Before Simon & Garfunkel, It Was Simply Tom & Jerry: Why Their Real Names Were Considered “Too Ethnic-Sounding”

Simon & Garfunkel, Simon & Garfunkel, Simon & Garfunkel, for the sake of this article, really let those names marinate in your head and mouth. Think about their ethnicities, sounds, and the way they might look on a record. Just think about it… But now, back to the point. The two musicians have known each other since they were teens, as they both grew up in the Jewish neighborhood of Kew Gardens, in Queens.

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By the 50s, the two started playing music together as early as sixth grade. After their partnership was fully solidified, the teen friends created a demo and were then signed by Sid Prosen’s label, Big Records. In their early days, Simon & Garfunkel scored success with their single “Hey Schoolgirl”. However, they weren’t called Simon & Garfunkel. Rather, they were simply called Tom & Jerry.

Simon & Garfunkel’s Names Might Not Have Faired Well in Middle America

When Simon & Garfunkel signed with Big Records, there was one major thing they had to change. Those were their names. According to The Mirror US, record executives believed the pair’s names, which come from Jewish descent, would hinder sales in the flyover states. According to the publication, executives thought their names were “too ethnic-sounding.”

This story clearly has some ideologically problematic threads, but the pair agreed for the sake of success. Paul and Art only went by Tom & Jerry for a year, specifically, between 1957 and 1958. Luckily, by 1963, the folk music duo found a record label that allowed them to use their real names. That record label was the infamous Columbia Records.

In 1964, the two New Yorkers got their big break when the storied label offered them a contract. After they became a client of Columbia, the duo, with their true names, released their debut album, Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M, which impressively peaked at No. 30 on the Billboard 200. Though, more importantly, Simon & Garfunkel were able to release a product under their own name.

The underlying themes of this story revolve around some pretty dicey ones, and ones that deserve further exploration. Despite the rain this could have put on their parade, they seemingly didn’t let it affect them too much. Fortunately for both the greater good and Simon & Garfunkel, they made it big not as Tom & Jerry, but as Simon & Garfunkel. While Tom & Jerry was an important phase in the two’s career, it is surely in the rear-view mirror.

Photo by Columbia Records/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images