Paul Simon released his first solo album in Britain, The Paul Simon Songbook, in 1965. Nine of the twelve tracks would later appear on LP's by Simon And Garfunkel. Paul and Arthur Garfunkel met in 1953, both casting in a school play, "Alice in Wonderland". They even lived in the same area and it did not take them long to discover that they shared the same passion for rock and roll. While they were in high school they played on school dances and parties, becoming quite popular among the students.

With the Everly Brothers as role models, Paul and Art wrote songs and performed together. At the age of 16 they were signed by Big Records and in 1957 Paul and Art landed a minor hit on the U.S. charts with "Hey Schoolgirl!". As the pseudonymous Tom (Art) and Jerry (Paul) they were rewarded with an appeance on Dick Clark's TV-show, "American Bandstand".

School seemed to be the only link between Paul and Art. And their failure in recapture the fortune of "Hey Schoolgirl", made them go separate ways after finishing high school. Art went on to college, stribing for a degree in mathematics. Paul worked as a songwriter and occasionly as a producer. He made hundreds of demos, many of them pure experimental.

Like many of his contemporaries, f.i. Bob Dyland, Paul had looked for inspiration in the early 60's folk movement. He and Art reunited in 1963 and recorded the album Wednesday Morning, 3AM, including "The Sound of Silence". However, the sound was raw, and there were no heavy backing of the duo, and the album sold rather poorly. This was a huge disappointment for them, especially for Paul, and the duo split up. Art went back to college and Paul went to England to find new inspiration.

In London, there were people other than Art Garfunkel who recognised the talent and skills of the young songwriter. In England he composed songs with deep and dark lyrical images, and they gained popularity in the clubs around London. Being labeled as an "inspirational artist" Paul found himself recording for BBC on 27 January 1965. The BBC recording featured "The Sound of Silence", "I am a rock", "A most peculiar man" and "Bleecker Street". London really hit Paul, and he made it his permanent base. "I fell in love being away from America..."

Paul Simon's popularity in Britain seemed to have no end. And the words of his popularity eventually reached the States. Producer Tom Wilson went in the studio and overdubbed the original "The Sound of Silence" and made it a more "upbeat" tune. "The Sound of Silence" was issued as a single and became a huge hit. When Paul heard this he said, "If I go back to the States, I could make
$25 000...then I'll come right back." There was no turning back.

With this, Paul and Art reunited and made two successful albums, Sounds of Silence and Parsley, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme. Parsley, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme earned the duo the reputation as "pained intellectuals", too serious and troubled to really have fun, an image, however, they wanted to avoid.

Although all their recordings in the studio now were done with a backing band, Paul and Art still toured as duo, singing only to the tune of Paul's acoustic guitar. Their fame countinued to spread. Art's voice started to become more prominent in songs, reaching a peak in "Scarborough Fair/Canticle" and "For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her". The songs disclosed Art's phenomenal vocal range.

By 1968 Simon & Garfunkel was a worldwide success. Film director Mike Nichols recognised that the sound and image of Paul and Art were perfect for his upcoming film, "The Graduate". He persuaded Paul to write the soundtrack for it. Paul decided on using old records, except "Mrs. Robinson". They released it with the new Simon & Garfunkel upbeat, and together with "America", they became world-wide hits and outsold everyone.

The following year they released only one single, "The Boxer", a song which is said to personify Paul. It is also said to be the best song ever written. By now, Paul and Art's working relationship was beginning to get strained. Art continued persuing an acting career, a passion he had since elementary school. Paul did not feel at ease with this, and he was getting more and more annoyed by Art's lack of dedication to the group. Paul had been working on a new album for them, Bridge over troubled water, which included "Bridge over troubled water", a song written by Paul specially for Art. When Art was offered one of the leading roles in a film, Art jumped at the chance. Although most of the album had been made prior to Art's departure for Mexico, this did not fall into Paul's plans. Paul carried on with the album, and when Art returned from Mexico he added backing vocals.

When Bridge over troubled water was released in February 1970, it sold over seven millon copies and won six Grammy Awards. But at the peak of their careers, tension was pulling them apart. It was Art's long absence that seemed to have done the most damage. "We weren't functioning as that unit which had made our previous records and we were not getting along particularly well... Paul Simon"

In 1972 Paul released his first solo album after the breakup with Art. The album was wittingly titled Paul Simon.