Paul Simon turns 85 on October 13, and the songwriter who gave America some of its most enduring melodies is still very much at work. Born in Newark in 1941, Simon has spent more than six decades proving that a quiet voice can say the largest things.
He is recovering from back surgery this year and has spoken openly about hearing loss in one ear, yet he has kept performing, which is the most Paul Simon thing imaginable.
Paul Simon Changed What A Pop Song Could Be
With Art Garfunkel, in the duo they formed in 1964, he wrote “The Sound of Silence,” “Mrs. Robinson,” and “Bridge over Troubled Water,” songs that felt like literature set to music. Then he walked away from the partnership in 1970 and built a solo career that was, somehow, even more adventurous.
Still A Quiet Celebration
Simon has won 13 Grammys, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, and he returned to the stage not long ago on a tour he fittingly called A Quiet Celebration. For the full arc of his work, his career record is a map of modern songwriting.
Eighty-five years old, still slip-sliding away, still listening for the next true line.
AT THE HILTON HOTEL IN NEW YORK CITY 03/13/2002
PHOTO BY RICK MACKLER/RANGEFINDER/GLOBE PHOTOS, INC. 2003
PAUL SIMON