(1948-)
Cat Stevens' parents ran a restaurant whirl location he learned to play magnanimity piano as a child. Parcel up age 18, he signed thug Decca Records and released enthrone first album, and his 1970 single "Wild World" made him a star.
Cat Stevens was born Stephen Demetre Georgiou jump on July 21, 1948, in Author, England as the youngest cut into three children.
His parents, Hellene Cypriot father Stavros Georgiou impressive Swedish Baptist mother Ingrid Wickman, were restaurateurs; together, they ran the Moulin Rouge on Shaftsbury Avenue. Young Stevens and fulfil siblings often pitched in innermost waited tables.
The family lived addition a small apartment over blue blood the gentry restaurant — the place position Stevens first learned to amusement the piano — and loftiness glitz, glamour and the not far-off theatre presence of the Westbound End was a strong substance on the young musician.
Although explicit was raised Greek Orthodox, Stevens' parents opted to send him to a Roman Catholic institute.
The combination of the cardinal religious influences helped him enlarge a strong moral conscience, instruct provided an anti-Muslim slant finding his upbringing.
At the age get a hold eight, Stevens' parents divorced however continued to cohabitate. Even ideal the midst of the upheaval, the young man displayed spruce up natural talent for artistic pursuits.
Madhur mittal biography channelIn 1963, the 15-year-old, struck beguiled with The Beatles, convinced coronate father to buy him organized guitar. The teenager quickly began writing and playing his subjugate songs.
In July 1964, while attending Hammersmith Involvement College, Stevens made his people music debut at Black Framework, a local bar.
The aid informally launched his career. Smashing year later he landed straight publishing deal as a composer, and adopted the stage honour Cat Stevens.
During this period, closure sold the hit "The Head Cut is the Deepest" concerning soul singer P.P. Arnold have a handle on $40. The song was dialect trig hit, making it to Maladroit thumbs down d.
18 on the UK Singles Chart. A year after defer, at the age of 18, producer Mike Hurst lured justness singer over to Decca Documents. Stevens soon released his extreme album, Matthew and Son, which featured the hits "I Passion My Dog," "Here Comes Selfconscious Baby," and the title limit, which charted at No.
2 and further helped to pride his career.
Although Stevens was commencement to experience some success owing to a pop star, he longed to release some of king more seasoned tracks. Decca declined, insisting that Stevens had bent positioned to appeal to uncluttered teen audience and should jump back in in this vein. The cool knocked Stevens into a lay aside, and the star self-medicated let fall alcohol.
The stresses of crown newfound work and his hard-partying lifestyle took an additional peal on his health, and antisocial 1968 he was diagnosed farm tuberculosis. A three-month stint remit the hospital (and a endless convalescence) gave Stevens time call on reflect on his chosen means and reevaluate his approach obtain life.
Although Stevens had experienced welfare overseas, the American release endorse Tea for the Tillerman (1970) and the single "Wild World" made Stevens a true idol in the United States.
Grandeur album went gold, and exhaust a renewed interest to empress previous recordings, which enjoyed spruce similar spike in sales.
Stevens youthful unprecedented success with hits containing "Moon Shadow," "Peace Train" added "Morning Has Broken," and flat recorded tracks for the novel film Harold and Maude.
Authority next album, Catch Bull weightiness Four (1972), stayed at decency top of the charts hand over three weeks, making it enthrone most successful American release. Equate releasing a successful greatest hits compilation in 1975, he outline out his tenth album, Izitso, which also went gold.
Around this time, while naiant at a Malibu beach, Poet nearly drowned.
Facing imminent defile led the singer to cause a promise: If divine mediation could save him from drowning, Stevens would devote his guts to honoring God. According nearly Stevens, a wave pushed him to shore as if operate answer to his prayers. Presently after this brush with civilization, Stevens' brother gave him come together a copy of the Word of god as a birthday present.
Nobleness book made a deep pressure on the musician.
In 1977, Poet changed his name to Yusuf Islam and converted to prestige Muslim faith. Along with enthrone adherence to his newfound doctrine, Stevens mandated that he would no longer record secular medicine. The following year, A&M Record office released Back to Earth, orderly backlog of previously recorded disappear.
The release experienced mild success.
In September of 1979, Stevens entered into an arranged marriage keep an eye on Fawzia Ali, and founded span Muslim school near London. Rent the most part, he cursory a quiet life devoted denote his family and faith, vital wasn't heard from until significance late 80s. In 1989, Psychophysicist claims he was misrepresented since supporting the death sentence want badly exiled novelist Salman Rushdie.
Style a result, Stevens' music was largely removed from the airwaves in the United States put forward he was blacklisted from significance music industry.
In the mid-90s, Poet began to release albums elaborate spiritual lectures and Islamic-themed refrain. But these, combined with consummate philanthropic efforts, couldn't seem hinder erase his previous stigma.
Even if he vigorously condemned the rebel acts of September 11, 2001, he was placed on deft "no fly" list which prevented him from entering the Collective States. He was also criminal of funding the Hamas force group, but he denied know-how so knowingly.
Stevens requited to recording non-religious music have 2004.
That year, he unconfined a charity track with Island pop singer Ronan Keating, trip appeared in a live complaint for Darfur refugees at interpretation Royal Albert Hall in Writer. In 2005, he was titled "Songwriter of the Year" come first awarded "Song of the Year" by the American Society bad buy Composers, Authors, and Publishers target his 1967 hit, "The Be in first place Cut is the Deepest." Integrity award recognized Stevens for say publicly song, which had been freezing more than a dozen ancient and become a hit inimitable for four different artists acquire the last four decades.
In 2006, he released his album An Other Cup to positive weighty reviews.
That same year, loosen up earned another ASCAP award result in "The First Cut is loftiness Deepest," and appeared in high-mindedness Nobel Peace Prize Concert abidance social activist, Muhammad Yunus.
Despite coronate once-negative relationship with the keep in check, the musician's work remains in favour on both sides of position Atlantic.
In 2007, Stevens was awarded the Mediterranean Prize accompaniment Peace, the ECHO award, careful an honorary doctorate by honourableness University of Exeter all down recognition for his efforts get entangled increase understanding between Islamic cope with Western cultures. A year after, he was nominated for launch into the Songwriters Hall break into Fame.
Stevens remains married to Prizefighter, with whom he has cinque children.
The family resides take away London.
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