Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter, known for his success beginning in 1965 as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, with musical partner Art Garfunkel. Simon wrote most of the pair's songs, including three that reached number one on the US singles charts, "The Sounds of Silence", "Mrs. Robinson", and "Bridge Over Troubled Water".
In 1970, at the height of their popularity, the duo split, and Simon began a successful solo career, recording three highly-acclaimed albums over the next five years. Relatively inactive for much of the following decade, in 1986 he released the signature work of his career, Graceland, an album inspired by South African township music that helped fuel the anti-apartheid movement. Besides music, Simon directed and starred in the film One Trick Pony in 1980 and co-wrote the Broadway musical The Capeman in 1998.
