1990 – 1995 Chronology

1990

In January, Simon & Garfunkel were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The ceremony was held at New York City’s Waldorf-Astoria in the Grand Ballroom. Among several songs, they sang “Bridge Over Troubled Water” and “The Boxer” together. Simon & Garfunkel are the focus of a short segment on NBC’s “Today Show” featuring the duo’s career highlights and induction to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

In the Spring, Art Garfunkel traveled as far west as Scotia, Nebraska on his “Walk.”

In June, at the request of the U.S. State Department, Art performed before 1.4 million people (!!!) at an outdoor rally to support and promote democracy in Sofia, Bulgaria. That’s almost 3 times the estimated crowd at the Simon & Garfunkel Central Park concert in 1981.

In November, Art was interviewed by Paula Zahn and Harry Smith on “CBS This Morning.”

On December 15th, Art’s wife Kim, gave birth to a son, named James Arthur. This is the first child for both.

1991

In the January 18th issue of ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY, David Browne wrote an article about Art Garfunkel’s greatest hits album GARFUNKEL entitled, “Art Appreciation 101: An Intro.”  Browne writes, “Tim Moore’s “Second Avenue,” a breakup song that avoids sappiness, is a triumph of popcraft, as is Jimmy Webb’s bittersweet “All I Know.”   GARFUNKEL also includes exquisite fare like the wistful, quietly thumping “A Heart In New York” and his cuddly remake of Sam Cooke’s “(What a) Wonderful World” with Paul Simon and James Taylor.

Art Garfunkel toured for a number of sold out concerts in Holland and Germany.

Art Garfunkel was a featured guest on “Later With Bob Costas” on July 25th and 26th.  This two part biographical interview provided a rare opportunity to see and hear Art Garfunkel discuss his personal and professional life. It included vintage footage of Simon & Garfunkel as well as Art singing some of his solo hits. Art also described his creative role during the Simon & Garfunkel years.

By July, Art Garfunkel reached South Dakota on his “Walk”.

In August, Art Garfunkel is interviewed by THE NEW YORK TIMES reporter Douglas Martin at an Upper East Side coffee shop in New York. Art also records the “Brooklyn Bridge” television show theme song “Just Over The Brooklyn Bridge,” music by Marvin Hamlisch. The show premiered in September.

By the Fall, Art Garfunkel reaches as far west as Montana on his “Walk.”

1992

Art Garfunkel reunited with Paul Simon in New York at the Brooks Atkinson Theater for a one-night charity concert along with the comedy team Mike Nichols and Elaine May to benefit the terminally ill.

Art Garfunkel records a beautiful rendition of Hoagy Carmichael’s classic, “Two Sleepy People” for the Penny Marshall film, A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN. Art also appeared in his fifth movie role in Jennifer Lynch’s film BOXING HELENA. Art, in a supporting role, plays a psychiatrist, Dr. Lawrence Augustine. The movie was filmed during the summer on location in Atlanta, Georgia.

Art Garfunkel toured Japan for a series of sold out concerts.  Cities include; Kobe, Osaka, Tokyo, Nakano and Hiroshima.   Art also appeared on Japanese television for an interview on a morning show.   Son James appeared on stage for the first time.

1993

In October, Paul Simon invited Art Garfunkel to join him for a series of “Career Retrospective” concerts at New York’s Paramount Theatre. The shows were both a critical and commercial success. About Art Garfunkel, NEWSWEEK wrote, “For a while it looked like ‘The Concert Event Of A Lifetime’ would turn into a celebration of the art of Art Garfunkel.” THE NEW YORK POST added, “The final part of the evening brought back Garfunkel who almost stole the show with a stirring “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” From THE NEW YORK DAILY NEWS, “Garfunkel, as usual, made each note glisten.” Wayne Robins of NEWSDAY wrote, “Garfunkel returned to the spotlight for a breathtaking ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’.” THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE even got into the act, “Art Garfunkel tore apart the star-studded concert at The Paramount.” Finally, THE NEW YORK TIMES concluded, “The melody of his voice lingers on.” The first ten shows were sold out in one day, another eleven were added and all sold out.

