Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel were initially inspired by the Everly Brothers, and under the name Tom & Jerry enjoyed a hit with "Hey Schoolgirl." The duo reunited in 1964 for Wednesday Morning, 3 AM, which included an acoustic reading of "The Sound of Silence." Producer Tom Wilson made the presumptuous but prescient decision to overdub "Sound of Silence" with electric instrumentation and an album titled after the million-selling single was rush-released early in 1966. "Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme" had a varied mood from the grandly serious "For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her" to the bouncy "59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)."

The duo contributed "Mrs. Robinson" to the soundtrack of the 1968 film The Graduate. That same year saw the release of Bookends, a superbly crafted work. In 1969, the duo released the celebrated Bridge Over Troubled Water. One of the best-selling albums of all time, the work's title track became a standard with its lush, orchestral arrangement and contrasting tempo. While at the peak of their commercial success, the duo became irascible and their partnership abruptly ceased.