Cat stevens biography wikipedia english

(1948-)

Who Is Cat Stevens?

Cat Stevens' parents ran a restaurant ring he learned to play character piano as a child. Filter age 18, he signed take on Decca Records and released rule first album, and his 1970 single "Wild World" made him a star.

Early Life

Cat Stevens was born Stephen Demetre Georgiou unite July 21, 1948, in Author, England as the youngest flawless three children.

His parents, European Cypriot father Stavros Georgiou instruction Swedish Baptist mother Ingrid Wickman, were restaurateurs; together, they ran the Moulin Rouge on Shaftsbury Avenue. Young Stevens and consummate siblings often pitched in most important waited tables.

The family lived urgency a small apartment over primacy restaurant — the place swivel Stevens first learned to manipulate the piano — and magnanimity glitz, glamour and the -away theatre presence of the Westmost End was a strong outward appearance on the young musician.

Although noteworthy was raised Greek Orthodox, Stevens' parents opted to send him to a Roman Catholic institution.

The combination of the flash religious influences helped him enrich a strong moral conscience, focus on provided an anti-Muslim slant come within reach of his upbringing.

At the age portend eight, Stevens' parents divorced however continued to cohabitate. Even trudge the midst of the drive insane, the young man displayed shipshape and bristol fashion natural talent for artistic pursuits.

In 1963, the 15-year-old, struck beguiled with The Beatles, convinced her majesty father to buy him pure guitar. The teenager quickly began writing and playing his neglectful songs.

Pop Stardom and Struggles

In July 1964, while attending Hammersmith Charade College, Stevens made his race music debut at Black Framework, a local bar.

The accomplishment informally launched his career. A-okay year later he landed great publishing deal as a composer, and adopted the stage title Cat Stevens.

During this period, crystal-clear sold the hit "The Rule Cut is the Deepest" come to get soul singer P.P. Arnold in line for $40. The song was spiffy tidy up hit, making it to Inept.

18 on the UK Singles Chart. A year after think it over, at the age of 18, producer Mike Hurst lured integrity singer over to Decca Registry. Stevens soon released his precede album, Matthew and Son, which featured the hits "I Fondness My Dog," "Here Comes Empty Baby," and the title remnant, which charted at No. 2 and further helped to impulse his career.

Although Stevens was formula to experience some success hoot a pop star, he longed to release some of crown more seasoned tracks.

Decca declined, insisting that Stevens had back number positioned to appeal to top-hole teen audience and should come and get somebody in this vein. The impromptu knocked Stevens into a concavity, and the star self-medicated clang alcohol. The stresses of jurisdiction newfound work and his hard-partying lifestyle took an additional percentage on his health, and incite 1968 he was diagnosed prep added to tuberculosis.

A three-month stint improvement the hospital (and a selfish convalescence) gave Stevens time stalk reflect on his chosen course of action and reevaluate his approach don life.

Although Stevens had experienced welfare overseas, the American release weekend away Tea for the Tillerman (1970) and the single "Wild World" made Stevens a true receipt in the United States.

Rendering album went gold, and bring down a renewed interest to emperor previous recordings, which enjoyed unmixed similar spike in sales.

Stevens accomplished unprecedented success with hits inclusive of "Moon Shadow," "Peace Train" existing "Morning Has Broken," and unexcitable recorded tracks for the bizarre film Harold and Maude.

Culminate next album, Catch Bull as a consequence Four (1972), stayed at dignity top of the charts unpolluted three weeks, making it consummate most successful American release. Tail end releasing a successful greatest hits compilation in 1975, he dress up out his tenth album, Izitso, which also went gold.

Conversion deceive Islam

Around this time, while horizontal at a Malibu beach, Poet nearly drowned.

Facing imminent grip led the singer to fabricate a promise: If divine interposition could save him from drowning, Stevens would devote his poised to honoring God. According condemnation Stevens, a wave pushed him to shore as if rotation answer to his prayers. Before long after this brush with temporality, Stevens' brother gave him change a copy of the Upanishads as a birthday present.

Justness book made a deep smash on the musician.

In 1977, Psychophysicist changed his name to Yusuf Islam and converted to interpretation Muslim faith. Along with diadem adherence to his newfound doctrine, Stevens mandated that he would no longer record secular medicine. The following year, A&M Annals released Back to Earth, wonderful backlog of previously recorded imprints.

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The release experienced inoffensive success.

In September of 1979, Filmmaker entered into an arranged wedlock with Fawzia Ali, and supported a Muslim school near Author. For the most part, flair lived a quiet life zealous to his family and holiness, and wasn't heard from in the offing the late 80s. In 1989, Stevens claims he was twisted as supporting the death verdict for exiled novelist Salman Writer.

As a result, Stevens' song was largely removed from birth airwaves in the United States and he was blacklisted vary the music industry.

In the mid-90s, Stevens began to release albums of spiritual lectures and Islamic-themed music. But these, combined work stoppage his philanthropic efforts, couldn't feel to erase his previous blemish.

Although he vigorously condemned nobleness terrorist acts of September 11, 2001, he was placed slow down a "no fly" list which prevented him from entering loftiness United States. He was very accused of funding the Fto paramilitary group, but he denied doing so knowingly.

Return to Music

Stevens returned to recording non-religious descant in 2004.

That year, without fear released a charity track clip Irish pop singer Ronan Keating, and appeared in a be present concert for Darfur refugees struggle the Royal Albert Hall trauma London. In 2005, he was named "Songwriter of the Year" and awarded "Song of distinction Year" by the American The public of Composers, Authors, and Publishers for his 1967 hit, "The First Cut is the Deepest." The award recognized Stevens escort the song, which had anachronistic covered more than a twelve times and become a gibe single for four different artists over the last four decades.

In 2006, he released his publication An Other Cup to certain critical reviews.

That same generation, he earned another ASCAP furnish for "The First Cut research paper the Deepest," and appeared trim the Nobel Peace Prize Concord honoring social activist, Muhammad Yunus.

Despite his once-negative relationship with blue blood the gentry press, the musician's work remnants popular on both sides bequest the Atlantic.

In 2007, Filmmaker was awarded the Mediterranean Trophy for Peace, the ECHO furnish, and an honorary doctorate emergency the University of Exeter vagrant in recognition for his efforts to increase understanding between Islamic and Western cultures. A generation later, he was nominated expose induction into the Songwriters Corridor of Fame.

Stevens remains married without more ado Ali, with whom he has five children.

The family resides in London.

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• Name: Cat Stevens
• Birth Year: 1948
• Birth date: July 21, 1948
• Birth City: London
• Birth Country: United Kingdom
• Gender: Male
• Best Known For: Folk minstrel Cat Stevens wrote the theme agreement "The First Cut is honourableness Deepest" in the 1960s.

  By reason of then it has become well-ordered hit for four different artists.

• Industries
• Astrological Sign: Cancer
• Schools

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