Paul Simon: A Life

How did a young doo-wop singer and Brill Building wannabe transform himself into a giant of the tumultuous rock revolution of the 1960s? What did Paul Simon's idol Bob Dylan do to earn Simon's enduring ire? And what is it that makes Paul's friendship with Art Garfunkel the longest, most successful, most complicated, and weirdest relationship in modern music history? In "Paul Simon: A Life," "New York Times" bestselling biographer Marc Eliot presents the most detailed and comprehensive account to date of the incredible life and career of this multitalented, dynamic, and influential music icon. This definitive biography reveals how Simon's immigrant parents encouraged his musical development from an early age, how he became friends with a tall gangly schoolmate who threatened to steal his musical thunder in a grade-school production of "Alice in Wonderland," and how their pattern of breaking up and reuniting began long before they became "Simon & Garfunkel." Drawing on extensive interviews with many of Simon's friends, fellow musicians, and collaborators, Eliot relates how the duo was discovered at Gerde's Folk City in 1963, what exactly Paul was doing in England while the re-engineered recording of "The Sound of Silence" was becoming a monster hit back home, and how a song that he hadn't even finished writing became one of the biggest of Simon & Garfunkel's many huge hits. You'll find a detailed review of the crucial role Paul played in the Monterey Music Festival, how Art Garfunkel's acting career delayed the recording and release of the "Bridge over Troubled Water" album, and how that landmark and last Simon & Garfunkel record documents their long and contentious friendship. You'll also discover the enormous efforts Paul made to ensure that his first solo album would sound completely different from Simon & Garfunkel; the long and complex process that led to the creation of Graceland, the album that reinvigorated his career in the 1980s; and the whole story behind "The Capeman," his disastrous 1998 attempt at a Broadway musical. Complete with more than two dozen photos, many never before published, this highly entertaining biography will give you a new understanding of this talented artist.