Carly Simon is an American singer, songwriter, and children’s author who is widely regarded as one of the greatest singers who emerged out of the ‘golden generation’ of musicians in the 1970s and 1980s. She had started with a brief stint as part of the duo Simon Sisters, with her older sister Lucy, before embarking on a stellar solo career in which she recorded 20 studio albums that included several ‘Top 10’ albums and singles. For her work, she had won an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and 2 Grammy Awards. She was inducted into the ‘Songwriters Hall of Fame’ in 1994 and was placed at number 28 in VH1‘s 1999 list of the ‘100 Greatest Women in Rock & Roll’. In the latter half of career, she had dabbled in writing children’s books that included Amy the Dancing Bear (1989), The Boy of the Bells (1990), The Fisherman’s Song (1990), The Nighttime Chauffeur (1993), and Midnight Farm (1997). She has also published the memoirs titled Boys in the Trees: A Memoir (2015) and Touched by the Sun: My Friendship with Jackie (2019).
Born Name
Carly Elisabeth Simon
Nick Name
Carly
Sun Sign
Cancer
Born Place
The Bronx, New York City, New York, United States
Residence
Martha’s Vineyard, Dukes County, Massachusetts, United States
Nationality
Education
Carly, after her graduation from the Riverdale Country School in The Bronx, had joined the Sarah Lawrence College, a private liberal arts college in Yonkers, New York. She had, however, dropped out to pursue a career in music.
Occupation
Singer, Songwriter, Children’s Author
Family
- Father – Richard Leo Simon (Former Piano Salesman, Publisher, Classical Pianist, Co-Founder of Simon & Schuster) (d. July 1960)
- Mother – Andrea Louise Simon (née Heinemann) (Former Switchboard Operator, Singer, Civil Rights Activist, Philanthropist) (d. February 1994)
- Siblings – Joanna Simon (Older Sister) (Former Singer, Real Estate Agent), Lucy Simon (Older Sister) (Singer, Songwriter, Music Composer), Peter Simon (Younger Brother) (Photographer) (d. November 2018)
- Others – Leo Leopold Simon (Paternal Grandfather) (Feather-and-Silk Manufacturer, Milliner), Anna Meier (Paternal Grandmother), Henry W. Simon (Paternal Uncle) (English Professor, Classical Music Critic, Author), Alfred Simon (Paternal Uncle) (Pianist, Author), George Thomas Simon (Paternal Uncle) (Jazz Drummer, Music Critic, Author, Magazine Editor) (d. February 2001), Elizabeth Seligman (née Simon) (Paternal Aunt), Ofelia ‘Elma Marie’ Oliete aka Chibie (Maternal Grandmother), Frederick Adolph ‘Fred’ Heinemann (Maternal Grandfather), Gerald Walker (Brother-in-Law) (Magazine Editor) (d. February 2004), David Levine (Brother-in-Law) (Psychoanalyst), Dean Bragonier (Son-in-Law), Isaac M. Taylor (Ex-Father-in-Law) (Physician, Medical Professor) (d. November 1996), Gertrude Taylor (née Woodard) (Ex-Mother-in-Law) (Former Singer) (d. 2015), Alex Taylor (Ex-Brother-in-Law) (Singer) (d. 1993), Kate Taylor (Ex-Sister-in-Law) (Singer, Songwriter), Livingston Taylor (Ex-Brother-in-Law) (Singer, Songwriter), Hugh Taylor (Ex-Brother-in-Law)
Genre
Pop Rock, Soft Rock, Folk
Instruments
Vocals, Guitar, Piano
Labels
- Elektra Records
- Warner Records Inc.
- Epic Records
- Arista Records
- Rhino Entertainment Company
- Columbia Records
- Hear Music
- Iris Records
- C’Est Music
Build
Slim
Height
5 ft 10 in or 178 cm
Weight
63 kg or 139 lbs
Boyfriend / Spouse
Carly has dated –
- Milos Forman
- David Sanborn
- William Donaldson (1964) – Carly was briefly engaged to British satirist and writer William Donaldson in 1964.
- Cat Stevens (1970-1971)
- (1972)
- Kris Kristofferson (1972)
- (1972)
- James Taylor (1972–1983) – Carly began dating American singer, songwriter, and guitarist James Taylor in 1972, and the couple got married later that year, on November 3, 1972. They have 2 children together – a daughter named Sarah Maria ‘Sally’ Taylor (b. January 7, 1974) (Singer, Songwriter, Philanthropist) and a son named Benjamin Simon ‘Ben’ Taylor (b. January 22, 1977) (Musician, Actor). They got divorced in 1983.
Through Sarah, she has a grandson named Bodhi Taylor Bragonier (b. October 4, 2007). - Al Corley (1982)
- Jeremy Irons (1984) – Rumor
- Russ Kunkel (1985-1986) – She was engaged to drummer and music producer Russ Kunkel in 1985 but the couple parted ways the following year, 1986.
- Keith Hernandez (1987)
- James Hart (1987–2007) – Carly got married to writer, poet, and businessman James Hart on December 23, 1987. The couple got divorced in 2007.
- (2005)
- Richard Koehler (2006-Present) – She began dating surgeon Richard Koehler in 2006 and they have lived together in Martha’s Vineyard thereafter.
Race / Ethnicity
Multiracial (White, Black, and Hispanic)
She is of Ashkenazi Jewish (German-Jewish) descent on her father’s side and German and Cuban (including African, Spanish, and Native American) descent on her mother’s side.
Hair Color
Blonde
Eye Color
Blue
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Distinctive Features
- Petite frame
- Shoulder-length, straight hair
- Radiant face
- Affable smile
Carly Simon Facts
- She has revealed that a family friend, who was a teenager then, had s*xually assaulted her when she was 7 years old. The trauma that she suffered had caused her to stutter about a year later and a psychiatrist had unsuccessfully attempted to cure the stuttering. To vent her ire and frustration, she had turned to singing and songwriting.
- Her hit single titled Let the River Run, first featured in the 1988 film Working Girl, had made her the first artist ever to win a Grammy Award, an Academy Award, and a Golden Globe Award for a song written, composed, and performed, completely by a single artist. The song was ranked at number 91 in AFI (American Film Institute)’s 2004 list of ‘100 Years…100 Songs’
- In 1991, her album titled Playing Possum (1975) was ranked at number 20 in Rolling Stone magazine’s list of ‘100 Greatest Album Covers of All-Time’.
- Between 1997 and 1998, she had undergone a mastectomy, chemotherapy, and reconstructive surgery to remove a lump that had been in her breast for several years, even though the doctors had advised her against any investigative medical procedures.
- In 1998, the Berklee College of Music had conferred upon her an honorary ‘Doctor of Music’ degree.
- After turning 61, she had also become afflicted with osteopenia, a condition that causes loss of bone mass, due to which she had stopped wearing high-heeled shoes.
Featured Image by Carly Simon / Instagram
Facts of Carly Simon
- full nameCarly Simon
- Date of Birth June 25, 1945
- Age 79 years 5 months
- Horoscope Cancer
- Lucky Number 5
- Lucky Stone Moonstone
- Lucky Color Silver
- Best Match for Marriage Taurus, Pisces, Scorpio
- weight63 kg
- height5 ft 10 in