In October, Art Garfunkel released his eighth solo album, UP ‘TIL NOW, a compilation of old Simon & Garfunkel rarities, live Art Garfunkel recordings, as well as new studio ballads including Art’s duet with James Taylor on “Crying In The Rain.” James Taylor produced this song as well as “It’s All In The Game.” The album also includes a first take demo of “All I Know,” with Jimmy Webb on the piano. Another Webb tune, “Skywriter,” is a fine example of why Webb is considered one of the great ballad writers of the 20th Century. Art said at the time, “Jimmy wrote with my life in mind, so it’s autobiographical.  I did it recently at the Royal Albert Hall (in London) and we recorded it there with Nicky Hopkins on piano and me, it’s a really meaty new Jimmy Webb song, very romantic with a lot about some of my private pain.”  It is the first track on any solo Garfunkel album to feature Art singing live.  “One Less Holiday,” an unreleased Stephen Bishop tune from the magnificent SCISSORS CUT sessions (1981), shows off Art’s range with a soaring vocal opening.  “Why Worry” is a classic Art Garfunkel studio production.

Also in October, Art’s favorite baseball team, the Philadelphia Phillies were defeated by the Toronto Blue Jays during the 1993 World Series.  If you ever wondered what Art did while off-stage during the Paramount shows, he watched his “beloved” baseball team once again lose another series.

Art Garfunkel made a number of appearances to promote UP ‘TIL NOW, more so than for past album releases. In October, he appeared on “Late Night with David Letterman” and sung a beautiful rendition of  “Bridge Over Troubled Water” to thunderous applause.

Art Garfunkel was the focus of an interview in the October 8th issue of THE NEW YORKER magazine. Art discussed his continuing journey across America. He described in some detail his route (Art refers to it as the “Walk”) from his apartment in New York (1984) through New Jersey into the Amish country side of Pennsylvania. Art then crossed into West Virginia and a small part of Ohio before entering rural Kentucky. Passing through, as Art put it, “weak and deadly flat” Indiana and Illinois. Art described Missouri as “a surprisingly sweet part of the heartland.” He crossed the Mississippi at Hannibal “because of Mark Twain” and then “500 miles of Nebraska, some of it dry and unforgiving.” After nine years of on again, off again walking, Art makes his way through South Dakota into Montana. In August he will have crossed the Rockies, describing the geography as “beautiful as the country has been.”

Art Garfunkel also made a number of network appearances. On June 20th he appeared on NBC’s “Today Show.” On March 2nd, he was interviewed by Harry Smith on “CBS This Morning.” The evening before he had appeared at a health care benefit concert for homeless children with Paul Simon.

On March 1st, Simon & Garfunkel joined with Steve Martin and Neil Young for a benefit concert  at the 3,200 seat Dorothy Chandler Pavilion to raise money for homeless children  in Los Angeles. Art stayed in California and performed a few solo concerts on the west coast.

On May 17th, Art Garfunkel performed at a benefit concert for the 92nd Street “Y” in New York. Art sang “Scarborough Fair” and “April Come She Will.”

In June, Art Garfunkel toured throughout the month. He  performed shows in California, Nevada, Oregon, and Georgia. On June 20th, Art attended the wedding of songwriter and friend Stephen Bishop. Other guests included Phil Collins, Andrew Gold, and David Crosby. The day before, David Crosby appeared on stage with Art Garfunkel in Costa Mesa, California for a duet on “Crying In The Rain.”

On September 27th, Art Garfunkel performed at Lincoln Center in New York as part of a celebration of “The Music of Jimmy Webb.” Other performers included Nanci Griffith, Michael Feinstein, David Crosby and Glen Campbell.

In November, Art Garfunkel and Paul Simon performed at two benefit concerts. One was for San Francisco’s Bay Area Bridge School for Autistic Children and the other was for United Way in Toronto, Canada where he was interviewed on Canada’s CBC – TV program “Midday.”  Art and Paul then traveled to Japan and Singapore for additional Paul Simon Retrospective shows.

