GARFUNKEL, ART

GARFUNKEL, ART (1941– ), U.S. singer and actor. Born in Forest Hills, New York, Garfunkel met singer/songwriter Paul Simon while they were both in their early teens. Garfunkel received his B.A. in art history (1965) and his M.A. in mathematics from Columbia University (1967). He and Paul Simon formed the duo Simon & Garfunkel and began recording Simon's songs together in 1960 ("Hey, Schoolgirl"). In 1964, Simon and Garfunkel signed a one-album contract with Columbia Records and released Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M. It failed to generate interest, and Garfunkel left the music business to teach mathematics. The sudden and unexpected success of a single song culled from the album ("The Sounds of Silence") brought Garfunkel back with Simon, and together they recorded a long string of hit songs that include "Homeward Bound," "I Am a Rock," "A Hazy Shade of Winter," "The Dangling Conversation," "The 59th St. Bridge Song," "Mrs. Robinson," "The Boxer," "Fakin' It," and "Bridge over Troubled Water." In 1973, Garfunkel began a solo career and recorded such albums as Angel Clare (1973), Breakaway (1975), Watermark (1978), Fate for Breakfast (Double for Dessert) (1979), Art Garfunkel (1979), and Scissors Cut (1981). Garfunkel is the recipient of Grammy Awards for "Mrs. Robinson" (1969) and "Bridge over Troubled Water" (1970). As an actor, Garfunkel appeared in such films as Catch-22 (1970), Carnal Knowledge (1971), Bad Timing (1980), Good to Go (1986), Boxing Helena (1993), and 54 (1998). In 1989, Garfunkel published a book of prose poems entitled Still Water. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (as a member of Simon & Garfunkel) in 1990. After   the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, Garfunkel contributed generously toward helping the survivors and the victims' families. He continued to give concert tours and in 2002 released the album Everybody Wants to Be Noticed. In 2003, he reunited with Paul Simon for the first time in 20 years on a nostalgia tour. -ADD. BIBLIOGRAPHY: J. Morella and P. Barey, Simon and Garfunkel: Old Friends (1991); V. Kingston, Simon & Garfunkel: The Definitive Biography (1996). (Jonathan Licht / Ruth Beloff (2nd ed.)