We already brought you part one of our list of 15 things you probably did not know about Paul Simon, and now we’re back with part two! Check out eight more fascinating facts about the singer and musician that you definitely (probably) did not know below. You might be surprised by what you find out!
Number Eight: The BBC Banned “Kodachrome.” Because the BBC refused to play “Kodachrome,” it was never released as a single in Britain. The BBC refused to play it because of its product association.
Number Seven: He Got His Feelings Hurt by Bob Dylan. Simon reached out to Bob Dylan to record a duet for his album titled So Beautiful Or So What. However, Dylan never responded to his request, despite the fact that the two toured together in 1999.
Number Six: He Has Been Married Three Times. Simon first got married in 1969 to Peggy Harper. They divorced in 1976, and in 1983, he married the actress Carrie Fisher. However, they divorced in 1984. In 1992, Simon married his current wife, Edie Brickell.
Number Five: He Has Been Nominated for 35 Grammy Awards. And he is the winner of 16 Grammy Awards. He won nine Grammy Awards as a solo artist, and the other seven he won as part of Simon & Garfunkel. He also received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
Number Four: He Was a Talented Athlete. In fact, while, in high school, Simon was a star baseball player! Is there anything he can’t do?
Number Three: He Wrote a Song About a Murdered Classmate. Simon wrote “He Was My Brother” about Andrew Goodman, who was a college classmate and civil rights worker. Goodman was murdered in Mississippi in 1964.
Number Two: He First Performed With Garfunkel as Tom and Jerry. Though they became famous with the moniker Simon & Garfunkel, Simon first performed with Art Garfunkel as Tom and Jerry. Their first single, which they released while in high school, sold more than 100,000 copies.
Number One: He Is Incredibly Charitable. Simon has raised funds for The Nature Conservancy, Autism Speaks, The Fund for Imprisoned Children in South Africa, AMFAR, and The Joe Torre Safe At Home Foundation.