Paul Simon's
girlfriend before his and
Art Garfunkel's
career as the
pop/
folk duo "
Simon & Garfunkel" took off, and
muse after that. It is speculated that she broke up with him because she didn't want to deal with his
success.
He never really got over her.
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"When 22-year-old Paul Simon arrived in England in April of 1964, his first booking was at the Railway Inn in Brentwood on April 12. The girl taking tickets at the door was 17-year-old Kathy Chitty, a secretary from Essex. She became his girlfriend and his muse during the time he was in England during 1964 and 1965. It is Kathy who appears with Paul on the cover of the Songbook album. Their relationship dissolved, however, after S&G became a success with "The Sound of Silence".
"Kathy's Song" was written as a tribute to his love during a visit back to New York during that period. The basis for "America" was a cross-country trip Paul and Kathy made during a visit to the U.S. in 1965. Although she is not named in the song, "Homeward Bound" also refers to Kathy."
--The Simon and Garfunkel FAQ (sec. 9.2) (currently to be found at http://home.att.net/~sandg/faq/)