By MICHAEL BOYLAN
mboylan@TheCitizenNews.com

He is part of perhaps one of the most famous duos of all time, as well as a talented actor and a generous and caring human being.

Friday and Saturday, Sept. 8 and 9, local residents will get to see Art Garfunkel up close, when he takes the stage at the Frederick Brown Jr. Amphitheater.

Garfunkel, best known for his work with Paul Simon, will perform his vast array of hits this weekend, combining his work with Simon with his solo work as well as covers of other classic hits.

Simon and Garfunkel began singing together at the age of 11. They performed at school talent shows and built a solid chemistry together. By the age of 18, they were on "American Bandstand," performing their hit "Hey Schoolgirl" under the name of "Tom and Jerry." The two soon went their separate ways and went to college, but reunited in 1962 to start a serious career singing together.

In 1963, there was a folk music boom in America and Simon and Garfunkel were in the right place at the right time. They performed frequently and signed with Columbia Records within their first year of working together. Between 1964 and 1970, Simon and Garfunkel recorded six albums, won five Grammys and permanently carved their initials into the Rock 'n' Roll landscape.

The duo recorded a number of classic songs, like "The Sounds of Silence," "Bridge Over Troubled Water," "The Boxer," "America," "I Am a Rock" and many more. In 1970, they gave a farewell tour and again went their separate ways.
Garfunkel moved on to try his hand at acting. He had worked with director Mike Nichols while doing the soundtrack for "The Graduate," and soon took roles in the films "Catch-22" and "Carnal Knowledge." He returned to the studio in 1973 with his first solo album, "Angel Claire," which made it to number five on the U.S. charts. The album featured the hit song "All I Know."

He recorded another album, "Breakaway," in 1975, which featured the song "My Little Town," which was recorded with Paul Simon.

In 1978, he recorded the album "Watermark" with James Taylor, as well as Simon. The songs were all compositions by Jimmy Webb, a longtime producer of Garfunkel's work. The album launched a 50-city U.S. tour for Garfunkel, his first since the Simon and Garfunkel farewell tour.

Then 1979 saw the album "Fate For Breakfast" reach number two on the U.K. charts and featured the song "Bright Eyes," which was featured in the animated classic "Watership Down." The track would be released in the United States in 1981 on the album "Scissors Cut."

In 1981, Simon and Garfunkel reunited for a concert in Central Park. An estimated 500,000 people took in the show that day, which eventually made its way to HBO and also was released as a successful album. The show in Central Park also prompted an international tour that did not end until 1983.

Garfunkel went to England in 1983 and began work on "The Animals' Christmas," a cantata composed by Jimmy Webb, which was eventually staged in London and New York City, and was later released as an album. The cantata is based on the Christmas story, as told from the animals' perspective.

In 1987, Garfunkel released the album "Lefty" and also performed at the Prince's Trust concert at Buckingham Palace, with Elton John, James Taylor, Phil Collins and Robin Williams. He would perform for the Royal family again in the summer of 2000.

In 1990, Simon and Garfunkel were inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame, for their vast body of work and their indelible mark on popular music. Two years later, Garfunkel would record songs for the film "A League of Their Own" and the television series "Brooklyn Bridge." He also returned to Atlanta that summer to take part in the film "Boxing Helena."

Since then, he has recorded the albums "Skywriter" and the Grammy-nominated "Songs From A Parent To A Child." He also has completed a walk across America and performed a concert at Ellis Island. Last year, "The Best of Simon and Garfunkel" was released, and "The Animals' Christmas" was re-released.

Garfunkel continues to tour the world, record music and raise the social conscience of his fans. He recently performed at the Boise River Festival in front of 100,000 people. It was the largest concert in the history of the festival.

Garfunkel will perform this Friday and Saturday evening. The show will begin at 8 p.m. and Fayetteville resident Ellen Edwards will open the show.

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