Simon began her professional career singing folk tunes with sister
Carly Simon as
the Simon Sisters and later folk-rock. Simon's setting of "
Wynken, Blynken, and Nod" In the mid-1970s, after a number of years away from recording, Lucy released two albums on the
RCA Victor label of mostly original compositions, along with a few collaborations and covers. Her self-titled debut album was more folk-rock in orientation while her second album,
Stolen Time, had a contemporary pop sound. Simon won a
Grammy Award in 1981 with her husband, David Levine, in the
Best Recording for Children category for
In Harmony: A Sesame Street Record, and again in 1983 in the same category for
In Harmony 2. She composed the music for a
musical version of the Russian novel
Doctor Zhivago, with lyricists
Michael Korie and
Amy Powers and book writer
Michael Weller. The musical had its world premiere at the
La Jolla Playhouse,
San Diego, California, in May 2006. A new version of
Doctor Zhivago ran in
Sydney, Australia,
Melbourne, and
Brisbane in 2011 under the title
Doctor Zhivago – A New Musical, starring
Anthony Warlow in the title role and
Lucy Maunder as Lara, the sensitive doctor's secret muse. The musical was produced by
John Frost with
Des McAnuff directing. Anthony Warlow starred in the Australian production of
The Secret Garden and at that time Simon said of him, "There is my Zhivago". The musical premiered on Broadway on March 27, 2015 (previews), with an official opening on April 21, 2015, at the
Broadway Theatre, but was not successful, closing after 26 previews and 23 regular performances. She also contributed to the Off-Broadway musical
Mama and Her Boys. ==Personal life==