Continuing his Walk, Art reached as far west as Butte, Montana (August).

1994

On Valentine’s Day, Art Garfunkel performed before a sold-out audience at Carnegie Hall in New York City. James Taylor joined Art for a duet on “Crying In The Rain.” Jimmy Webb played piano on “Skywriter.” Art continued to perform in concert for the better part of 1994. Touring throughout the United States, including; New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, Georgia, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Colorado, California, and Canada.

Art Garfunkel and Julio Iglesias performed an exquisite partial harmony duet on the Everly Brothers tune “Let It Be Me.” This song was released on Iglesias’ top-selling album, CRAZY.

Art Garfunkel appeared on the “Regis and Kathie Lee” program singing, “Crying In The Rain.” Art also appeared on NBC’s “Today Show” singing “Skywriter,” Jimmy Webb accompanied on piano. In March, he made his first appearance at the Westbury Music Fair on Long Island. He closed the set with a stunning rendition of “Bridge Over Troubled Water.”

Art Garfunkel was interviewed by long-time New York rock ‘n’ roll DJ Pete Fornatel for an hour on K-ROCK radio.

On March 3rd, Hollywood hosted a special celebrating the career of actor Jack Nicholson.  Art Garfunkel was a guest and spoke briefly about his experiences with Jack shooting CARNAL KNOWLEDGE. They have remained close friends to this day.  In fact, it was Jack who gave Art the nickname, “the G.” In what turned out to be a comic bit, Jack Nicholson asked Art and actor Harry Dean Stanton to sing a duet on the old Everly Brothers’ hit “All I Have To Do Is Dream.” Needless to say, Mr. Stanton could not hold a tune – the audience ate it up.  Also on March 3rd, NEWSDAY published an article entitled, “Garfunkel: Memories and Melodies – Old Artworks and Art Nouveau” by Steve Parks. Here are some excerpts:

“I’ve finally had to give up being a control freak,” says Art Garfunkel, whose need for orderliness led to a master’s degree in architecture from Columbia University. He’s had to adjust to a little chaos in his life. “My days of neatness and order are gone,” Garfunkel says. “I’ve become undone by the force of my son. Fortunately, James hasn’t gotten into my music collection yet.”

While his Westbury Music Fair concert Saturday is billed as “solo”, Garfunkel still shares the spotlight. At 52, he’s only lately become a family man. On his current tour he’s joined on stage by his wife, singer Kim Cermak, and, at times, by their 3-year old son (he likes to sing “Feelin’ Groovy”) – along with assorted musician friends.

Paul Simon is prominently represented in song, in tribute and in pointed jest. Take Garfunkel’s “Homeward Bound” solo, for instance. During his recent homecoming concert at Carnegie Hall, the singer explained why he’d previously eschewed this Simon & Garfunkel oldie. “It has my former partner’s sensibility about it,” Garfunkel said. “But recently I’ve changed my mind.” Maybe it only seemed as though he underscored some of the lyrics as he sang, “Tonight I sing his songs again…but now his words come back to me with shades of mediocrity.” The audience ate it up.

“When I see the audience going for it, I just play along,” Garfunkel said innocently, tugging on the brim of his navy-blue baseball cap. “I rode the moment.” Tufts of gray-blond curls billow out from under the cap, framing his tanned laugh lines as if in silent testimony to a closely guarded clownish side. “You’ll notice,” he added, “that I also called Paul one of America’s great songwriters.”

Garfunkel’s earliest musical memories are listening to Caruso sing from “The Pearl Fishers” on his parents’ Victrola. “I was five years old,” he said, “and already I knew that I loved melody and the drama of high notes.” Soon he was singing in Hebrew at the Kew Gardens Jewish Center on Main Street. “That’s where I discovered the power of the minor key,” he said. “I could really make them cry in the aisles. I guess there’s a bit of the Yiddish cry still to my singing – a purple edge, the goose bumps after the rain has stopped.” The Jewish Center is also where he learned to enunciate each syllable and economize each breath. “In synagogue, they never told you what you’re singing,” Garfunkel recalled. “I memorized it by the syllable and figured out where to grab gasps of air when nobody’s looking. Crescendo takes a lot of breath.”

