Stevens became the convert to Islam in 1978 after a near-death experience. He adopted a title Yusuf Islam & became an outspoken spokesman for the religion. Stevens presently swallow his married woman & 5 youngsters around London, in which he is an active member of the Muslim community. He founded a charities Muslim Aid and Small Kindness to assist famine victims in Africa. The pack placed of his music, besides when remastered versions of his original albums recorded under the title of Cat Stevens has since been freed in compact disc.

Early life
Stevens was innate Stephen Demetre Georgiou around London, the third baby of the Greek-Cypriot father and the Swedish mother. A personal lived above a eating place that his parents operate Shaftesbury Avenue in the West End. Although his father was Greek Orthodox, Georgiou was sent to a Catholic school. Whilst Georgiou was just about eight years old, his parents divorced, although it two continued to survive above a eating house. Late, his mother pull back to Sweden and took him with her, in which he briefly attended school for 6 months. At age Seventeen, he attended art school.

Early music career
Avid to move his music career send in, Georgiou sought a serve of manager-producer Mike Hurst by knocking on his door & request to play occasionally of his songs for him. Non wanting to become uncivil, Hurst let him & whilst Georgiou was finished, Hurst told him, "You're bloody great! What's your name?" Georgiou answered, "My name is Stephen but they call me Cat Stevens." (He claimed that the title got been given to him because the girl told him he has eyes rather a cat). Stevens published many songs, & within 1966, at age 18, he experienced his 1st hit by having "I Love My Dog". He so toured by owning moderate profits.

In August 14, 1967, his voice joined with more recording creative person on the airwaves of Wonderful Radio London bemoaning a loss of the pirate radio station which had helped produce his number 1 hit record. (Look at IFPI 'Conflicts of Interest'.) It was around this instance that Kind editor Peter Bart referred to Cat Stevens as "looking like a homeless person".

Illness

Late that equivalent month at age Nineteen, he entered the hospital and was diagnosed with tuberculosis.

Conversion

Stevens about drowned around a freak accident touching the prevent of the Seventies. He pleaded using God to save him. Stevens described the event around a VH1 interview some years late: "I said 'please, God, I'll do anything for you, I'll work for you...'" & so, Stevens began to buy peace by having himself & began his transition to Islam. The song from either his 1972 album Catch Bull At Four, entitled Boy By having The MoIn & Star On His Head, could keep around been the sign of this vary. He converted to the Islamic faith around 1977 and he legally changed his name to Yusuf Islam.

Muslim faith and Stevens' musical career

As punishment his conversion, Stevens abandoned his former career as a pop star. At one point he wrote to the record corporations asking that his music there are no hanker become distributed, however his request was denied.

Around 1985, Stevens decided to return to a public spotlight first since his religious conversion at the historic Live Aid concert, inspired per famine threatening Ethiopia. Though he got written the song especially for the occasion, his appearance was skipped while Elton John's set ran as well hanker. [http://www.majicat.com/yusufislam/dailymail1998.htm]

He has since resumed making recordings featuring Islamic lyrics accompanied lone by basic percussion instruments inside his compositions. He besides produced an album known as A is for Allah as an instruction for children. He besides established the record label known as Mountain of Light (see hyperlink following.)

2003 recordings

Within 2003 Stevens once again recorded a song Peace Train for the compilation Video which likewise involved performances by David Bowie and Paul McCartney. He performed within Nelson Mandela's 46664 Concert with Peter Gabriel, for which he both performed and recorded in the English language for the first time in 25 years. Stevens explained that a understanding how come he experienced stopped performing around English was due to his have misunderstanding of the Islamic faith:

"This issue of music in Islam is not as cut-and-dried as I was led to believe," he said. "I relied on hearsay, that was perhaps my mistake."

Around December 2004, he released (sustaining Ronan Keating) a newly version of Father & Boy. It debuted at total Ii, behind Band Aid 20's ''Do They Know It's Christmas?. A payoff of Father & Boy'' were donated to the Band Help charity. Keating's previous class action Boyzone experienced also had the hit by having the cover of the song the decade earliest.

Around early 2005, it was reported that Stevens had contributed vocals to an approaching Dolly Parton album. (Parton herself got recorded the handle of "Peace Train" a few yearsEarliest.)

