Paul Simon Popular Books
Paul Simon Biography & Facts
Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter known both for his solo work and his collaboration with Art Garfunkel. He and his school friend Garfunkel, whom he met in 1953, came to prominence in the 1960s as Simon & Garfunkel. Their blend of folk and rock, including hits such as "The Sound of Silence", "Mrs. Robinson", "America" and "The Boxer", served as a soundtrack to the counterculture movement. Their final album, Bridge Over Troubled Water (1970), is among the bestselling of all time. As a solo artist, Simon has explored genres including gospel, reggae and soul. His albums Paul Simon (1972), There Goes Rhymin' Simon (1973), and Still Crazy After All These Years (1975) kept him in the public eye and drew acclaim, producing the hits "Mother and Child Reunion", "Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard", and "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover". Simon reunited with Garfunkel for several tours and the 1981 Concert in Central Park. In 1986, Simon released his most successful and acclaimed album, Graceland, incorporating South African influences. "You Can Call Me Al" became one of Simon's most successful singles. Graceland was followed by The Rhythm of the Saints (1990), and a second Concert in the Park in 1991, without Garfunkel, which was attended by half a million people. In 1988, Simon wrote a Broadway musical, The Capeman, which was poorly received. In the 21st century, Simon continued to record and tour. His later albums, such as You're the One (2000), So Beautiful or So What (2011) and Stranger to Stranger (2016), introduced him to new generations. Simon retired from touring in 2018, but continued to record music. An album, Seven Psalms, was released in May 2023. Simon is among the world's best-selling music artists. He 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. Two of his works, Sounds of Silence and Graceland, were inducted into the National Recording Registry for their cultural significance, and in 2007, the Library of Congress voted him the inaugural winner of the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. He is a co-founder of the Children's Health Fund, a nonprofit organization that provides medical care to children. Early life Simon was born on October 13, 1941, in Newark, New Jersey, to Hungarian-Jewish parents. His father, Louis (1916–1995), 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. His mother, Belle (1910–2007), was an elementary-school teacher. In 1945, his family moved to the Kew Gardens Hills section of Flushing, Queens, in New York City. The musician Donald Fagen described Simon's childhood as that of "a certain kind of New York Jew, almost a stereotype really, to whom music and baseball are very important. I think it has to do with the parents. The parents are either immigrants or first-generation Americans who felt like outsiders, and assimilation was the key thought—they gravitated to black music and baseball, looking for an alternative culture." Simon said Fagen's description was not far from the truth. Simon played baseball and stickball as a child. He described his father as funny and smart, but said he worked late and did not see his children much. 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. The two began singing together at the age of 13, occasionally performing at school dances. At the age of 12 or 13 Simon wrote his first song, "The Girl for Me", for him and Art Garfunkel to perform. According to Simon, it became the "neighborhood hit". His 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. It is now in the Library of Congress. In 1957, in their mid-teens, they recorded the song "Hey, Schoolgirl" under the name "Tom & Jerry", a name that was given to them by their label, Big Records. The single reached number 49 on the pop charts. After graduating from Forest Hills High School, Simon majored in English at Queens College and graduated in 1963. Garfunkel studied mathematics education at Columbia University in Manhattan. Simon was a brother in the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity, and attended Brooklyn Law School for one semester in 1963. Career Between 1957 and 1964, Simon wrote, recorded and released more than 30 songs. He and Garfunkel occasionally reunited as Tom & Jerry to record singles, including "Our Song" and "That's My Story". Most of the songs Simon recorded during that time he performed alone, or with musicians other than Garfunkel. They were released on minor record labels including Amy, Big, Hunt, King, Tribute and Madison. Simon used several pseudonyms for these recordings, usually "Jerry Landis", but also "Paul Kane" and "True Taylor". By 1962, working as Jerry Landis, he was a frequent writer/producer for several Amy Records artists, overseeing material released by Dotty Daniels, The Vels and Ritchie Cordell. 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. Tico and the Triumphs released four 45s. Marty Cooper, known as Tico, sang lead on several of these releases, but "Motorcycle" featured Simon's vocal. Also in 1962, Simon reached number 97 on the pop charts as Jerry Landis, with the novelty song "The Lone Teen Ranger". Both chart singles were released on Amy Records. 1960s: Simon & Garfunkel In early 1964, Simon and Garfunkel auditioned for Columbia Records, whose executive Clive Davis signed them to produce an album. Columbia decided to call them Simon & Garfunkel instead of Tom & Jerry, and according to Simon, this was the first time artists' surnames had been used in pop music without their first names. Simon and Garfunkel's first LP, Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M., was released on October 19, 1964. It consisted of 12 songs, five of which were written by Simon. The album initially flopped. In 1965, after the album's release, Simon moved to London and performed in folk clubs. He enjoyed his time in England and said in 1970, "I had a lot of friends there and a girlfriend. I could play music there. There was no place to play in New York City. They wouldn't have me." He was welcomed by England's bohemian folk scene, learned how to finger-pick acoustic guitar from Martin Carthy, and was introduced to English folk music. He recalled, "I had never heard anything like those old English songs. I was 21, 22, and emotionally open to everything." The folk music he heard in England in the mid-sixties became one of his two big influences. He wrote 'Homeward Bound' and 'I am a Rock', and learned Davey Graham's guitar instrumental "Anji", which later appeared on Soun.... Discover the Paul Simon popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Paul Simon books.
Best Seller Paul Simon Books of 2024
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How to Grow as a Musician
Sheila E. AndersonA Friendly Guide to Launching and Maintaining Your Musical Career It’s tough to make a living from one’s love of music, but Sheila E. Anderson shows readers how to do just that in ...
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Paul Simon
Cornel BoncaIn Paul Simon: An American Tune, Cornel Bonca considers Simon’s vast trove of songs in the biographical and cultural context in which he wrote them: from the pop cultural revolutio...
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The Rig Veda
Wendy DonigerThe earliest of the four Hindu religious scriptures known as the Vedas, and the first extensive composition to survive in any IndoEuropean language, the Rig Veda (c. 1200900 BC) is...
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The Ten Types of Human
Dexter DiasThe inspiration behind the hit podcast THE 100 TYPES OF HUMAN with DEXTER DIAS and BBC 5 Live host NIHAL ARTHANAYAKE'This book is the one. Think Sapiens and triple it.' Julia Hobs...
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Anthems We Love
Steve Baltin"Anthems We Love is not just a tale of artistic adventure, it's also a manual for artists and fans alike. There is no formula. Just these inspiring stories of the heart ....
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A Sea of Gold
Julian Stockwin'Tension surges through A Sea of Gold . . . In this rousing yarn, Stockwin again raises naval fiction to a new level' Quarterdeck'Stockwin has surpassed himself with A Sea of Gold...
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365 Steps to Self-Confidence 4th Edition
David Lawrence PrestonConfidence is crucial to a happy and fulfilling life. And yet many of us lack confidence and selfbelief. As a result, we are less adventurous and less likely to get the most out of...
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Paul Simon
Marc EliotThe definitive biography of legendary singersongwriter Paul Simon.Paul Simon, one of the country's most popular musicians, has been a dynamic creative force for more than half a ce...
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Bruce
Peter Ames CarlinPeter Ames Carlin’s New York Times bestselling biography of one America’s greatest musicians is the first in twentyfive years to be written with the cooperation of Bruce Springstee...
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They Walked with God
Max LucadoThe characters we meet in the Bible play a huge role in our lives. Whether we personally relate to Joseph’s dedication to serving the Lord even when he was confused or we understan...
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The Seekers
John Densmore & Viggo MortensenThe iconic drummer of The Doors investigates his own relationship with creativity and explores the meaning of artistry with other artists and performers in this compelling and spel...
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Hms Crusader
A E LangsfordDeath by fire Death by ice. These were the twin threats confronting the seamen on the North Atlantic convoys: fire from the Luftwaffe's bombs, and from the torpedoes of the lurkin...
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Mad, Bad, Dangerous to Know
Colm TóibínFrom Colm Tóibín, the formidable awardwinning author of The Master and Brooklyn, an illuminating, intimate study of Irish culture, history, and literature told through the lives an...
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Sepinwall On Mad Men and Breaking Bad
Alan SepinwallFrom the updated edition of The Revolution Was Televised, Alan Sepinwall’s analysis of Breaking Bad and Mad Men, featuring new commentary and insights on the complete series and co...
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Deviant Love
Sigmund FreudSigmund Freud, the founder of modern psychoanalysis, remade our view of the human mind by exploring the unconscious forces that drive us. This collection of his groundbreaking writ...
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Paul McCartney
Peter Ames CarlinFrom the acclaimed biographer who brought you the rock biography of Bruce Springsteen comes the life of musician Paul McCartneyfrom his groundbreaking years with the Beatles to Win...
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Always Look on the Bright Side of Life
Eric IdleNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From the ingenious comic performer, founding member of Monty Python, and creator of Spamalot (returning to Broadway in Fall 2023!), comes an absurdl...
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Mirror To Damascus
Colin ThubronA 50th anniversary edition of Colin Thubron's celebrated first book, a portrait of Syria's capital city, with a new introduction by the author.Described by the author as simply 'a ...
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Mammoth Book of Best British Crime 11
Maxim JakubowskiThis superb annual anthology of the year’s most outstanding short crime fiction published in the UK is now well into its second decade. Jakubowski has succeeded, once again, in une...
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The Hummingbird Bakery Life is Sweet
Tarek MaloufThe brilliant new book from Britain’s favourite bakery – packed with recipes for extraspecial treats and surprises.Delving into the wonderful world of American homebaking, this is ...
