These two folk legends are a couple of the most recognizable names in folk rock. Simon & Garfunkel kicked off their careers together with their debut album in 1964, and they produced music and toured off and on for years before they disbanded for good in 2018 with Paul Simon’s retirement.
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The idea of Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel breaking up at any point in their career is far from shocking. They did break up quite a few times through the years. They also famously butted heads with each other from the very beginning.
Still, it might be surprising for fans to learn that Simon & Garfunkel almost disbanded immediately after the release of their debut album. Luckily, a sleeper hit from the record catapulted them into fame, and the rest is turtleneck-wearing history.
Why Simon & Garfunkel Almost Disbanded
Simon & Garfunkel signed to Columbia Records in 1964. After getting signed, they released their debut album Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M. Unfortunately, it was a pretty substantial commercial flop. The British Invasion was in full swing, and the pair’s debut seemingly fell through the cracks.
The duo was ready to call it quits. Simon began working on his debut solo album in London and Garfunkel even returned to college in New York to study architecture.
Fortunately, the future of their careers changed drastically when “The Sound Of Silence” became a sudden hit in 1965. It had been overdubbed under the direction of Tom Wilson (without Simon & Garfunkel’s knowledge) with the addition of some electric guitars and a drum kit. Apparently, those were the secret ingredients that made the song appealing to a larger audience. The new version hit no. 30 on the Billboard 200 chart. And the re-released version of Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M. hit no. 24 on the UK Album Charts.
The album was re-released in 1966 to capitalize on the delayed success of “The Sound Of Silence”. Even though the album was initially quite unsuccessful, “The Sound Of Silence” prompted the duo to get back together and continue making music. In the years that followed, the pair released a few more albums before breaking up multiple times and reuniting for occasional tours.
Even though Simon & Garfunkel famously beefed with each other and that ultimately led to the end of their musical partnership for good, we got a lot more iconic folk music out of them than we might have if “The Sound Of Silence” never took off. Thanks, Tom Wilson!
Photo by Hulton Archive
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