Paul Simon生于1941年10月13日，Art Garfunkel生于1941年11月5日，他们一起在纽约的皇后区长大。 15岁时，他俩组建了Tom ＆ Jerry乐队，推出了一首热门歌曲《Hey Schoolgirl》并出现在美国野外音乐台的节目中。
毕业之后，Paul Simon开始了他的录音。1962年他结识了Carole King，并同他合作写歌，但不太成功。后来他带着吉他来到格林尼治村成为了一名民歌手。
他最早的歌曲都是同Garfunkel合作由Columbia公司录制的，但并没有引起什么注意。直到1965年，随着Bob Dylan改用了电吉他，民歌摇滚一下子热了起来。当时Paul Simon正在英格兰的一些民歌俱乐部里唱歌，并正在制作Jackson C. Frank的唱片，而他自己的一张原声吉他专辑也在录制之中；而此时Art Garfunkel则在大学学习。制作人Tom Wilson把他们的那首《Sounds Of Silence》加上了摇滚背景，并于1966年初成为了榜首歌曲。 Simon马上回到了美国同Garfunkel会合，开始了巡回演出，开创了他俩随后6年的合作生涯。
很明显，从最初开始Simon就抓住了大学青年的脉搏，这代青年们从高中时代就开始的焦虑心态随着学生运动的开展进一步加深了。在录音方面，Simon ＆ Garfunkel花费了一些时间才找到了把歌曲和演唱完美相配的器乐模式。最初的几张专辑都只是一些把民歌匆匆配上摇滚声响的作品。
1966年晚些时候他们推出了另一张专辑《Parsley, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme》，其中收集了好几首把Simon早期的木吉他歌曲改头换面了的作品。这时，他们又获得了排行榜两首前10名的歌曲——《Homeward Bound》和《I'm A Rock》。到了这个时候，Simon
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
After Simon & Garfunkel, one of the most successful duos in pop history, split up in 1970, Art Garfunkel became a solo artist, as well as pursuing an acting career. Garfunkels pure, high tenor had been one of the most distinctive elements of the duos music, yet he wasnt responsible for the songwriting — Simon wrote all of the groups hits. Not surprisingly, Garfunkel relied on other songwriters, from Jimmy Webb and Randy Newman, in addition to rock & roll standards like I Only Have Eyes for You, throughout his solo career. As a solo performer, he was never quite as successful as he was with Simon & Garfunkel, yet he did have a number of Top 40 hits in the mid-70s.
Garfunkel didnt begin a solo career until 1973. Between 1970 and 1973, he acted, appearing in two Mike Nichols films, Catch 22 and Carnal Knowledge. Angel Clare, his first solo record, was co-produced with Simon & Garfunkel producer Roy Halee and released in the fall of 1973. It established the style — a light, carefully arranged and constructed melodic soft rock — he would follow throughout his solo career. The album became a Top Ten hit on the strength of the single All I Know, which peaked at number nine. Two years later, he returned with the Richard Perry-produced Breakaway, the most successful album of his solo career. The record peaked at number seven, with a version of the Flamingos I Only Have Eyes for You reaching number 18 on the U.S. charts; in Britain, the single topped the charts. That same fall, he reunited with Paul Simon for the first time, performing on Saturday Night Live. In December, Simons My Little Town, featuring Garfunkel on backing vocals, became a Top Ten hit.
In the fall of 1977, Garfunkel released his third album, Watermark, which primarily consisted of Jimmy Webb covers. However, when the first single from the album failed to chart, the album was reissued in early 1978 with a cover of Sam Cookes Wonderful World that featured supporting vocals from Simon and James Taylor. Released as a single, Wonderful World peaked at number 17. The following year, Fate for Breakfast appeared. Although it performed well in Britain, reaching number two, the album signalled that his American audience was beginning to shrink: none of the singles made the Top 40 and the album only reached number 67. In the fall of 1979, he filmed two movies, Bad Timing and Illusions. Scissors Cut, a reunion with producer Roy Halee released in 1981, did nothing to reverse his sliding commercial potential — it didnt even break into the Top 100 albums.
After the release of Scissors Cut, Simon & Garfunkel reunited for a concert in New Yorks Central Park. The concert was so successful, the duo decided to embark on a year-long world tour. During the tour, tensions mounted between the pair and they split again after it was completed. After a lengthy quiet period, Garfunkel re-emerged in 1988 with Lefty, which spent a mere eight weeks in the American charts and failed to make the British charts. He did not release another album until 1993s rarities compilation Up til Now. Following its release, Garfunkel took another extended break, returning in 1997 with the live album Across America and the childrens record Songs from a Parent to a Child. The (mostly) self-penned Everything Waits to Be Noticed arrived in 2002, followed by Some Enchanted Evening, a collection of renditions of classics from the American Popular Songbook, in 2007.