Art Garfunkel Says Singing With Son Gives Them ‘a Chance to Be Close’ Amid Album Collaboration

Art Garfunkel Jr. was about 12 years old when he realized his father, Art Garfunkel, was famous.  “We flew to Rome, where my dad, with Simon & Garfunkel, had a concert in front of the  Colosseum,” Art Jr. exclusively tells Closer. “It was an ocean of humanity — 680,000 people came. I said, ‘Dad, does the whole world know you?’ My dad paused, thought and then said, ‘No, but half the world probably does.’ ”

These days, making music is a family affair for Art Sr., 83, who rose to fame in the 1960s with hits like “Mrs. Robinson” and “Bridge Over Troubled Water” with his former schoolmate Paul Simon. Art’s new album, the aptly titled Father and Son, finds him harmonizing with Art Jr., 34. “I love music. I can’t help but sing,” Art Sr. tells Closer. “The best part is how much it gives us a chance to be close. There are times where we have sung where our foreheads touch because we’re so close and we’re working one mic. It’s bliss to be that close to your own son.”

LEADING WITH LOVE

Along the way, Art Sr. has welcomed the opportunity to pass down some of the wisdom accumulated over his long music career. “The greatest lesson from my dad is to understand that it’s one thing to be good and another thing, and a much more difficult thing, to be great,” says Art Jr., adding that the secret is to give that “extra 1 percent beyond everybody else.”

Combining music and his family, the two things Art Sr. loves most, has been a very meaningful experience. “Sigmund Freud said that a full life means finding fulfillment in your work and your family. To be satisfied in these two areas is to have a valid life,” he says. “I have that.”