Editing Carly Simon (section)

===1963–1969: The Simon Sisters and Elephant's Memory===
[[File:Carly Simon (1971) - PBS Great American Dream Machine press photo.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Simon in a 1971 photo promoting an appearance on [[PBS]]'s ''[[The Great American Dream Machine|Great American Dream Machine]]'']]

Simon's career began with a music group with her sister [[Lucy Simon]] as [[the Simon Sisters]], with Lucy singing [[soprano]] and Carly [[contralto]].<ref name=Contralto/> Signed to [[Kapp Records]], they made their television debut performing on ''[[Hootenanny (TV series)|Hootenanny]]'' on April 27, 1963.<ref name="Hootenanny"/> They released two albums for the label, the first being ''[[Meet the Simon Sisters]]'' (1964). The album produced a minor hit for the duo with the single "[[Wynken, Blynken, and Nod#Musical adaptations|Winkin', Blinkin' and Nod]]",<ref name=billboardbio/> a children's poem by [[Eugene Field]] that Lucy had put to music. Their second album, ''[[Cuddlebug]]'' (1966), soon followed. These albums were made available on [[Compact disc|CD]] in 2006 as ''[[Winkin', Blinkin' and Nod: The Kapp Recordings]]'', a remastered limited edition single-disc compilation.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Simon Sisters: Winkin', Blinkin' And Nod |url=http://www.carlysimon.com/music/The_Simon_Sisters.html |website=Carlysimon.com |access-date=February 17, 2016 |archive-date=October 22, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141022135442/http://www.carlysimon.com/music/The_Simon_Sisters.html |url-status=dead}}</ref> The duo made one more album together, 1969's ''[[The Simon Sisters Sing the Lobster Quadrille and Other Songs for Children]]'' (which was released on CD in 2008 under the title ''Carly & Lucy Simon Sing Songs for Children'').<ref>{{cite web |title=Carly & Lucy Simon: Sing Songs For Children |url=https://www.carlysimon.com/the-simon-sisters-sing-songs-for-children |website=Carlysimon.com |access-date=February 17, 2016 |archive-date=June 17, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160617233601/http://www.carlysimon.com/the-simon-sisters-sing-songs-for-children |url-status=live}}</ref>

In the Peter Coan biography "Taxi: The [[Harry Chapin]] Story", it had been suggested that Chapin, performing with his brothers, had briefly considered an idea of merging their act with the Simon Sisters, and performing under the new moniker "The Brothers and Sisters".  This idea was scrapped once Chapin and Simon's careers as solo artists began to gain traction.<ref>{{cite book |last=Coan |first=Peter |title=Taxi: The Harry Chapin Story" |publisher=[[Kensington Publishing|Citadel Press]] |date= June 1, 1987 |isbn=9780806521916}}</ref>

Simon collaborated with eclectic New York rockers [[Elephant's Memory]] for about six months in the late '60s.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.billboard.com/artist/301609/elephants-memory/biography |title=Elephants Memory Biography |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |access-date=June 15, 2014 |archive-date=November 26, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151126223108/http://www.billboard.com/artist/301609/elephants-memory/biography |url-status=dead}}</ref> Simon later said of her time with the band: "I hated the gigs. We played clubs where everyone smoked dope and cigarettes at the same time. The sound systems were so dreadful I lost my voice easily and regularly, and after a summer I quit."<ref name=carlysimontimeline60s>{{cite web |website=Carlysimon.com |url=https://www.carlysimon.com/timeline/HerWords1.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070901013842/http://www.carlysimon.com/timeline/HerWords1.htm |archive-date=September 1, 2007 |title=Timeline 60's |access-date=March 18, 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref> In 1968, Simon met and befriended [[Jacob Brackman]]. Brackman would later become a frequent songwriting collaborator, with Simon describing him as her best friend: "When I moved to my apartment on 35th St. (Murray Hill), Jake lived around the corner and we were inseparable, sharing our social lives. He introduced me to so many of the friends I still have."<ref name=carlysimontimeline60s/>