Cat stevens biography video

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It was still the Light Programme. “No. He began to perform some of his old repertoire again, notably ‘Peace Train’ on account of its message, however, these renditions would often be delivered without instruments in spoken word or a cappella arrangements.

In 2003 Yusuf received the ‘World Social Award’ in Germany from an International World Awards Jury for “dedicating his life to aiding the needy and the ill.” And in 2004 he was presented with the Man of Peace award by Mikhail Gorbachev on behalf of a committee of Nobel peace laureates for having worked to “alleviate the suffering of thousands of children and their parents and dedicating himself to promoting peace, reconciling people and the condemnation of terrorism.”

Yusuf’s full return to music making came in 2006 with the release of An Other Cup.

Three years later another new album, Roadsinger, cemented his reconnection with the music industry. But then a near-death experience prompted a conversion to Islam, a change of name to Yusuf Islam and a retirement from the music industry. Then there was his benefit album for the Bosnian Muslim community in 2000 called ‘I Have No Cannons That Roar’ that featured two songs written by Yusuf, one of them performed by him.

“I thought that the album needed to be a celebration of the victory and the survival of the Bosnian nation.

He even brought him out of retirement at the beginning of 2004 to perform at Nelson Mandela’s AIDS benefit concert in South Africa.

Cat Stevens is not his original name. So to have a drink beforehand was very natural. They couldn’t quite understand it. And then they let us go – willingly!”

Yusuf / Cat Stevens – Lady D'Arbanville (Official Music Video) - YouTube

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Ironically the album he recorded after he’d signed to Island Records was stripped right back to basics.

“I was influenced by musicals. I was even given the freedom to design my own album sleeves, which was fantastic.”

Whether such freedom benefited the Mona Bone Jakon album cover with its painting of a crumpled dustbin with a tear coming out of the lid is questionable. “And one of the goals I set myself was to find out a bit more about ‘The Truth’.

So I did another whole ‘let’s do something different’ thing. He has had the courage to follow his convictions and the result has been a life of extraordinary adventures which he continues to share through his captivating songs.

Born Steven Demetre Georgiou in London in 1948 and now known as Yusuf Islam following his conversion to Islam, Cat Stevens was one of the most successful singer-songwriters of the 1970s, thanks to hits like “Wild World,” “Moon Shadow,” “Peace Train,” “Oh Very Young,” and “Morning has Broken.” But he first achieved success in the mid-‘60s with U.K.

hits including “I Love My Dog” and “Matthew and Son,” and big hits by artists who covered his songs, like “Here Comes My Baby” (The Tremeloes in 1967), “The First Cut is the Deepest” (P.P. And out of that came songs that were to be the new breed of Cat Stevens composition. I am… Who am I?”