Paul Simon Net Worth 2024: How Much is the Iconic Musician Worth?

Paul Simon net worth is estimated to be around $200 million as of 2024. Paul Simon is an American singer-songwriter born on October 13, 1941. He’s famous for both his solo music and his partnership with Art Garfunkel. They became known as Simon & Garfunkel hitting the music scene in the 1960s with songs like “The Sound of Silence” “Mrs. Robinson” “America” and “The Boxer.” These songs became anthems for the counterculture movement.

After Simon & Garfunkel Paul Simon continued making music on his own. He explored different music styles like gospel reggae and soul. His solo albums like “Paul Simon,” “There Goes Rhymin’ Simon,” and “Still Crazy After All These Years” were well-received featuring hits like “Mother and Child Reunion” “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard” and “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover.” He also reunited with Garfunkel for concerts and released successful albums like “Graceland” in 1986 which blended South African influences.

Despite some setbacks like the poorly received Broadway musical “The Capeman” in 1998 Simon kept making music and touring in the 21st century. His later albums like “You’re the One,” “So Beautiful or So What,” and “Stranger to Stranger” introduced him to new audiences. Simon retired from touring in 2018 but continued to create music releasing “Seven Psalms” in May 2023.

Paul Simon is one of the world’s best-selling music artists. He’s been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice and has won sixteen Grammy Awards including three for Album of the Year. His songs “Sounds of Silence” and “Graceland” are considered culturally significant and he was the first recipient of the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song in 2007. He’s also known for co-founding the Children’s Health Fund a charity that helps provide medical care to kids in need.

What is Paul Simon Net Worth in 2024?

Paul Simon is an American singer-songwriter with a net worth of $200 million as of 2024, according to Celebrity Net Worth. He became well-known in the 1960s as part of the folk-rock group Simon & Garfunkel with Art Garfunkel. Together, they made classic songs like “The Sound of Silence,” “Mrs. Robinson,” and “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” which are still remembered today.

After the duo split up, Paul Simon went on to have a successful solo career. His 1986 album “Graceland” mixed pop music with South African sounds and won many Grammy Awards. Paul Simon is famous for his clever lyrics and songs about love, feeling alone, and spirituality.

He has received many awards throughout his career, including Grammys, and has been added to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as both a solo artist and as part of Simon & Garfunkel.

Paul Simon’s Early Life and Education

Paul Frederic Simon was born in Newark, New Jersey on October 13, 1941. His parents were Hungarian-Jewish. His dad Louis taught at City College of New York and played music as Lee Sims. His mom Belle was a teacher. They moved to Flushing Queens in 1945.

Donald Fagen a musician described Simon’s childhood as typical for a New York Jew. Music and baseball were big. Simon agreed saying his parents immigrants wanted to fit in and liked black music and baseball.

Simon played baseball and met Art Garfunkel at 11 performing in school plays. They sang together from 13 and wrote their first song at 12 or 13 which became a local hit. They recorded “Hey Schoolgirl” as “Tom & Jerry” and had some success.

After high school, Simon studied English at Queens College while Garfunkel studied math at Columbia University. Simon was part of the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity and briefly attended Brooklyn Law School.

Paul Simon’s Career

From 1957 to 1964 Simon wrote and released over 30 songs. Sometimes he and Garfunkel got together as Tom & Jerry to make songs like “Our Song” and “That’s My Story.” But most of the time Simon worked alone or with other musicians. These songs were released on smaller record labels like Amy Big Hunt and King. Simon used fake names like “Jerry Landis,” “Paul Kane,” and “True Taylor” for these songs. In 1962 using the name Jerry Landis he worked a lot with Amy Records artists like Dotty Daniels and The Vels.

Simon had some success with songs as part of Tico and the Triumphs especially “Motorcycle” which did okay on the Billboard charts in 1962. They released four songs together. Simon also had a solo hit with “The Lone Teen Ranger” in 1962. Both of these songs were on Amy Records.

Then in early 1964 Simon and Garfunkel tried out for Columbia Records who signed them to make an album. Instead of calling them Tom & Jerry, they decided to use their last names. This was a new thing in pop music. Their first album “Wednesday Morning 3 A.M.” came out on October 19, 1964. It had 12 songs five of them written by Simon. At first, the album didn’t do well.

In 1965, after the album was out Simon went to London and played at folk clubs. He liked it there because he had friends and could play music. He learned new things about music and wrote some famous songs like ‘Homeward Bound’ and ‘I Am a Rock’. He also worked with other musicians and helped make hits like “Someday One Day” for the Seekers. The song “The Sound of Silence” from their first album got popular in America after it was changed a bit and released again.

This made Simon come back to the US and work with Garfunkel on more albums like “Sounds of Silence” “Parsley Sage Rosemary and Thyme” and “Bookends.” Their last album “Bridge over Troubled Water” became super popular and sold a lot.

After that Simon and Garfunkel split up. Simon taught songwriting and did solo work. He had a big hit with “Mother and Child Reunion” and made albums like “There Goes Rhymin’ Simon” and “Still Crazy After All These Years.” He also worked on movies and performed at big events. Later he made famous albums like “Graceland” and “The Rhythm of the Saints” which mixed different types of music. He’s had a long and successful career with hits that people still listen to today.

Paul Simon’s musical journey has seen many highs and lows. In 1993 there was a reunion of Simon & Garfunkel leading to the release of “Paul Simon 1964/1993”. Then in 1995 Simon showcased his talent on The Oprah Winfrey Show and collaborated with Annie Lennox on a song. However his musical “The Capeman” faced criticism despite his efforts.