By sixth grade his peer reputation as a singer was established. “Girls, especially, were aware of me as a singer,” he said. “That’s why Paul wanted to hook up with me at first, I think – to impress the pretty girls.”

“We did two-part harmonies, like my parents used to sing,” Garfunkel said, “and practiced at home. Any room with tiles was good. We liked reverberation. From there, it was a direct line to the Everly Brothers,”  whom they imitated, “and to Simon and Garfunkel.” By junior high, Art and Paul were using two primitive tape recorders to “stack up harmonies.” Then, it was just a subway ride to Manhattan for $10-an-hour studio sessions and, eventually, a single. “Hey, Schoolgirl” sold 150,000 copies in 1957 when Art and Paul (then known as Tom and Jerry) were still in high school. “That was big stuff. A record contract, red blazers, guest shots on ‘American Bandstand’.”

Besides doing the very occasional movie (“I’d do another if they’d send me a wonderful script”), Garfunkel has also published “Still Water,” a collection of prose poems. “It’s not the same as writing lyrics,” he said when asked if he’d tried putting his poetry to music. “I’ve noodled around a bit, but I don’t think of poems as songs. Only certain phrases marry to a tune.”

Garfunkel’s current concert tour features songs from UP ‘TIL NOW, his most recent solo album, and from the Simon & Garfunkel repertoire. UP ‘TIL NOW is a mixed bag of new songs – “Crying in the Rain,” a duet with James Taylor; “Just Over the Brooklyn Bridge,” the Marvin Hamlisch theme from the recent TV series, and Jimmy Webb’s “Skywriter,” – and old ones, including Webb’s “All I Know” and the original acoustic Simon & Garfunkel track of “Sounds of Silence.”

Webb, who wrote “Skywriter” specifically for Garfunkel, is a friend and tennis partner. Have they ever considered a Garfunkel and Webb duo? “Jimmy’s brilliant and inventive,” Garfunkel said. “We’ve talked about doing a duet. Maybe it’ll happen one day. The only trouble is, we have exactly the same range.”

“For me, the voice is my instrument. My center is music. If anything, I am a singer.”

On November 15th, Art Garfunkel appeared on the television show “Frasier.” He guest starred as a character named Chester in an episode entitled “Adventures in Paradise”.

Art performed a show in Osaka, Japan on November 23rd and two shows in Tokyo, Japan on November 25th and 26th.

December 9th, Art Garfunkel performed at the NAS tribute to his friends Crosby, Stills & Nash at the Wilshire Ebell Theater in Los Angeles. Other performers included Jackson Brown and Ricki Lee Jones.

By the end of the year, Art reached the Idaho/Washington boarder on his “Walk.”

1995

During 1995, Art Garfunkel made three appearances on the “Charles Grodin Show.” On Grodin’s first show (January 9, 1995) Art was the only in-studio guest. Martin Short also made a guest appearance via satellite. On March 14, 1995 Art and his wife, Kim Cermak were the only guests. Son James made a brief appearance at the end of the show. Art performed two songs, “My Romance” and “Two Sleepy People.” Kim joined Art for a duet on “The Water is Wide.” David Biglin accompanied on the synthesizer. On August 28th, Art made his third guest appearance on the “Charles Grodin Show.”   Art discussed his movie BAD TIMING and the S&G television special, SONGS OF AMERICA, and performed “I Only Have Eyes For You.”

In April, in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe, Alan Parsons organizes a special concert in Arnheim, Netherlands, starring Walter Cronkite, Joe Cocker, Cyndi Lauper and Art  Garfunkel — who sings “Bridge Over Troubled Water” at the conclusion of the event.  He is tapped to perform at the 150th anniversary of the Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, in a special concert with several international stars.

In October, Art Garfunkel toured Italy and performed in concert in Verona, Turin, Milan, Rome, Catania, Bari, Naples and Foligno as well as one show in Brussels, Belgium.