Photo by Mark Seliger

Paul Simon's relationship with world music was clearly visible in Bridge Over Troubled Water, which featured an Andean song called el Condor Pasa.

Simon and Garfunkel disbanded in 1971. Simon released a solo album titled Paul Simon in 1972. subsequent albums included There Goes Rhymin' Simon (1973), which contained the hit songs as "Something So Right", "Kodachrome", "American Tune" and "Loves Me Like A Rock."

In 1975 Paul Simon released Still Crazy After All These Years, which featured the hit single "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover."  The next album were Greatest Hits, Etc. (1977) and One Trick Pony  (1980) album while often appearing on Saturday Night Live. The One Trick Pony album, Simon's first album with Warner Bros. Records was also paired with a major motion picture of the same name, with Simon in the starring role. The hits dried up by the time he released  Hearts And Bones (1983).

Paul Simon's commitment with the USA for Africa project led him to performed on the famine relief fundraising single "We Are the World." The Africa connection continued in 1986 with the Grammy-winning Graceland, which featured Ladysmith Black Mambazo. His fascination with rhythm continued in 1990 with The Rhythm of the Saints, which included Brazilian sounds.

On May 9, 2006, Warner Bros. Records released Surprise, Paul Simon's first release since 2000, which was produced by Simon, and in collaboration with Brian Eno. Says Paul Simon: "Working with Brian Eno opens the door to a world of sonic possibilities; plus he's just a great guy to hang with in the studio, or for that matter in life. I had a really good time." Surprise includes contributions from musicians including Steve Gadd, Herbie Hancock, and Bill Frisell.

During his distinguished career Paul Simon has been the recipient of many honors and awards including twelve Grammy Awards, three of which (Bridge Over Troubled Water, Still Crazy After All These Years, and Graceland) were albums of the year. In 2003 he was given a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award for his work as half of the duo Simon and Garfunkel. He is an inductee of The Songwriters Hall of Fame and is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame both as a member of Simon and Garfunkel and as a solo artist. His song ?Mrs.Robinson? from the motion picture The Graduate was named in the top ten of The American Film Institute's 100 Years 100 Songs. He was a recipient of The Kennedy Center Honors in 2003 and was named as one of Time Magazine's ?100 People Who Shape Our World? in 2006. Recently, Mr. Simon was a recipient of the first Gershwin Prize for ?Popular Song? awarded by the Library of Congress.

Of Simon's many concert appearances he is most fond of the two concerts in Central Park in New York (with his partner and childhood friend Art Garfunkel in 1981 and as a solo artist in 1991) and the series of shows he did at the invitation of Nelson Mandela in South Africa-the first American artist to perform in post-apartheid South Africa.

Paul Simon's philanthropic work includes the co-founding of The Children's Health Fund with Dr. Irwin Redlener. The CHF donates and staffs mobile medical vans that bring health care to poor and indigent children in urban and rural locations around the United States. In the 20 years since its inception it has provided over 1,500,000 doctor/patient visits. In the wake of Hurricanes Andrew and Katrina it was the primary health care source for those communities decimated by the storms. Simon has also raised millions of dollars for worthy causes as varied as AMFAR, The Nature Conservancy, The Fund for Imprisoned Children In South Africa, and Autism Speaks. In 1989 The United Negro College Fund honored him with its Frederick D. Patterson Award.

Official Web Site: www.paulsimon.com

Wednesday Morning, 3 AM (1964)

Sounds of Silence (1965)

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme (1966)

Bookends (1968)

The Graduate soundtrack (1968)

Bridge Over Troubled Water (1969)

Paul Simon (1972)

There Goes Rhymin' Simon (1973)

Still Crazy After All These Years (1975)

Greatest Hits, Etc. (1977)

One Trick Pony (1980)

The Concert in Central Park (1982)

Hearts And Bones (1983)

Graceland (1986)

Negotiations and Love Songs 1971-1986 (1988)

The Rhythm of the Saints (1990)

Paul Simon's Concert in the Park (1991)

The Paul Simon Anthology (1993)

Paul Simon 1964 - 1993 (1993)

Songs from The Capeman (1997)

You're the One (2000)

Live From New York City, 1967 (2002)

Old Friends Live on Stage (2004)

Surprise (Warner Brothers, 2006)

The Essential Paul Simon (2007)