The period from 1999 to 2007 marked a transition for Simon. He toured with Bob Dylan released the album “You’re the One” and performed in events honoring the September 11 attacks. Despite facing challenges Simon’s creativity remained strong as seen in his collaboration with Brian Eno on the successful album “Surprise”.

Simon’s career continued to evolve with tributes awards and new projects. He explored various musical styles from folk-pop to electronic dance music. In 2018, he announced his retirement from touring but remained active in the music scene releasing albums and performing at special events.

In 2023, Simon surprised fans with “Seven Psalms” a reflective album inspired by a vivid dream. Despite considering retirement his passion for music remained strong leading to new projects and collaborations on the horizon.

Paul Simon’s Personal Life

When Paul Simon moved to England in 1964 he met Kathy Chitty at a folk club. She was 16 and he was 22. They started dating and even went to the U.S. together. However, when Simon became famous Kathy didn’t want to be part of that and they broke up. Simon wrote songs about her.

Simon has been married three times. His first marriage was to Peggy Harper in 1969 and they had a son named Harper Simon. They got divorced later which inspired Simon’s song “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover.” Simon also lived near Lorne Michaels in New York City and they were close friends.

After his first marriage ended Simon was in a relationship with Shelley Duvall then with Carrie Fisher whom he married from 1983 to 1984. He wrote songs about his relationships with them.

Simon’s third and current marriage is to singer Edie Brickell. They have three children together. In 2014 Simon and Brickell were involved in a domestic dispute.

Simon’s children are all musicians now. He and his brother founded a Guitar Study Center in New York City.

Simon is a big fan of New York sports teams like the Rangers Knicks and Yankees.

Paul Simon’s Philanthropy

Paul Simon is a big supporter of teaching music to kids. Back in 1970 after making the song “Bridge Over Troubled Water” he organized a workshop for young songwriters at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. The workshop got a lot of attention and many kids came to audition. Out of those six talented teenagers were chosen to learn from Paul Simon himself. Some of these students went on to have successful careers in music like Melissa Manchester and Tommy Mandel.

During the workshop, Paul Simon took the teenagers to Columbia Studios where they got to see how songs are recorded. They even met famous musicians like Bob Dylan and Isaac Stern who gave them advice on music and lyrics.

Over the years Paul Simon has continued to support music education. He’s involved with organizations like Little Kids Rock which gives instruments and lessons to kids in public schools for free. He’s also part of the Children’s Health Fund which helps provide medical care to children in need.

Paul Simon doesn’t just talk about helping others—he puts his money where his mouth is. He’s performed at benefit concerts and donated his fees to various charities raising millions of dollars for causes like scientific research and environmental conservation.

Paul Simon’s Awards 

Paul Simon has won sixteen Grammy Awards for his music including three for best album. He also received a Lifetime Achievement Award. He’s one of only six artists to win the Grammy for best album more than once.

He got into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998 for the album “Bridge over Troubled Water.” He was nominated for an Oscar in 2002 for the song “Father and Daughter.”

Paul Simon is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice: once with Simon & Garfunkel in 1990 and again for his solo work in 2001. Time magazine listed him as one of the “100 People Who Shaped the World” in 2006. Rolling Stone named him one of the greatest guitarists in 2011 and one of the greatest songwriters in 2015.

He was honored with the first Gershwin Prize for Popular Song by the Library of Congress in 2007. In 2001 he was MusiCares Person of the Year and in 2002 he received the Kennedy Center Honors.

Paul Simon has received many awards for his songwriting including BMI Awards and honors at the BMI Pop Awards in 2005. Time magazine also recognized him again in 2006. He was awarded the Polar Music Prize in 2012.

Saturday Night Live

Paul Simon was a big deal on Saturday Night Live (SNL). He showed up on the show 14 times both as a host and as a musician. He first hosted the show back in 1975. There was this funny video where Chevy Chase an SNL star pretended to sing Paul Simon’s song “You Can Call Me Al.” Paul looked a bit annoyed in the video pretending to sing while playing different instruments. Chevy Chase also showed up in another video in 1991 for Paul’s song “Proof” along with Steve Martin.

One memorable SNL episode featured Paul Simon and George Harrison performing together on Thanksgiving in 1976. They sang “Here Comes the Sun” and “Homeward Bound.” Paul also did a solo performance of “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover” earlier in the show. During that Thanksgiving episode, Paul wore a turkey outfit and sang a funny song then got embarrassed and left halfway through making it a famous SNL moment.

In a skit from 1986 promoting his album “Graceland,” Paul played himself in a funny scene where he forgot who Art Garfunkel was. He also hosted SNL during the 1988 Democratic Party presidential primaries and joked about sharing a name with a politician.

Paul returned to SNL several times including for the 40th-anniversary show in 2015 and on his 77th birthday in 2018. Outside of SNL, he wrote a musical called “The Capeman” in the late ’90s which unfortunately lost a lot of money during its run. He also acted in movies like “Annie Hall” and “One Trick Pony” and made appearances in shows like “The Muppet Show” and “Sesame Street.”

Overall Paul Simon had a colorful history on TV and in the entertainment world making people laugh and showcasing his musical talents in various ways.

Paul Simon Real Estate

In 2012, Paul Simon and Edie bought a big property in New Canaan, Connecticut for $16 million. It was 32 acres big with a large house and nice grounds. They tried to sell it for $14 million in April 2019. They finally sold it for $10.8 million in June 2022.

They still have a duplex in a famous NYC building on the Upper West Side. Their neighbors are Lorne Michaels and Robert De Niro.

They also own a 30-acre oceanfront estate in Montauk and a 10-acre ranch in Allen, Texas.