Paul Simon is one of the most famous American entertainers of recent decades. There are still a lot of people out there who will be most familiar with him because of his time as However, it is important to note that he has had a very successful solo career as well. For proof, look no further than the fact that Simon has been inducted not once but twice into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The first time, he was inducted because of Simon & Garfunkel; the second time, he was inducted because of his solo career. Combined, it is no wonder that Simon is so well-known.
What Is Paul Simon's Net Worth?
As such, it should come as no surprise to learn that Simon has managed to make a lot of money over the course of his career. The exact number is unknown to the public because this information is private information. Still, Celebrity Net Worth has come up with an estimate of $200 million for his net worth. It isn't perfect. Still, it is enough to provide interested individuals with a general sense of things.
How Did Paul Simon Reach His Net Worth?
Simon was born in Newark, NJ. However, he was raised in New York City because his family moved to Queens when he was still at the age of four. As a child, Simon was very involved in a couple of things. Chances are good that interested individuals can guess that music was one of these two things. Meanwhile, the other was baseball as well as the baseball derivative stickball. Apparently, these interests were almost stereotypical for certain segments of New York City's Jewish community in the 1940s. Something that Simon himself has acknowledged. In any case, Simon & Garfunkel are infamous for their breakup, which was followed by a feud that spanned the remainder of their multi-decade careers. From a certain perspective, it is rather sad because the two were quite close with one another at one point in time. After all, Simon and Garfunkel met when both of them were still at the age of 11, with the result that their shared interests made them each other's best friend. By the time that they had left high school, they had already recorded and released a couple of songs. The latter of which even managed to reach number 49 on the pop charts.
During college, Simon continued working as both a singer and a songwriter. Sometimes, he sang these songs as a duo with Garfunkel. However, most of the songs that he wrote in this period were sung either on his own or in coordination with other musicians. By the early 1960s, Simon had already become very involved in the music industry. Still, it was in 1964 when Simon and Garfunkel were signed to make a studio album by Columbia Records, though they would be doing so under the name Simon & Garfunkel rather than their previous duo name of Tom & Jerry. Initially, the studio album didn't seem particularly promising. Instead, it became more popular bit by bit, with the result that Simon was eventually convinced to return to the United States from the United Kingdom to continue working with Garfunkel. This led to a total of five studio albums, with the fifth managing to become the single best-selling studio album at the time of its release. After which, the two went their separate ways in 1970.
From that point forward, Simon continued working as a singer, a songwriter, and other roles. To name an example, he spent some time teaching songwriting at New York University, stating that he was hoping that he would be able to help other people avoid some of the mistakes that he had made over the course of his career up to that point in time. Similarly, he was very involved with the movie One-Trick Pony that came out in 1980. Specifically, he was the one who wrote it, starred in it, and even recorded his first studio album in close to five years to go along with it. Still, Simon remains best-known for his singing and songwriting for very good reasons. Moreover, it should be mentioned that Simon isn't one of those artists who are successful for a short period of time before proceeding to fade from prominence. Instead, his most notable successes are more spread out, which speaks of a remarkable ability to keep up with the ever-changing times. To name an example, Simon claimed the Grammy for the Album of the Year in 1987 because of Graceland, which was a huge success featuring collaborations with both African artists and American artists. Something that was prompted by him receiving a bootlegged tape of South African street music in the 1980s. To name another example, Simon had his highest ever debut on the Billboard 200 with Stranger to Stranger. An experimental studio album that was released in June of 2016. It should be mentioned that Stranger to Stranger isn't even Simon's most recent release, which should make it very clear that he remains quite active as a musician.
Further Considerations
Regardless, it seems safe to say that Simon has managed to make most of his money through his music in either a direct or an indirect sense. It is no exaggeration to say that he is one of the most successful musicians of recent decades, which presumably means that he has been compensated as such. On top of that, Simon has presumably gained opportunities that he otherwise wouldn't have because of his career as a singer and a songwriter. All of which would have presumably further contributed to his net worth. Put together, it seems very reasonable for Simon to be someone who is estimated to have a net worth of $200 million. He is someone who has been active in the music industry since the mid 1950s, meaning that he has been in the music industry for longer than most people have been alive. On top of that, Simon has remained active even in modern times, as shown by his releases in both 2016 and 2018. As recently as 2021, Simon sold his music catalog to Sony Music Publishing, though the sum that he received hasn't been revealed. Still, it seems safe to say that it was substantial.
