Over the course of their extensive career, which spans 17 studio albums not including various compilations, Gregorian has released interpretations of songs by an incredibly diverse range of artists. Their repertoire includes covers of tracks by David Bowie, Led Zeppelin, Coldplay, Eric Clapton, John Lennon, Nine Inch Nails, Pink Floyd, Carole King, and The Pogues, among many others. Among their vast catalog, their live cover of Simon & Garfunkel’s The Sound of Silence has achieved immense viral success, garnering over 21 million views on YouTube. This track stands as their most popular offering, significantly outperforming their next most viewed video, a cover of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah, which has also reached an impressive 10 million plays.
The original song, The Sound of Silence, holds a unique place in music history. It first appeared on the debut album by Simon & Garfunkel, Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M., released in 1964. The album failed to make a commercial impact, leading the duo to disband. However, in 1965, producer Tom Wilson noticed that the song was gaining traction on regional radio stations in Florida and Boston. Wilson took it upon himself to remix the track, adding electric instruments and drums to the original recording. In September 1965, Columbia released this new version as a single. Simon & Garfunkel were only informed of the remix after the single had already been released to the public. The song quickly shot up the charts, becoming a massive breakthrough hit that prompted the duo to reunite and record a follow-up album, Sounds of Silence, released in January 1966.
Today, Gregorian remains an active and evolving entity. While there have been numerous membership changes throughout the group’s history, they continue to perform and produce music that adheres to Peterson’s vision of fusing pop and choral elements. Fans who wish to stay updated on the band’s latest musical endeavors or live performance schedules can follow their official social media pages or subscribe to their YouTube channel for the latest content.
