
32.
Paul Simon ultimately decided to wipe Garfunkel's vocals from the mix, and in 1983, Paul Simon released the album Hearts and Bones as a solo album.
33.
In January 1985, Paul Simon performed for USA for Africa and on the relief fundraising single "We Are the World".
34.
In 1986, Paul Simon was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Music degree from Berklee College of Music, where he had served on the board of trustees.
35.
Paul Simon decided to record an album of South African music after hearing a bootlegged tape of mbaqanga, South African street music, and in 1986 he traveled to Johannesburg and recorded with African musicians.
36.
The sessions featured many South African acts, particularly Ladysmith Black Mambazo, and Paul Simon collaborated with several American artists, singing a duet with Linda Ronstadt in "Under African Skies", and playing with Los Lobos in "All Around the World or The Myth of Fingerprints".
37.
Paul Simon denied that he had gone to South Africa to "take money out of the country", and stated that he paid the black artists and split royalties with them, and was not paid to play to a white-only audience.
38.
Paul Simon embarked on the Born at the Right Time Tour and promoted the album with further singles, including "Proof", which was accompanied by a humorous video that featured Chevy Chase and Steve Martin.
39.
On March 4,1992, Paul Simon performed in his own episode of MTV Unplugged.
40.
In 1995, Paul Simon appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show and performed the song "Ten Years", which he had composed for the tenth anniversary of the show.
41.
Paul Simon had been involved in creating a musical, The Capeman, that eventually opened on January 29,1998.
42.
Paul Simon recorded an album of songs from the show which was released in November 1997.
43.
In 2000, Paul Simon wrote and recorded a new album, You're the One, very quickly.
44.
Paul Simon toured extensively to promote the album, and one performance in Paris was released to home video.
45.
Paul Simon was then working on a new album with Brian Eno called Surprise, which was released in May 2006.
46.
Paul Simon took inspiration from having reached the age of 60 in 2001, which he humorously referred to in "Old" from You're the One.
47.
In 2007, Paul Simon was the inaugural recipient of the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, awarded by the Library of Congress, and he later performed as part of a gala of his work.
48.
Paul Simon is one of a small number of performers who are named as the copyright owner on their recordings.
49.
Paul Simon's albums were issued by Warner Music Group until mid-2010, when Simon moved his catalog of solo work from Warner Bros.
50.
In February 2009, Paul Simon performed back-to-back shows in New York City at the recently renovated Beacon Theatre.
51.
Paul Simon was joined by Art Garfunkel and the cast of The Capeman in the first show.
52.
In May 2009, Paul Simon toured with Garfunkel in Australia, New Zealand and Japan; and in October 2009 they appeared together at the 25th anniversary of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame concert at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
53.
Paul Simon released a new song called "Getting Ready for Christmas Day" on November 10,2010.
54.
Paul Simon performed the song live on The Colbert Report on December 16,2010.
55.
On February 26,2012, Paul Simon paid tribute to fellow musicians Chuck Berry and Leonard Cohen, who had received the first annual PEN Awards for songwriting excellence at the JFK Presidential Library in Boston, Massachusetts.
56.
In 2012, Paul Simon released a 25th anniversary box set of Graceland which included a remastered edition of the original album; the 2012 documentary film Under African Skies; the original 1987 "African Concert" from Zimbabwe; and an audio narrative, The Story of Graceland, related by Paul Simon; as well other interviews and memorabilia.
57.
Paul Simon played a few concerts in Europe with the original musicians to commemorate the anniversary.
58.
On December 19,2012, Paul Simon performed at the funeral of Victoria Leigh Soto, a teacher killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.
59.
On June 14,2013, on Sting's Back to Bass Tour, Paul Simon performed "The Boxer" and Sting's "Fields of Gold" with Sting.
60.
In September 2013, Paul Simon delivered the Richard Ellmann Lecture in Modern Literature at Emory University.
61.
In 2014, Paul Simon embarked on a joint 21-date concert tour of North America, titled On Stage Together, with English musician Sting.
62.
Paul Simon made a surprise appearance in The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on September 11,2015.
63.
Paul Simon performed "An American Tune", which was posted on the show's YouTube channel.
64.
Paul Simon made a cameo appearance onscreen in the final episode of the series.
65.
On June 3,2016, Paul Simon released his thirteenth solo studio album, Stranger to Stranger, through Concord Records.
66.
Paul Simon collaborated with him on three songs, and worked with longtime friend Roy Halee, who co-produced the album.
67.
Paul Simon said, "I am going to see what happens if I let go".
68.
Paul Simon performed "Bridge over Troubled Water" at the 2016 Democratic National Convention on July 25,2016.
69.
Paul Simon debuted a new version of "Questions for the Angels" with jazz guitarist Bill Frisell on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on May 24,2017.
70.
On February 5,2018, Paul Simon announced his intention to retire from touring, citing time away from his family and the death of longtime guitarist Vincent Nguini.
71.
Paul Simon played his final concert in Queens, New York, on September 22,2018.
72.
In 2018, Paul Simon released his fourteenth solo studio album, In the Blue Light, which consisted of re-recordings of lesser-known songs from his catalog, some with altered arrangements, harmonic structures and lyrics.
73.
Paul Simon said he planned to donate his net proceeds to local environmental non-profit organizations.
74.
Paul Simon sold his music publishing catalog to Sony Music Publishing in March 2021.
75.
Paul Simon was previously signed to Universal Music Publishing Group.
