From his Forest Hills neighborhood in Queens, New York, Art Garfunkel got his start singing with childhood friend and partner, Paul Simon, at talent show competitions. After recording on their own in Manhattan, "Tom and Jerry" (as they were first called) landed a recording deal in 1957. Their first 45, "Hey, Schoolgirl" was a modern hit, appearing on American Bandstand in their senior year of high school. Wanting to make a "real" living, Garfunkel went to Columbia College, earning a BA in Art History and later a Masters in Mathematics at Columbia University, but returned to Simon not long after graduation.

Renaming themselves "Simon and Garfunkel" in late 1963, just as the height of the folk-music industry was at its boom, the duo was signed to Columbia Records and paired with producer Roy Halee. Up until the 70s, they created over six albums together, won five Grammy's and received the Britannia Award for "Best International Pop LP and Single, 1952-1977 for "Bridge Over Troubled Water."

Their Greatest Hits album remained on the charts for 131 weeks in the US and sold 14 million copies. The two were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990. Garfunkel began pursing an acting career, appearing in Catch-22 and Carnal Knowledge. His first solo album, Angel Clare, released in 1973, featured the hit "All I Know," followed by 1975's Breakaway, with hit single "I Only Have Eyes For You." His fourth solo album, Scissors Cut, was named the best albums of 1981 by Rolling Stone. When he and Simon returned for a reunion concert, they ended up doing a world tour from 1982-1983.

As a means of a creative outlet, Garfunkel began walking across America, which followed with Disney's release of a documentary video chronicling his 12-year walk. He continues to release solo albums, as his former group gained the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2003 Grammy Awards.