Denial of entry into the United States

In 21 September 2004 Stevens was traveling on United Airlines Flight 919 from London to Washington. When a plane was on a wing, the Advanced Passenger Information System flagged his name when get on the no-fly list. Customs offices alerted a Transportation Security Administration, which then diverted his flight to Bangor, Maine, where he was detained by the FBI.

A ensuing day Stevens was deported back to England. A United States Transportation Security Administration claimed there were "concerns of ties he may have to potential terrorist-related activities". A United States Department of Homeland Security specifically alleged that Stevens had provided funding to the Palestinian Islamic militant group Hamas, although it did not offer any proof of its allegation.

Stevens' deportation provoked the little international contestation & led British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw to complain personally to Secretary of State Colin Powell at the United Nations. Powell responded by stating that a watch list was under review, & added:

"I think we have that obligation to review these matters to see if we are right."

"I remain bewildered by the decision of the US authorities to refuse me entry to the United States."

Salman Rushdie
In February 21st 1989, Stevens addressed students at Kingston Polytechnic where he was asked to describe a contestation in the Muslim globe & the fatwa issued against Salman Rushdie - he explained his own dissatisfaction by having andy skinner, & referenced that Khomeini had called for his demise. When newspapers including a New York Times quickly denounced Stevens for supporting the imaginable assassination of the writer, he freed a statement shortly afterward clarifying that when he agreed that Rushdie got stepped away from bounds, he was non personally encouraging anybody towards vigilantism, however this explanation wwhen non about as stunning a newspaper headline & was does'nt adoptive per media by owning the equivalent fervour.[http://catstevens.com/articles/00013/index.html]

Among a backlash above a Rushdie incident, Natalie Merchant and 10,000 Maniacs, who had involved the handle of Peace Train in their 1987 In My Tribe album, deleted the song from either subsequent pressings of their album, as a protest against Stevens' alleged remarks.

Man of Peace Award

In 10 November 2004 Cat Stevens was presented with the Man of Peace award by the personal foundation of previous USSR president Mikhail Gorbachev for his "dedication to promote peace, the reconciliation of people and to condemn terrorism". A ceremony was held inside Rome, Italy and attended by five Nobel Peace Prize laureates.

Libel case

As a footer to the actions taken per U.S. government within deporting Stevens as a terrorist, The Sun and The Sunday Times British newspapers had promulgated reports around October 2004 which stated that the U.S. was right around its action. In 15 February 2005 a British court ruled that both newspapers got defamed Stevens by publishing false statements all about him. Two newspapers acknowledged that Stevens has never supported act of terrorism & that, on the contrary, he experienced recently been given the Human of Peace award. Stevens responded that he was:

"... delighted by the settlement" which "helps vindicate my character and good name. ... It seems to be the easiest thing in the world these days to make scurrilous accusations against Muslims, and in my case it directly impacts on my relief work and damages my reputation as an artist. The harm done is often difficult to repair."

Discography (albums)
This listing excludes a several compilation albums which own been manufactured. A years link to the relevant year in music.

When Cat Stevens: Matthew and Son (1966) New Masters (1967) Mona Bone Jakon (1970) Tea for the Tillerman (1970) Teaser and the Firecat (1971) Catch Bull at Four (1972) Foreigner (1973) Buddha and the Chocolate Box (1974) Another Saturnight (1974) Numbers (1975) Izitso (1977) Back to Globe (1978) Pack Placed (2001) compilation containing many rarities & survive tracks

When Yusuf Islam: The Life of the Last Prophet (1995) Prayers of the Last Prophet (1999) A is for Allah (2000) I Look I See (2003)

Inside March 2005 he freed a number one individual, & a foremost song he has recorded by owning music, within ended twenty years. A lone was known as "Indian Ocean" & was all about a tsunami that hit the Indian Ocean on 26 December 2004. Yield from either a only attend help orphans in Banda Aceh, one of the areas worst affected per tsunami. A individual was nin freed on Video, however can be purchased across many on the net music vender. Stevens said he experienced recorded more songs, however wanted to look at whenever he however experienced an audience; a song did non receive major radio air-play. At the instance he likewise announced that plans were under way to produce a musical comedy according to his life & music.