Carly Elisabeth Simon (born June 25, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and children's author. She rose to fame in the 1970s with a string of hit records.
In 1964, Simon began a brief stint with her sister Lucy Simon as the Simon Sisters. The duo released three albums, beginning with Meet the Simon Sisters, which featured "Winkin', Blinkin' and Nod". Based on the poem by Eugene Field, the song became a minor hit and reached No. 73 on the Billboard Hot 100. After Lucy left the group, Carly found great success as a solo artist with her debut album, which won her the Grammy Award for Best New Artist, and spawned her first Top 10 single, which earned her a Grammy Award nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Her second album, Anticipation, followed later that year and became an even greater success, earning her another Grammy Award nomination, and becoming her first album to be certified Gold by the RIAA. Simon achieved international fame with her third album, No Secrets (1972), which sat at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for five weeks, was certified Platinum, and spawned the worldwide hit "You're So Vain", which sat at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks, and earned her three Grammy Award nominations, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year.
One of the most popular of the confessional singer/songwriters who emerged in the early '70s, Simon has amassed 24 Billboard Hot 100 charting singles and 28 Billboard Adult Contemporary charting singles. Among her various accolades, she has won two Grammy Awards, from 14 nominations, and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame for "You're So Vain" in 2004. AllMusic called her "one of the quintessential singer-songwriters of the '70s". She has a contralto vocal range, and has cited Odetta as a significant influence. Simon was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1994. She was honored with the Boston Music Awards Lifetime Achievement in 1995, and received a Berklee College of Music Honorary Doctor of Music Degree in 1998. In 2005, Simon was nominated for a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, but she has yet to claim her star. In 2012, she was honored with the Founders Award from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers.On November 5, 2022, Simon will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.