Simon, Paul (1942– )

US pop singer and songwriter. In a folk-rock duo with Art Garfunkel, he had such hits as ‘The Sound of Silence’ (1965), ‘Mrs Robinson’ (1968) and ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’ (1970). Simon's solo work includes the critically acclaimed album Graceland (1986), for which he drew on Cajun and African music. Other solo albums include Hearts and Bones (1983), The Rhythm of the Saints (1990), and You're the One (2000).

The success of Graceland and subsequent tours involving African musicians helped to bring world music to international attention, but Simon had always had an eclectic ear. As early as 1971 he had used reggae rhythms on the song ‘Mother and Child Reunion’ and a Latin beat on ‘Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard’. In 1998 he produced his first Broadway musical The Capeman. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the USA with Garfunkel in 1990 and as a soloist in 2001.