76.
Paul Simon released a new album, Seven Psalms, in April 2023.
77.
Paul Simon said he was missing performing, and hoped that it might be possible to play the album live.
78.
Paul Simon planned to retire from music, but after the success of Seven Psalms he completed another song, composed four more guitar pieces, and was making plans for an album of duets with his partner, singer Edie Brickell.
79.
Paul Simon was in the early stages of working on a musical.
80.
In May 2023, Paul Simon revealed during an interview with The Times that he had lost most of the hearing in his left ear.
81.
In February 2025, Paul Simon performed "Homeward Bound" with Sabrina Carpenter at a 50th-anniversary special for Saturday Night Live.
82.
That month, Paul Simon announced the Quiet Celebration Tour, comprising performances in smaller venues in cities across the US and Canada.
83.
In 2012, in an interview reprinted in American Songwriter, Paul Simon discussed the craft of songwriting with music journalist Tom Moon and talked about the basic themes in his songwriting: love, family and social commentary, as well as messages of religion, spirituality and God.
84.
Paul Simon appeared during the BAM shows, performing "Trailways Bus" and "Late in the Evening".
85.
Paul Simon has had several acting roles in films and television shows.
86.
Paul Simon played music producer Tony Lacey, a supporting character in the 1977 Woody Allen feature film Annie Hall, and made a cameo appearance in the movie The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash the following year.
87.
Paul Simon later wrote and starred in 1980's One Trick Pony as Jonah Levin, a journeyman rock-and-roller, and wrote all the songs in the film.
88.
Paul Simon was the subject of two films by Jeremy Marre on the making of Graceland and The Capeman.
89.
Paul Simon was the host of the second episode of SNL, on October 18,1975.
90.
Paul Simon appeared alongside George Harrison on the Thanksgiving Day episode of SNL on November 20,1976, and they performed "Here Comes the Sun" and "Homeward Bound" together.
91.
Paul Simon performed "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" earlier in the show.
92.
Paul Simon opened the show in a comedy sketch in which he performed "Still Crazy After All These Years" in a turkey outfit, Thanksgiving being the following week.
93.
Lorne Michaels greeted him backstage, but Paul Simon, still acting upset, yelled at him because of the humiliating turkey outfit.
94.
In one SNL skit from 1986, when he was promoting Graceland, Paul Simon played himself waiting in line with a friend to get into a movie.
95.
When Simon hosted an SNL episode during the 1988 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Simon walked out with Illinois Senator and presidential candidate Paul Simon, and argued about which Paul Simon was supposed to have hosting duties.
96.
Paul Simon closed the 40th anniversary SNL show on February 15,2015, with a performance of "Still Crazy After All These Years".
97.
Paul Simon played a snippet of "I've Just Seen a Face" with Sir Paul McCartney during the introductory sequence.
98.
Paul Simon has earned sixteen Grammy Awards for his solo and collaborative work, including three for Album of the Year, and a Lifetime Achievement Award.
99.
Paul Simon is one of only eight artists to have won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year more than once as the main credited artist.
100.
Paul Simon was the first recipient of the Library of Congress's Gershwin Prize for Popular Song in 2007.
101.
In 2001, Paul Simon was honored as MusiCares Person of the Year.
102.
In 2005, Paul Simon was honored at the 53rd Annual BMI Pop Awards.
103.
In 2007, Paul Simon received the first annual Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.
104.
When Paul Simon moved to England in 1964, he met Kathleen Mary "Kathy" Chitty at the first English folk club he played, the Railway Inn Folk Club in Brentwood, Essex, where Chitty worked part-time selling tickets.
105.
Paul Simon was 16 and he was 22 when they began a relationship.
106.
Kathy returned to England and Paul Simon followed some weeks later.
107.
Paul Simon is mentioned by name in at least two of Simon's songs: "Kathy's Song" and "America".
108.
Paul Simon is referred to in "Homeward Bound" and "The Late Great Johnny Ace".
109.
Paul Simon has been married three times, first to Peggy Harper in 1969.
110.
Paul Simon wrote about this relationship in the song "Train in the Distance" from his 1983 album Hearts and Bones.
111.
Paul Simon met actress Shelley Duvall while filming Annie Hall in 1976.
112.
Paul Simon proposed to her after a New York Yankees game.
113.
Brickell and Paul Simon have three children, Adrian, Lulu, and Gabriel.
114.
Paul Simon is an avid fan of the New York Rangers ice hockey team, the New York Knicks basketball team and the New York Yankees baseball team.
115.
Maggie and Terre Roche, who later sang back-up for Paul Simon, joined the workshop in progress in an impromptu appearance.
116.
Paul Simon invited the six teenagers to experience the recording process at Columbia studios with engineer Roy Halee.
117.
Laird-Clowes credited Paul Simon with helping to shape the band's biggest hit, "Life in a Northern Town".
118.
In 2003, Paul Simon became a supporter of Little Kids Rock, a nonprofit organization that provided free musical instruments and free lessons to children in public schools in the US He sits on the organization's board of directors as an honorary member.
119.
Paul Simon is a major benefactor and one of the co-founders, with Irwin Redlener, of the Children's Health Project and The Children's Health Fund which began by creating specially equipped buses to take medical care to children in medically under-served areas, both urban and rural.
120.
Paul Simon has a few songs that appear on compilation albums and nowhere else, such as "Slip Slidin' Away", which first appeared on the compilation album Greatest Hits, Etc.