Paul Simon Solo: Hits, Albums & Career Deep Dive

His 1972 hit "Mother and Child Reunion" was inspired by a Chinese restaurant menu item but was recorded in Kingston with Jamaican reggae musicians — one of the earliest examples of a major American pop star deliberately recording reggae in Jamaica.

Graceland (1986) was largely recorded with South African musicians during apartheid; the album provoked a political boycott but also won the 1987 Grammy for Album of the Year and launched global attention for groups like Ladysmith Black Mambazo.