Yusuf Islam (born Steven Demetre Georgiou; 21 July 1948), commonly known by his stage name Cat Stevens, is a British singer-songwriter with Swedish and Greek Cypriot background. His musical style consists of folk, pop, rock, and, later in his career, Islamic music. He returned to making secular music in 2006. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014.
His 1967 debut album and its title song “Matthew and Son” both reached top ten in the UK charts. Stevens’ albums Tea for the Tillerman and Teaser and the Firecat were certified triple platinum in the US. His album Catch Bull at Four went to No.1 on Billboard Pop Albums and spent weeks at the top of several major charts. His other hit songs include “Father and Son”, “Wild World”, “Moonshadow”, “Peace Train”, and “Morning Has Broken”.
Cat Stevens Convert To Islam
In December 1977, Stevens converted to Islam and adopted the name Yusuf Islam the following year. In 1979 he left his musical career to devote himself to educational and philanthropic causes in the Muslim community. While on holiday in Marrakesh, Morocco, Stevens was intrigued by the sound of the adhān, the Islamic ritual call to prayer, which was explained to him as “music for God”. Stevens said, “I thought, music for God? I’d never heard that before – I’d heard of music for money, music for fame, music for personal power, but music for God!?
In 1976, Stevens nearly drowned off the coast of Malibu, California, and said he shouted: “Oh, God! If you save me I will work for you.” He stated that, immediately afterwards, a wave appeared and carried him back to shore. This brush with death intensified his long-held quest for spiritual truth.
He was embroiled in a long controversy regarding comments he made in 1989 about the death fatwa on author Salman Rushdie.
In 2006, he returned to pop music by releasing his first new studio album of new pop songs in 28 years. In 2014, he released the album Tell ‘Em I’m Gone and began his first US tour since 1978. In 2017, he released the album The Laughing Apple, now using the stage name Yusuf / Cat Stevens, using the Cat Stevens name for the first time in 39 years.
Father And Son
“Father and Son”, a song sung both in baritone and tenor, about the struggle between fathers and their sons who are faced with their own personal choices in life. In 2001, this album was certified by the RIAA as a Multi-Platinum record, having sold 3 million copies in the United States at that time.
