Editing Paul Simon (section)

==Early life==
Simon was born on October 13, 1941, in [[Newark, New Jersey]], to [[Hungarian-Jewish]] parents.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://jewishjournal.com/culture/218363/heres-paul-simon-skirball-showcases-words-music-2/|title=Here's to you, Paul Simon: Skirball showcases his 'Words & Music'|last=Torok|first=Ryan|date=April 26, 2017|work=[[The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles|Jewish Journal]]|access-date=June 22, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|title=Monitor|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|date=Oct 14–21, 2011|issue=1176/1177|page=34}}</ref> His father, Louis (1916–1995), a professor of education at the [[City College of New York]],<ref>{{Cite news |date=January 19, 1995 |title=Paul Simon's Father Dies |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/01/19/obituaries/paul-simon-s-father-dies.html |access-date=July 5, 2023 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> was a [[double bass]] player and dance bandleader who performed under the name Lee Sims. His mother, Belle (1910–2007), was an elementary-school teacher. In 1945, his family moved to the [[Kew Gardens Hills, Queens|Kew Gardens Hills]] section of [[Flushing, Queens]], in New York City.{{sfn|Kingston|1996|p=1}}

The musician [[Donald Fagen]] described Simon's childhood as that of "a certain kind of New York Jew, almost a stereotype really, to whom music and baseball are very important. I think it has to do with the parents. The parents are either immigrants or first-generation Americans who felt like outsiders, and assimilation was the key thought—they gravitated to black music and baseball, looking for an alternative culture."<ref name="Dawidoff 2011">{{cite magazine |last=Dawidoff |first=Nicholas |date=May 12, 2011 |title=Paul Simon's Restless Journey |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/paul-simons-restless-journey-240593/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |page= |language=en-US |pages=54–63}}</ref> Simon said Fagen's description was not far from the truth.<ref name="Dawidoff 2011" /> He played baseball and [[stickball]] as a child. He described his father as funny and smart, but said he worked late and did not see his children much.<ref name="Dawidoff 2011" />

Simon met [[Art Garfunkel]] when they were 11 years old and performed together in a production of ''[[Alice in Wonderland]]'' for their sixth-grade graduation. The two began singing together at age 13,<ref>[[Old Friends: Live on Stage]] live concert DVD and CD, the spoken introduction to "Hey Schoolgirl".</ref> occasionally performing at school dances. At age 12 or 13, Simon wrote his first song, "The Girl for Me", for him and Garfunkel to perform. According to Simon, it became the "neighborhood hit". His father wrote the words and chords on paper for the boys to use, and that paper became the first officially copyrighted Simon and Garfunkel song. It is now in the [[Library of Congress]]. In 1957, in their mid-teens, they recorded the song "Hey, Schoolgirl" under the name "Tom & Jerry", a name given to them by their label, Big Records. The single reached number 49 on the pop charts.

After graduating from [[Forest Hills High School (New York)|Forest Hills High School]], Simon majored in English at [[Queens College]] and graduated in 1963. Garfunkel studied mathematics education at [[Columbia University]] in [[Manhattan]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/boroughs/ph-new-hit-paul-simon-article-1.756872|title=PhD is new hit for Paul Simon |website=Daily News|date=June 5, 1997 |location=New York| access-date=March 19, 2018}}</ref><ref name="Dawidoff 2011" /> Simon was a brother in the [[Alpha Epsilon Pi]] fraternity,<ref>{{cite web|title=Notable Alumni|url=http://www.aepi.org/about-aepi/notable-alumni/|publisher=Alpha Epsilon Pi|access-date=January 23, 2014|archive-date=February 19, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140219154241/http://www.aepi.org/about-aepi/notable-alumni/|url-status=dead}}</ref> and attended [[Brooklyn Law School]] for one semester in 1963.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://seniorcitylocal.com/celebrating-seniors-paul-simon-turns-75/|title=Celebrating Seniors – Paul Simon Turns 75 – 50 Plus World|website=seniorcitylocal.com|access-date=March 19, 2018|archive-date=October 25, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171025074932/http://seniorcitylocal.com/celebrating-seniors-paul-simon-turns-75/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VZ_YBAAAQBAJ&q=paul+simon+brooklyn+law+school&pg=PR14|title=Paul Simon: An American Tune|first=Cornel|last=Bonca|date=October 10, 2014|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=9780810884823|access-date=March 19, 2018|via=Google Books}}</ref>