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The Iberian Flame
Julian Stockwin'In Stockwin's hands the sea story will continue to entrance readers across the world' Guardian1808. With the Peninsula in turmoil, Napoleon Bonaparte signs a treaty to dismember ...
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The American Experiment
David M. RubensteinTHE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES AND WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLERThe capstone book in a trilogy from the New York Times bestselling author of How to Lead and The American Story and hos...
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Selected Poems
Tony HarrisonA revised edition of Tony Harrison's awardwinning Selected Poems This indispensable new selection of Tony Harrison's poems includes over sixty poems from his famous sonnet sequence...
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To the Eastern Seas
Julian Stockwin'In Stockwin's hands the sea story will continue to entrance readers across the world' GuardianWith Bonaparte held to a stalemate in Europe, the race to empire is now resumed. Bri...
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Shockaholic
Carrie FisherThis memoir from the bestselling author of Postcards from the Edge and Wishful Drinking gives you an intimate, gossipfilled look at what it’s like to be the daughter of Hollywood r...
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Homeward Bound
Peter Ames CarlinA revelatory account of the life of beloved American music icon, Paul Simon, by the bestselling rock biographer Peter Ames CarlinTo have been alive during the last sixty years is t...
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Paul Simon
Peter Ames CarlinÅRET ER 1965: Paul er en forholdsvis upåagtet folkesanger, der mest slår sine folder i England. Bag sig har han flere flop, bl.a. debutalbummet Wednesday Morning 3 AM med vennen Arti...
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The Revolution Was Televised
Alan SepinwallA phenomenal account, newly updated, of how twelve innovative television dramas transformed the medium and the culture at large, featuring Sepinwall’s take on the finales of Mad Me...
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A Dangerous Liaison
Carole Seymour-JonesThe renowned biographer offers a tale of intellectual and romantic rivalry in this “dazzling portrait of Sartre and De Beauvoir’s relationship” (The Guardian). JeanPaul Sart...
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Paul Simon for Ukulele Songbook
Paul SimonStrum your favorite Simon songs on the ukulele with this collection of 17 songs, including: Bridge over Troubled Water Cecilia The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy) Fifty...
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Rockonomics
Alan B. KruegerAlan Krueger, a former chairman of the president's Council of Economic Advisers, uses the music industry, from superstar artists to music executives, from managers to promoter...
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Thomas Paine Reader
Thomas PaineThis major collection demonstrates the extent to which Thomas Paine (17371809) was an inspiration to the Americans in their struggle for independence, a passionate supporter of the...
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Jesus Revealed
Mark D. RobertsJesus Revealed reintroduces readers to the true Son of God, helping them see him with clear vision, so that they can love him more fully and follow him more completely Readers wi...
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Paul Simon
Robert HilburnAcclaimed music writer Robert Hilburn’s “epic” and “definitive” (Rolling Stone) biography of music icon Paul Simon, written with Simon’s full participationbut without his editorial...
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CenterStage
Michael KayFrom the longtime host of the New York Yankees’ television broadcasts, ESPN Radio’s The Michael Kay Show, and YES Network’s Emmy Award–winning CenterStage comes an “entertaining…gr...
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Tick Bite Fever
David BennunTick Bite Fever is the unconventional memoir of a very unconventional childhood. In the early Seventies, Dave Bennun's family transplanted themselves from Swindon to the wilds of K...
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Lyrics 1964-2016
Paul SimonA landmark compilation of popular music, this collection contains Paul Simon's lyrics from his first album in 1964 to the present.
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Overpaid, Oversexed and Over There
David HepworthThe Beatles landing in New York in February 1964 was the opening shot in a cultural revolution nobody predicted. Suddenly the youth of the richest, most powerful nation on earth wa...
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The Bet
Paul SabinIn 1980, the iconoclastic economist Julian Simon challenged celebrity biologist Paul Ehrlich to a bet. Their wager on the future prices of five metals captured the public’s imagina...
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The Baltic Prize
Julian Stockwin1808. Parted from his new bride, Captain Sir Thomas Kydd is called away to join the Northern Expedition to Sweden, now Britain's only ally in the Baltic. Following the sudden decla...
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Create for Equality
Chris Galley, Lyndsey Stuttard, Simon Pile, Ben Hayden, Paul Tullock, Laurie Doran, Terri Coombs, Christine MedranoA collection of creative activities for students and educators to help promote awareness of issues surrounding inequality.
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Shared Notes
Martin HayesMartin Hayes spent his childhood on a farm in County Clare, in a household steeped in musical tradition. After a freespirited youth, he headed to the United States where he built a...
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Flash Point
Matt Croucher GCDan Coldrain is a former elite Royal Marine Commando haunted by the death of his best mate Reese, killed in action by enemy forces. Coldrain used to believe in honour, service, and...
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Wishful Drinking
Carrie FisherThe bestselling author of Postcards from the Edge comes clean (well, sort of) in her firstever memoir, adapted from her onewoman Broadway hit show. Fisher reveals what it was reall...