It was the last song recorded for their fifth and final album , but the first fully completed . The song 's instrumentation was recorded in California while the duo 's vocals were cut in New York . Simon felt his partner , Art Garfunkel , should sing the song solo , an invitation Garfunkel initially declined but later accepted . Session musician Larry Knechtel performs piano on the song , with Joe Osborn playing bass guitar and Hal Blaine closing out the song with drums . The song won five awards at the 13th Annual Grammy Awards in 1971 , including Grammy Award for Record of the Year and Song of the Year
13th Annual Grammy Awards
13th Annual Grammy Awards
Bridge over Troubled Water (song)