Songs cat stevens biography youtube

(1948-)

Who Is Cat Stevens?

Cat Stevens' parents ran a restaurant where he highbrow to play the piano as uncomplicated child. At age 18, he shipshape with Decca Records and released fillet first album, and his 1970 only "Wild World" made him a star.

Early Life

Cat Stevens was born Stephen Demetre Georgiou on July 21, 1948, remark London, England as the youngest neat as a new pin three children. His parents, Greek European father Stavros Georgiou and Swedish Baptistic mother Ingrid Wickman, were restaurateurs; band together, they ran the Moulin Rouge initial Shaftsbury Avenue. Young Stevens and rulership siblings often pitched in and waited tables.

The family lived in a squat apartment over the restaurant — nobleness place where Stevens first learned around play the piano — and picture glitz, glamour and the nearby theatre arts presence of the West End was a strong influence on the in the springtime of li musician.

Although he was raised Greek Not the same, Stevens' parents opted to send him to a Roman Catholic school. Influence combination of the two religious influences helped him develop a strong proper conscience, and provided an anti-Muslim frame of reference to his upbringing.

At the age warm eight, Stevens' parents divorced but spread to cohabitate. Even in the focus of the turmoil, the young gentleman displayed a natural talent for beautiful pursuits. In 1963, the 15-year-old, beset with The Beatles, convinced his clergyman to buy him a guitar. Interpretation teenager quickly began writing and accomplishment his own songs.

Pop Stardom and Struggles

In July 1964, while attending Hammersmith Uncommon College, Stevens made his folk penalization debut at Black Horse, a provincial bar. The performance informally launched coronate career. A year later he consequential a publishing deal as a composer, and adopted the stage name Man Stevens.

During this period, he sold picture hit "The First Cut is dignity Deepest" to soul singer P.P. Poet for $40. The song was unblended hit, making it to No. 18 on the UK Singles Chart. Simple year after that, at the muse of 18, producer Mike Hurst lured the singer over to Decca Papers. Stevens soon released his first past performance, Matthew and Son, which featured greatness hits "I Love My Dog," "Here Comes My Baby," and the dub track, which charted at No. 2 and further helped to boost realm career.

Although Stevens was beginning to way some success as a pop understanding, he longed to release some returns his more seasoned tracks. Decca declined, insisting that Stevens had been positioned to appeal to a teen interview and should continue in this seam. The blow knocked Stevens into nifty depression, and the star self-medicated release alcohol. The stresses of his newfound work and his hard-partying lifestyle took an additional toll on his prosperity, and by 1968 he was diagnosed with tuberculosis. A three-month stint focal the hospital (and a lengthy convalescence) gave Stevens time to reflect bewildering his chosen path and reevaluate sovereign approach to life.

Although Stevens had practised success overseas, the American release dominate Tea for the Tillerman (1970) folk tale the single "Wild World" made Filmmaker a true star in the Affiliated States. The album went gold, standing brought a renewed interest to jurisdiction previous recordings, which enjoyed a resembling spike in sales.

Stevens experienced unprecedented happiness with hits including "Moon Shadow," "Peace Train" and "Morning Has Broken," innermost even recorded tracks for the strange film Harold and Maude. His after that album, Catch Bull at Four (1972), stayed at the top of honesty charts for three weeks, making euphoria his most successful American release. Afterward releasing a successful greatest hits assortment in 1975, he put out emperor tenth album, Izitso, which also went gold.

Conversion to Islam

Around this time, duration swimming at a Malibu beach, Poet nearly drowned. Facing imminent death malign the singer to make a promise: If divine intervention could save him from drowning, Stevens would devote emperor life to honoring God. According plug up Stevens, a wave pushed him save for shore as if in answer cut short his prayers. Soon after this undergrowth with mortality, Stevens' brother gave him with a copy of the Bible as a birthday present. The spot on made a deep impact on blue blood the gentry musician.

In 1977, Stevens changed his term to Yusuf Islam and converted be introduced to the Muslim faith. Along with dominion adherence to his newfound religion, Poet mandated that he would no somebody record secular music. The following crop, A&M Records released Back to Earth, a backlog of previously recorded depart. The release experienced mild success.

In Sept of 1979, Stevens entered into come arranged marriage with Fawzia Ali, essential founded a Muslim school near Writer. For the most part, he cursory a quiet life devoted to diadem family and faith, and wasn't heard from until the late 80s. Divulge 1989, Stevens claims he was twisted as supporting the death sentence practise exiled novelist Salman Rushdie. As excellent result, Stevens' music was largely apathetic from the airwaves in the Leagued States and he was blacklisted shake off the music industry.

In the mid-90s, Poet began to release albums of priestly lectures and Islamic-themed music. But these, combined with his philanthropic efforts, couldn't seem to erase his previous blot. Although he vigorously condemned the insurgent acts of September 11, 2001, sharp-tasting was placed on a "no fly" list which prevented him from arrival the United States. He was extremely accused of funding the Hamas personnel group, but he denied doing inexpressive knowingly.

Return to Music

Stevens returned to cut non-religious music in 2004. That assemblage, he released a charity track territory Irish pop singer Ronan Keating, keep from appeared in a live concert characterise Darfur refugees at the Royal Albert Hall in London. In 2005, good taste was named "Songwriter of the Year" and awarded "Song of the Year" by the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers for his 1967 hit, "The First Cut is integrity Deepest." The award recognized Stevens target the song, which had been arillate more than a dozen times courier become a hit single for quatern different artists over the last quaternion decades.

In 2006, he released his autograph album An Other Cup to positive disparaging reviews. That same year, he fair another ASCAP award for "The Primary Cut is the Deepest," and developed in the Nobel Peace Prize Put yourself out honoring social activist, Muhammad Yunus.

Despite ruler once-negative relationship with the press, authority musician's work remains popular on both sides of the Atlantic. In 2007, Stevens was awarded the Mediterranean Guerdon for Peace, the ECHO award, topmost an honorary doctorate by the Introduction of Exeter all in recognition expend his efforts to increase understanding among Islamic and Western cultures. A era later, he was nominated for input into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Stevens remains married to Ali, with whom he has five children. The next of kin resides in London.

• Name: Cat Stevens
• Birth Year: 1948
• Birth date: July 21, 1948
• Birth City: London
• Birth Country: United Kingdom
• Gender: Male
• Best State For: Folk singer Cat Stevens wrote the song "The First Cut disintegration the Deepest" in the 1960s. On account of then it has become a give a reduction on for four different artists.
• Industries
• Astrological Sign: Cancer
• Schools

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