Pauls Simon Fact File

1941: Born Paul Frederick Simon in Newark, New Jersey, on October 13. His family moves to Queens in New York and he attends Forest Hills High School where he meets his future musical partner Art Garfunkel
1955: The duo write their first song together, The Girl for Me, and begin performing as Tom and Jerry. Two years later they have their first hit with Hey Schoolgirl. Several singles follow but they eventually go their separate ways, Garfunkel to college, Simon to law school but actively pursuing a career as a songwriter
1957: Records a few minor singles under the names Jerry Landis and Paul Kane. He also sings with Tico and the Triumphs who chart in 1961 with Motorcycle
1964: Simon and Garfunkel briefly reunite and record an album, Wednesday Morning 3am, which fails to make the charts. Garfunkel returns to his studies while Simon travels to England to seek further inspiration
1966: SimonÕs songwriting talents receive worldwide recognition as Sounds of Silence album finally establishes Simon and Garfunkel as a force in popular music. Over the next two years, albums Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme and Bookends reinforce their popularity
1968: Simon writes the score for the movie The Graduate, garnering Grammys for Best Album and Best Song, for Mrs Robinson
1971: Bridge Over Troubled Water wins five Grammys, but the duo soon split, citing personal differences. A year later SimonÕs first solo album, Paul Simon, goes platinum. Two years later There Goes RhyminÕ Simon is another million-selling album
1974: Still Crazy After All These Years reaches number one and takes a Grammy for Album of the Year. A single from it, Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover, also reaches the top
1980: After a break from recording, Paul Simon returns with One Trick Pony. Following the albumÕs relatively poor sales, he reunites with Garfunkel for a concert in Central Park, playing to 500,000 fans
1983: Simon marries actress Carrie Fisher but the couple split months later. His next solo album, Hearts and Bones, receives only lukewarm reviews, and Simon decides to take time off to reassess his song-writing
1986: Graceland, with backing from South AfricaÕs Ladysmith Black Mambazo, re-establishes his reputation, becoming his biggest-selling solo album and winning yet another Grammy
1991: A solo concert in Central Park draws 750,000 fans. Two years later he reunites yet again with Garfunkel for a brief tour
1992: Simon marries singer-songwriter Edie Brickell and they have two children
1997: His Broadway play, Songs From the Capeman, is a legendary flop, losing an estimated $11m by the end of its short run
2001: Paul Simon is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame