Simon & Garfunkel - Sound Of Silence

Simon & Garfunkel is an American duo consisting of singer-songwriter Paul Simon and singer Art Garfunkel. They formed the group Tom & Jerry in 1957 and had their first success with the minor hit "Hey, Schoolgirl". As Simon & Garfunkel, the duo rose to fame in 1965, backed by the hit single "The Sound of Silence". Their music was featured in the landmark film The Graduate, propelling them further into the public consciousness.

They are well known for their close vocal harmonies and were among the most popular recording artists of the 1960s. Their biggest hits including "The Sound of Silence", "Bridge over Troubled Water", "I Am a Rock", "Homeward Bound", "A Hazy Shade of Winter", "Mrs. Robinson", "The Boxer", "Cecilia", and "Scarborough Fair/Canticle" peaked at number one in several charts. They have received several Grammys and were inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 and the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in 2007.

Their sometimes rocky relationship led to their last album, Bridge Over Troubled Water, being delayed several times due to artistic disagreements and as a result the duo broke up in 1970. It was their most-successful album worldwide to date, peaking at number one in several countries, including in the United States, and receiving 8× Platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America, making it their highest-selling studio album in the US and second-highest album overall.

Simon and Garfunkel have reunited to perform and sometimes tour together in every decade since the 1970 breakup, most famously for 1981's "The Concert in Central Park," which attracted about 500,000 people, making it the 7th most attended concert in the history of music. In 2004, they were ranked #40 of the 100 greatest artists of all time by Rolling Stone magazine.

"The Sound of Silence" was written in February 1964 by Paul Simon in the aftermath of the November 22, 1963 assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy. After adding audio sweetening and being re-mixed, this commercial version has been called the "quintessential folk rock release". In the U.S., it was the duo's second most popular hit after "Bridge Over Troubled Water".

The song features Simon on acoustic guitar and both Simon and Garfunkel singing. It was originally recorded as an acoustic piece for their first album Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M. in 1964 but on the initiative of the record company's producer, Tom Wilson, it was later overdubbed with drums (Bobby Gregg), electric bass (Bob Bushnell) and electric guitar (Al Gorgoni), all without the knowledge or participation of Simon & Garfunkel and rereleased as a single in September 1965.

The single reached number one on New Year's Day 1966 and was included in the 1966 album Sounds of Silence.

In 2004 it was ranked #156 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, one of the duo's three songs on the list.

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