Singer Arthur "Art" Garfunkel was born in Forest Hills, New York, on November 5, 1941, to Rose and Jack Garfunkel. Sensing his son's enthusiasm for melody, Jack, a traveling salesman, bought Garfunkel a wire recorder. Even as young as 4, Garfunkel would sit for hours with the gadget, singing, listening and fine-tuning his voice, and then recording again. "That got me into music more than anything else, singing and being able to record it," he recalls.At Forest Hills Junior Elementary School, the young Art Garfunkel was known for belting out songs in empty hallways and performing in plays. He soon caught the attention of classmate Paul Simon. The two lived only blocks from each other in Queens, but wasn't until Simon heard Garfunkel sing that their fates aligned. Soon, the duo began singing in school talent shows and practicing long hours in basements. During their high school years, the future Grammy winners performed as the band Tom and Jerry, writing their own music and making professional recordings.After their initial success waned, Simon and Garfunkel decided to go their separate ways and attend college. Garfunkel stayed close to home and attended Columbia University, where he studied Art History and joined a fraternity. He later earned a Master's degree in mathematics, also at Columbia. Throughout college, he continued to sing, releasing a handful of solo tracks while becoming ensconced in the growing folk scene. Once again, their parallel talents and interests brought Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel together. In 1962, the former Tom and Jerry reunited as a new, more folk-oriented duo.In late 1964, as the newly minted Simon & Garfunkel, the pair released the studio album Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M. Now signed to Columbia Records, Simon & Garfunkel began an ascent to folk-rock stardom that continued until 1970. Some of their most iconic songs still grace the airwaves today. Songs like "Bridge Over Troubled Water," "The Sound of Silence," "Scarborough Fair" and "America" are part of the consciousness of an entire generation. Simon & Garfunkel won five Grammy Awards between 1968 and 1970, including Record of the Year and Album of the Year. Perhaps most notable was their work on the soundtrack of the 1967 film The Graduate.Longtime bandmates Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel parted ways in 1970, but they remained friends, and eventually reunited later in their careers.While the 1970s proved to be full of success, the 1980s were a challenge for Garfunkel both professionally and personally. After a brief marriage to Linda Grossman in the early 1970s, Garfunkel dated actress Laurie Bird for five years. In 1979, she committed suicide, leaving Garfunkel heartbroken.He then disappeared from the recording studio for the next seven years. In 1985, he met model Kim Cermack on the set of a movie. The couple married three years later.then disappeared from the recording studio for the next seven years. In 1985, he met model Kim Cermack on the set of a movie. The couple married three years later.then disappeared from the recording studio for the next seven years. In 1985, he met model Kim Cermack on the set of a movie. The couple married three years later.Today, Art Garfunkel continues to record and perform for solo projects, while also teaming up with famous artists such as James Taylor and Bruce Springsteen. He also continues to appear in movies. Long-distance walking also became one of his passions; he crossed both Japan and the United States on foot.
Although he has been fine-tuning his voice since the age of four, has recorded for most of his life, and has walked across a significant portion of the world, Art Garfunkel still considers his life experiences less about what he has achieved, and more about what he has been blessed with, saying, "I feel somewhat different from many people in the extraordinary amount of good fortune that fell into my lap and made up my life."
No comments:
Post a Comment