Paul Simon

This article is about the musician; for other Paul Simons, see Paul Simon (disambiguation).

Early Career

Paul Simon's musical career began in high school in Queens, New York City, when he and his friend Art Garfunkel began singing together as a duo, occasionally performing at school dances. Their idols were the Everly Brothers, and in many ways the duo tried to imitate the Everly Brothers' style. Simon and Garfunkel fashioned themselves "Tom & Jerry," and it was under this name that the duo first tasted success. In 1957, they recorded the single "Hey, Schoolgirl," on Big Records which hit #49 on the pop charts while they were high school seniors.

Related Topics:
Queens - New York City - Art Garfunkel - Everly Brothers - 1957 - Big Records

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After graduation, Simon went off to Queens College in Queens, New York, while Garfunkel matriculated to Columbia University in Manhattan. Though Simon earned a degree in English literature, his real passion was rock 'n roll. Between 1957 and 1964, Simon wrote, recorded, and released more than thirty songs, occasionally reuniting with Garfunkel as Tom & Jerry for some singles, including "Our Song," "That's My Story," and "Surrender, Please Surrender," among others.

Related Topics:
Queens College - Queens - New York - Columbia University - Manhattan - English literature - Rock 'n roll - 1964

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Most of the songs Simon would record over the six years after 1957, however, would be performed either by himself or with musicians other than Garfunkel, and released on a multitude of minor record labels, such as Amy, ABC-Paramount, Big, Hunt, Ember, King, Tribute, and Madison. He used several different pseudonyms for these recordings, including Jerry Landis, Paul Kane (taken from Orson Welles' film Citizen Kane), and True Taylor. Simon enjoyed some mediocre success in recording a few singles under the pseudonym Tico as part of a group called Tico and the Triumphs. He wrote the song "Motorcycle," which was recorded by Tico and the Triumphs and reached #99 on the Billboard charts in 1962. That same year, he reached #97 on the pop charts with the hit "The Lone Teen Ranger" as Jerry Landis; both singles were released on Amy Records.

Related Topics:
Citizen Kane - 1962

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During this period Simon also met Carole King, with whom he recorded several unreleased demos as a duo called "The Cosines" to be recorded and released by other groups. In addition, Simon's experience in the studio led him to produce many singles for other acts, including The Vels, Ritchie Cordell, The Fashions, and groups with names such as "Jay Walker and the Pedestrians" and "Dougie and the Dubs." It was also at this time that he began to be attracted to the New York folk music scene, and in 1963 he produced two songs, "Carlos Dominguez," and "He Was My Brother," recorded on the Tribute label, that show his first efforts at a folk-rock musical style.

Related Topics:
Carole King - Folk music - 1963

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