On This Day in Jewish History: October 19, 1964

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#onthisday, 1964, Simon and Garfunkel released their first album, Wednesday Morning 3 A.M., on the Columbia label.

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Their partnership had begun almost a decade earlier when they began singing as a duo for school dances in Queens, New York where they had grown up in a Jewish neighborhood and been inspired by both the emerging sound of rock and roll and cantor work at synagogue.

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Their recording career began on the Big Records label when they were performing under the name Tom and Jerry and, later, Kane and Garr.

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As their style moved in the direction of folk music in the early 60s, they began performing under their real names.

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After Tom Wilson of Columbia heard them perform “The Sound of Silence,” they signed with the major label.

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“Wednesday Morning 3 A.M.” was recorded in March over three sessions and that same month Simon and Garfunkel performed at Folk City in Greenwich Village.

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The album sold a disappointing total of 3000 copies upon first release and led to the duo going their separate ways for over a year.

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They would reunite for a very successful second album in 1966 titled “Sounds of Silence”, this time featuring a multi-instrument version of the song that would, a year later, be the theme for the hit movie, The Graduate.

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After the duo found acclaim, Wednesday Morning 3 A.M. would be re-released. And while the full orchestrations one hears on many of their subsequent hit songs would help define their sound for a generation of admirers, the harmonies and single guitar back-up on their first album would also continue to define their signature for the rest of their careers.

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#judaism#jewish#history#jewishhistory#onthisday#simonandgarfunkel#firstalbum#released#icons#folkmusic#otdjh#musichistory#otd#legends

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Text Source:

https://pop-culture.fandom.com/wiki/Simon_%26_Garfunkel

Image Source:

https://www.45cat.com/bigartist/simon-and-garfunkel/uk