Paul Simon, Then and Now: Celebrating His 70th Birthday | Open Culture

Paul Simon, Then and Now: Celebrating His 70th Birthday | Open Culture
Excerpt:

“Time Hurries on,” sings Paul Simon in this early Simon and Garfunkel performance, “and the leaves that are green turn to brown.” The clip is from a 1966 Dutch television program, “Twien.” The duo were performing songs from their second album, Sounds of Silence. “The Leaves That are Green” is one you don’t hear much these days, perhaps because the song’s author has, like the leaves of October, most certainly changed.

Today is Simon’s 70th birthday. He was born into a family of Jewish immigrants on October 13, 1941 in Newark, New Jersey. His father was a bassist and bandleader, and his mother, a school teacher, was also trained in music. The family soon moved to Queens, New York, where Simon would meet another kid in the neighborhood, Art Garfunkel. The two shared a passion for music, and before long Simon was writing songs for them to sing around the neighborhood. They released their first record, “Hey, Schoolgirl,” while still in high school.The song made it to number 49 on the pop charts....