Simon & Garfunkel

Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel go back further than most rock duos — the two Queens, New York natives started harmonizing together as kids in the 1950s, initially recording under the name Tom & Jerry before relaunching as Simon & Garfunkel in the early 1960s. What they built on their second run was something genuinely special: Simon's sharp, literary songwriting paired with Garfunkel's soaring, almost otherworldly tenor created a sound that was soft enough for your parents but deep enough to hit you right in the chest.

Their run of albums through the mid-to-late 1960s is hard to argue with. Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M. gave them their start, but Sounds of Silence, Parsley Sage Rosemary and Thyme, Bookends, and the landmark Bridge Over Troubled Water represent one of the most consistent creative streaks in American music. That final album alone sold tens of millions of copies worldwide. The duo also soundtracked Mike Nichols' The Graduate in 1967, cementing their place in the cultural fabric of a generation wrestling with change, doubt, and disillusionment.

Though they officially split in 1970 — partly due to creative tensions and Garfunkel's acting ambitions — their influence on folk rock and acoustic-driven songwriting remains enormous. Their 1981 reunion concert in Central Park drew over half a million people, proving their songs had lost exactly none of their power.