Harper Simon

Harper Simon, the son of that legendary songwriter who used to play alongside Art Garfunkel, spent his formative years spinning Germs and Ramones records. It wasn’t until his late teens that he discovered the far less guttural sounds of Gram Parsons, Bob Dylan and Neil Young. Simon’s career followed a similar path—spending the early days playing guitar in UK post-rock band Menlo Park before finally digging up his own country roots at the ripe old age of 37. Simon just released his first record bearing the family name, and it’s a stunner. He enlisted the services of Bob Johnston—who produced albums for Dylan, Johnny Cash and Leonard Cohen—and then got some of the musicians who played on those records to join. It’s no surprise, then, that Simon ended up with a classic country album. “Shooting Star” and “All I Have Are Memories” feature syrupy pedal steel over guitar strums and Simon’s hushed vocals. Sure his famous bloodline doesn’t hurt, but at the end of the day Simon’s songs speak volumes over that bio.