Simon And Garfunkel Guitar Tabs.

Close friends through childhood, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel grew up in Queens, New York, just blocks away from one another. They met in elementary school in 1953, and began performing together in their junior year as Tom and Jerry. They made their first professional recording, "Hey, Schoolgirl", for Big Records in 1957. Released on 45 rpm and 78 rpm vinyl records, with the flip-side song "Dancin' Wild", the recording sold 100,000 copies, hitting #49 on the Billboard Magazine charts.

In 1963, they became part of the Greenwich Village folk music scene. Simon, who had finished college but dropped out of Brooklyn Law School, had—like Garfunkel—developed an interest in the folk scene. Simon showed Garfunkel a few songs that he had written in the folk style: "Sparrow", "Bleecker Street", and "He Was My Brother".

These three songs by Simon were among five included on their first album for Columbia Records, Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M., which initially flopped upon its release on October 19, 1964. Shortly after finishing recording, the duo split and Simon moved to the United Kingdom, where he performed at Les Cousins and The Troubadour Club in London and toured provincial folk clubs. While in England, he recorded his solo The Paul Simon Songbook in 1965.

While Paul Simon was in England in 1965, radio stations began to receive requests for a song from the album Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M. called "The Sounds of Silence". The duo's U.S. producer, Tom Wilson, inspired by The Byrds' hugely popular electric versions of Bob Dylan songs, used the studio band of Bob Dylan to dub electric guitars, bass and drums onto the original "Sounds of Silence" track, and released it as a single. The song hit #1 on the pop charts by New Year's Day, 1966.

Simon returned to the United States and the duo re-formed to record more tracks in a similar style. The result was a sequence of folk rock records which have stayed popular through several decades.

On January 17, 1966, the duo released the album Sounds of Silence, which—helped by the title track's single success—hit #21. Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M. was also re-released and reached #30. Some of the tracks on The Paul Simon Songbook were rerecorded (some with electric backing) for Sounds of Silence included were "I Am a Rock" "Leaves That Are Green", "April Come She Will", "A Most Peculiar Man", and "Kathy's Song."

Further hit singles came, including the "Scarborough Fair/Canticle", based on a traditional English ballad with an arrangement by Martin Carthy, and "Homeward Bound" (later U.S. #5).The song is reputed to have been written when Simon was stranded overnight on a platform at Widnes Central railway station after misreading the timetable. A plaque commemorates this event at the station.

Guitar Video - Performance of Scarborough Fair

More tracks from The Paul Simon Songbook were included with more recent compositions on their October 10, 1966 album Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme, which further refined the folk rock sound so hastily released on Sounds of Silence. That same year, Simon and Garfunkel contributed to the soundtrack of the film The Graduate, which was released on January 21, 1968, and instantly rose to #1 as an album.

The Graduate Original Soundtrack was immediately followed in March 1968 at the top of the charts by Bookends, which dealt with complex themes of old age and loss. It features the top 25 hit singles "A Hazy Shade of Winter", "Fakin' It", "At the Zoo", "America" and a full version of "Mrs. Robinson" the classic from The Graduate soundtrack, which became #1 as a single.

By 1969, the duo's relationship and commitment to the duo started to disintegrate. Art Garfunkel had begun to pursue a career in acting. Simon wanted more control over his own music. The recording of what would be their final album, Bridge over Troubled Water, was tense. Simon refused to record a Bach chorale track favored by Garfunkel, while Garfunkel refused to record a song Simon had written called "Cuba Si, Nixon No". Originally supposed to feature twelve tracks, the album was released with only eleven songs.

Bridge over Troubled Water was released on January 26, 1970. Its title track, featuring Garfunkel's soaring vocals, was a massive hit and one of the best-selling records of the decade, staying #1 on the charts for six weeks and remaining on the charts for far longer. The album includes three other top-twenty hits: "El Cóndor Pasa" (US #18), "Cecilia" (US #4), and "The Boxer"—which, finished in 1968, hit #7 on the charts the following year.

The duo finally split in 1970 and the two men went their separate ways. Paul Simon has continued writing and went on to have a very successful solo music career. Art Garfunkel split his time between acting and recording solo and collaboration albums, to mixed reviews.

As Simon and Garfunkel, they are renowned for their close vocal harmonies. They were among the most popular recording artists of the 1960s. They have received several Grammys and are inductees of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Long Island Music Hall of Fame (2007). In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked Simon and Garfunkel #40 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.

They have reunited on several occasions since their 1970 breakup, most famously for 1981's The Concert in Central Park, which attracted about 750,000 people. In 2003, Simon and Garfunkel reunited again for a successful world tour that extended into 2004.

Best Simon and Garfunkel Songs

The beautiful harmonies of Simon and Garfunkel make these songs a perfect choice for acoustic duos but most songs are popular with solo singer and guitarists. The Simon and Garfunkel guitar tabs make it easy to learn a simple guitar backing but the more complex picking will make performing these songs even more enjoyable for an audience familiar with the songs.

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