"Many of his contemporaries shone just as brightly, but few have enjoyed Simon's longevity. More than half a century later, he was still touring in 2026 at the age of 84, a testament to the enduring power of his songwriting, even if others could outsing him.

Aside from the blossoming folk and singer-songwriter movement of the 1960s that made Simon a star, one of the most important genres to rise to the forefront at the time was soul music.

Derived from old-school gospel and capitalised on by record labels like Stax and, of course, Motown, soul music provided a voice for Black artists during a time of widespread discrimination and racism in the United States.

In addition to that, though, soul was a vehicle for many of the world's greatest vocalists to establish themselves on a mainstream stage.

While he knew that being a soul singer was never a possibility, inevitably, Simon found a natural appreciation for the genre, especially Sam Cooke.

For Simon, Cooke, whose career was tragically cut short just as it was getting going when he was killed in 1964, was peerless and the best vocalist of all-time."

Sam Cooke - What A Wonderful World (Official Lyric Video)

#2

I did NOT know that one guy wrote those songs...

Here's another oldie still writing songs... although this new one sounds a LOT like one of his early songs:

#3

WOW!

How did I miss seeing that before? Carole King's and the Obama's reactions were also amazing. (Never thought 2015 would be the Good Old Days)

#5

Colin Blunstone... sleeper voice: