NEW YORK — After decades of telling his story through music, Paul Simon is ready to rely on words alone.

The celebrated singer-songwriter has agreed to cooperate with author and music critic Robert Hilburn for a planned biography. Simon & Schuster, winner of a recent six-publisher auction, announced the acquisition Tuesday and told The Associated Press that the book was still untitled and did not yet have a release date. Financial terms were not disclosed.

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Paul Simon will write his memoir with the help of music writer Robert Hilburn. The Associated Press

Hilburn’s previous books include the memoir “Corn Flakes With John Lennon and Other Tales from a Rock ‘n’ Roll Life” and a biography of Johnny Cash.

“I thought seriously about writing my own memoir, but I’d rather devote my time to making music, which continues to hold my full attention,” Simon explained in a statement. “I’m confident Robert Hilburn will write an insightful book. I enjoyed and admired his biography of Johnny Cash and I think he’ll tell my story well.”

Hilburn has known Simon since the 1970s and said that the biography would “be a gripping, inspiring portrait of an artist, including the toughness and heart it requires to avoid giving in to the many factor – from rejection to self-doubt to writer’s block and complacency – that have derailed so many pop artists.”

The 73-year-old Simon has been famous for nearly half a century, since he and Art Garfunkel broke through with “The Sound of Silence.”

—From news service reports

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