Paul Simon

The Profile

Paul Simon is an American singer-songwriter best known for his work in Simon & Garfunkel and for a long solo career that moved from folk and pop songwriting into wide-ranging cross-cultural and rhythmic experimentation.

Publicly verifiable highlights: he formed Simon & Garfunkel with Art Garfunkel; their final studio album was "Bridge over Troubled Water" (1970). His solo debut was "Paul Simon" (1972). "Graceland" (1986) won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year. "The Rhythm of the Saints" was released in 1990. "You're the One" was released in 2000. "Surprise" was released in 2006 and involved Brian Eno. "In the Blue Light" (2018) is an album of rearranged older songs and coincided with his retirement from touring.

Across 15 reviews, Paul Simon is framed as an elite American songwriter whose solo career expands from folk/country roots into blues, Latin, African and Brazilian influences. The consensus centerpiece is "Graceland" as a culture-shifting world-music milestone, with later albums often measured against it. Reviewers repeatedly praise his meticulous arrangements, top-tier musicians, and poetic/observant lyricism. Even when opinions split (notably on "Surprise"), the baseline respect for his craft stays high.