<Tr> <Th> Past members </Th> <Td> <Ul> <Li> Art Garfunkel </Li> <Li> Paul Simon </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Ul> <Li> Art Garfunkel </Li> <Li> Paul Simon </Li> </Ul> <P> Simon & Garfunkel were an American folk rock duo consisting of singer - songwriter Paul Simon and singer Art Garfunkel . They were one of the bestselling music groups of the 1960s and became counterculture icons of the decade's social revolution, alongside artists such as the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and Bob Dylan . Their biggest hits--including "The Sound of Silence" (1964), "Mrs. Robinson" (1968), "The Boxer" (1969), and "Bridge over Troubled Water" (1970)--reached number one on singles charts worldwide . </P> <P> The duo met in elementary school in Queens, New York, in 1953, where they learned to harmonize together and began writing original material . By 1957, under the name Tom & Jerry, the teenagers had their first minor success with "Hey Schoolgirl", a song imitating their idols The Everly Brothers . In 1963, aware of a growing public interest in folk music, they regrouped and were signed to Columbia Records as Simon & Garfunkel . Their debut, Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M., sold poorly, and they once again disbanded; Simon returned to a solo career, this time in England . In June 1965, a new version of "The Sound of Silence", overdubbed with electric guitar and drums, became a major U.S. AM radio hit in 1965, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 . They reunited to release a second studio album, Sounds of Silence, and tour colleges nationwide . On their third release, Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme (1966), the duo assumed more creative control . Their music was featured in the 1967 film The Graduate, giving them further exposure . Bookends (1968), their next album, topped the Billboard 200 chart and included the number - one single "Mrs. Robinson" from the film . </P>

Who sang the original version of the sound of silence