walking upstream…
Paul Simon
sourcesWikipedia · Britannica
Paul Simon emerged from the Queens, New York doo-wop and folk scenes, first alongside Art Garfunkel in the harmony duo Simon & Garfunkel and then as a restless, literate solo songwriter. Across 'The Sound of Silence,' 'The Boxer,' and the rhythmically adventurous 1986 album 'Graceland,' he became one of popular music's most acclaimed craftsmen, marrying finely detailed, often melancholy lyrics to melodies drawn from folk, gospel, and later South African and world traditions. His fingerpicked guitar and gift for turning ordinary American detail into song shaped generations of singer-songwriters.
the sound in question
1986
GracelandPaul Simon
walk the tributaries ↓
The Everly Brothers1950s · Rock and roll / Country / Pop
Simon has said there 'wouldn't have been a Simon & Garfunkel without the Everly Brothers,' crediting the duo with teaching him how two voices could braid into close harmony; that Everly blend is the foundation of his and Garfunkel's sound.
listen: upstream & here
1958
All I Have to Do Is DreamThe Everly Brothers
1965
The Sound of SilencePaul Simon
listen forPlay the Everlys' 'All I Have to Do Is Dream' and then 'The Sound of Silence' — hear two voices moving in tight parallel harmony, the lead shadowed a third above, gentle and grief-tinged.
Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers1950s · Doo-wop / Rock and roll
Simon has named New York City doo-wop as one of his two biggest early influences, recalling the harmony groups of mid-1950s radio he grew up on; Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, the era's definitive teenage doo-wop group, exemplify that sound of stacked vocal harmony and a soaring lead.
listen: upstream & here
1956
Why Do Fools Fall in LoveFrankie Lymon and the Teenagers
1983
René and Georgette Magritte with Their Dog After the WarPaul Simon
listen forSet the Teenagers' 'Why Do Fools Fall in Love' beside Simon's 'René and Georgette Magritte with Their Dog After the War' — a song that name-checks vintage doo-wop groups and floats on the same close, nostalgic vocal-group harmony.
Bert Jansch1960s · Folk / Folk baroque
Simon has cited English folk as one of his two formative influences, and he spent 1965 immersed in Britain's folk clubs learning intricate fingerstyle guitar; that world's leading fingerpicker was Bert Jansch, whose spare, modal acoustic playing typifies the tradition Simon absorbed.
listen: upstream & here
1965
Needle of DeathBert Jansch
1966
Kathy's SongPaul Simon
listen forFollow Jansch's 'Needle of Death' with Simon's 'Kathy's Song' — both are a solo voice over delicately fingerpicked steel-string guitar, hushed and rueful, the guitar as much a melody as an accompaniment.