Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel had a very successful career as the singing duo Simon & Garfunkel. They are well known for their close vocal harmonies and sometimes unstable relationship. Their last album, Bridge over Troubled Water, was delayed several times due to artistic disagreements.
Singer-songwriter Paul Frederick Simon was born on October 13th, 1941 in New Jersey. Art Ira Garfunkel, singer, poet and actor, was born on November 5th 1941 also in New Jersey. The duo split in 1970 and the two artists performed separately thereafter. Paul Simon had a much longer and more successful solo career than his childhood friend, Art Garfunkel.
Comparison chart
Differences — Similarities —
 | Art Garfunkel | Paul Simon |
|---|---|---|
| (74 ratings) | (83 ratings) | |
 |  | |
| Born | Nov 5th 1941, New Jersey | October 13th, 1941, New Jersey |
| Full name | Arthur Ira Garfunkel | Paul Frederick Simon |
| Death and causes of death | Still alive | Still alive |
| Occupation | Singer, writer | American singer-songwriter, musician, philanthropist |
| Career | Rose to fame in the 60s as half of the successful duo Simn and garfunkel | Rose to fame in the 60s as half of the successful duo Simon and Garfunkel that spanned 1964-1970s and a successful solo career with collaborative efforts in many different types of music, including world music, especially African (Graceland) |
| Solo hit albums | Angel Clare, Breakaway, The Animals christmas | The Paul Simon Songbook, Paul Simon, There Goes Rhymin' Simon, Still Crazy After All These Years, Graceland, Rhythm of the Saints, Songs from the Capeman, You're the One, Surprise, So Beautiful or So What |
| Solo song hits | Traveling Boy, I Only Have Eyes for You, Disney girls! Wonderful World | Me and Julio Down By the Schoolyard, Mother and Child Reunion, Kodachrome, Loves Me Like a Rock, American Tune, 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover, Slip Slidin' Away, Late in the Evening, You Can Call Me Al, Graceland, Father and Daughter |
| Band Career | Most famous for his lead vocals on the No.1 hit Bridge over troubled water while part of the duo Simon&Garfunkel. Wrote many of the harmonies and poems that were basis of songs. Elected in 1990 to Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as part of the duo. | Wrote most of the songs of the famous 1965 duo Simon&Garfunkel including 3 No.1 hits Mrs.Robinson, Sound of Silence and Bridge over troubled water. Elected in 1990 to Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as part of the duo. |
| Solo singing career | One U.S Top-10 hit; three Top-20 hits, six Top-40 hits; 14 Adult Contemporary Top-30 singles, Five Adult Contemporary number ones, two UK number ones, a Golden Globe nomination & People's Choice Award. | 12 Grammy awards & a Life time Achievement Award; inducted into Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist in '01; listed in 100 people who shaped the world by Time magazine in '06; Received the 1st Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. |
| Acting career | Starred in a 8 movies; made 7 TV appearances, 5 movie soundtracks and featured on Broadway. | Dabbled in acting including a role Annie Hall, One Trick Pony and The Muppet Show. Has appeared on and hosted Saturday Night Live. |
Art Garfunkel (top) and Paul Simon (bottom) on the cover of their last album togetherCareer highs as a duo
Paul Simon while still part of Simon & Garfunkel wrote most of their songs including 3 No.1 hits Mrs.Robinson, Sound of Silence and Bridge Over Troubled Water. While Art Garfunkel was not a songwriter per se, he decided the harmonies of the songs, who would sing which part and how the songs were produced. He sang the famous song Bridge Over Troubled Water and For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her. His poem contributed to shaping the song Scarborough/Canticle and he wrote the instrumental introduction to the song The Boxer.
Careers after splitting
Paul Simon had a much more successful solo career following the duo's split in 1971 than his singing partner. He made 3 successful studio albums over 5 years. His most famous solo albums include Paul Simon, There Goes Rhymin' Simon, Still Crazy After All These Years, Graceland and Rhythm of the Saints. After 3 successful back to back studio albums his commercial success dwindle in the late seventies. His last hit of the 70s, Slippin' Slidin' Away in 1977 was on this compilation album Greatest Hits Etc. In 1980 he released One Trick Pony, an album that was coupled with a movie of the same name starring Paul Simon. It produced his last Top 10 Hit but the album did not sell well in a decade dominated by disco music. As Simon was losing hope in his music, he went to South Africa in search of inspiration and created one of his most successful albums ever, Graceland. He collaborated with South African artists and American ones such as Linda Ronstadt and Los Lobos. The album, released in 1986 was an eclectic mix of musical styles such as pop, acapella, isicathamiya, mbaqanga (rural Zulu singing) and rock. His next album Rhythm of the Saints borrowed from Brazilian music. In the late 1990s he had a disastrous run writing and producing a Broadway musical Capeman which lost $11 million. He has since collaborated with a number of musicians including a successful North American tour with Bob Dylan.
Following the duo's split, Art Garfunkel returned to teaching Mathematics, in which he had a degree, in a school in Connecticut. His return to music was marked by the album Angel Care which received mixed reviews in the U.S and reached No.5 on the album charts. In 1974 his record Second Avenue was a hit. He reunited briefly with Paul Simon for his 1975 album Breakaway and received his first U.K No.1 hit with the song Looking for the Right One. His 1978 album failed to impress the public; his single did not reach the U.S Top 40 list and was taken off the market after just 2 months. His next two album in 1978 and 1981 were a huge failure after which he reunited in 1981 with Paul Simon for The Concert in Central Park and a world tour. In 2009, Garfunkel appeared as himself on the HBO television show Flight of the Concords episode entitled "Prime Minister." Both Garfunkel and Simon appeared together in Madison Square Garden on October 29, and 30, 2009, for the 25th anniversary of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Concert.
Awards
Paul Simon had a distinguished solo career winning 12 Grammys, 3 for Album of the Year and 5 No.1 Albums. His most popular albums are Paul Simon, Still crazy after all these years, Hearts and Bones, Graceland and Songs from the Capeman. His album Graceland was his 7th solo album and won him the Best International Solo artist award. He is the first recipient of the Library of Congress Greshwin Prize for Popular Song. Paul Simon was the first Americn artist to be invited by President Nelson Mandela in post-apartheid South Africa. 2001inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for his solo career and in 1990 for being half of the Simon&Garfunkel duo; in 2006 named as 100 people who shaped the world by Time magazine.
Art Garfunkel had a less successful career than his singing partner Paul Simon after the duo split. However, he had one U.S top ten hit, 3 top twenty hits, 6 top forty hits, 14 Adult Contemporary top 30 singles, 5 Adult Contemporary number ones, 2 UK number ones, a Golden Globe nomination and a People's Choice Award. He was elected in 1990 to the Rock and Roll Fall of Fame for being half of Simon & Garfunkel.
Film and Television
Art Garfunkel has played more roles in film and television than Paul Simon. He was nominated for a Golden Globe award in 1972 for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the Carnal Knowledge. He played the role of naive Captain Nateley in the 1970 movie Catch-22. He appeared in the 1986 movie Good To Go, in 1993 medical crime drama Boxing Helena and in 2010 in the film The Rebound. Paul Simon dabbled in acting including a role in Woody Allen's Annie Hall, One Trick Pony and The Muppet Show. Has appeared on and hosted the variety show Saturday Night Live.
References
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