The widely successful American folk-rock group Simon & Garfunkel was formed in 1957 by singer-songwriters Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel. Although America’s mainstream might say otherwise, folk-rock and “cult concerts,” as they’re sometimes referred to, have an enormous following, as evidenced by bands like Phish and the Grateful Dead.

Simon & Garfunkel still won’t be certified by many with the credit they’re undoubtedly due, but the mainstream music scene has always been that way; and ever since the band’s first attempt at music in the late 1950s, the duo has had to settle for sometimes being misrepresented and even ignored by the pop-chart culture.

Paul Frederic Simon was born October 13, 1941 in Newark, New Jersey. He is the son of a musician and aspired to be a performer since a very young age. Arthur Ira Garfunkel was born November 5, 1941 in Forest Hills, New York. The two young men would meet and become fast friends while attending elementary school.

The Simon & Garfunkel experience began when the two boys were teenagers at Forest Hills High School. They began singing together and performing as school dances. In the very early days of the duo, they went by the name Tom and Jerry, and their first ever single released, Hey Schoolgirl, reached to 49 on the pop charts but was still shunned.

After their mediocre success, the two young men went their separate ways – Simon to Queens College and Garfunkel to Columbia University. The two would still meet occasionally to record under the name Tom and Jerry, but Paul mostly kept his projects solo or he joined with other musicians.

By late 1963, the duo had reunited and became one of the big players in Greenwich Village’s folk scene. Their first album, Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M., flopped after its release in 1964 and the duo split up, with Paul heading to the UK to play the folk scene in London.

While the band was still split up, Paul received news that some fans had been requesting a track from their album on the radio. The Sounds of Silence, which was a traditional folk song, became mildly popular. But after producer Tom Wilson included electric guitar backing on the track, it launched a new folk-rock genre and experienced a lot of success.

After the song rose to #1 on the charts, Simon returned from the UK and the duo immediately got back together and decided to keep recording. The duo continued to record in the folk rock genre and quickly released more songs and albums.

The group’s second breakup happened in 1969 due to creative differences. Art wanted to act and Paul wanted to focus on music. In 1970, the band’s final album together was released – Bridge over Troubled Water. The album cleaned up at the Grammy Awards.

The men parted for good after their last album and went on to have successful solo careers. In 1972, a Greatest Hits album was released. To date, it has sold over 14 million copies.

Some of the band’s biggest hits include The Boxer, Mrs. Robinson, The Sounds of Silence, America, Bookends, Cecilia, and Homeward Bound, among others.