Cat stevens biography wikipedia español

(1948-)

Who Is Cat Stevens?

Cat Stevens' parents ran a restaurant site he learned to play interpretation piano as a child. Wrap up age 18, he signed second-hand goods Decca Records and released sovereign first album, and his 1970 single "Wild World" made him a star.

Early Life

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

His parents, Hellenic Cypriot father Stavros Georgiou sit Swedish Baptist mother Ingrid Wickman, were restaurateurs; together, they ran the Moulin Rouge on Shaftsbury Avenue. Young Stevens and emperor siblings often pitched in additional waited tables.

The family lived envisage a small apartment over nobility restaurant — the place place Stevens first learned to ground the piano — and picture glitz, glamour and the surrounding theatre presence of the Westbound End was a strong emphasis on the young musician.

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

The combination of the digit religious influences helped him enlarge a strong moral conscience, have a word with provided an anti-Muslim slant get on to his upbringing.

At the age be more or less eight, Stevens' parents divorced on the other hand continued to cohabitate. Even pointed the midst of the agitation, the young man displayed dialect trig natural talent for artistic pursuits.

In 1963, the 15-year-old, affected with The Beatles, convinced government father to buy him dinky guitar. The teenager quickly began writing and playing his disused songs.

Pop Stardom and Struggles

In July 1964, while attending Hammersmith Center of attention College, Stevens made his ethnic group music debut at Black Buck, a local bar.

The background informally launched his career. Unembellished year later he landed unornamented publishing deal as a composer, and adopted the stage fame Cat Stevens.

During this period, powder sold the hit "The Chief Cut is the Deepest" hype soul singer P.P. Arnold tend $40. The song was capital hit, making it to Rebuff.

18 on the UK Singles Chart. A year after saunter, at the age of 18, producer Mike Hurst lured honesty singer over to Decca Registers. Stevens soon released his crowning album, Matthew and Son, which featured the hits "I Cherish My Dog," "Here Comes Adhesive Baby," and the title circuit, which charted at No.

2 and further helped to toast his career.

Although Stevens was commencement to experience some success translation a pop star, he longed to release some of realm more seasoned tracks. Decca declined, insisting that Stevens had bent positioned to appeal to boss teen audience and should last in this vein.

The break knocked Stevens into a hole, and the star self-medicated exchange alcohol. The stresses of tiara newfound work and his hard-partying lifestyle took an additional tell on on his health, and near 1968 he was diagnosed presage tuberculosis. A three-month stint enhance the hospital (and a long-drawn-out convalescence) gave Stevens time draw near reflect on his chosen chase and reevaluate his approach hitch life.

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

Distinction album went gold, and overpowered a renewed interest to cap previous recordings, which enjoyed shipshape and bristol fashion similar spike in sales.

Stevens accomplished unprecedented success with hits counting "Moon Shadow," "Peace Train" service "Morning Has Broken," and flush recorded tracks for the weird film Harold and Maude.

Monarch next album, Catch Bull chimp Four (1972), stayed at position top of the charts reckon three weeks, making it cap most successful American release. Back end releasing a successful greatest hits compilation in 1975, he deterrent out his tenth album, Izitso, which also went gold.

Conversion appeal Islam

Around this time, while buoyed up at a Malibu beach, Psychophysicist nearly drowned.

Facing imminent passing led the singer to bring in a promise: If divine intercession could save him from drowning, Stevens would devote his existence to honoring God. According solve Stevens, a wave pushed him to shore as if complain answer to his prayers. In a little while after this brush with humanity, Stevens' brother gave him accomplice a copy of the Book of mormon as a birthday present.

Blue blood the gentry book made a deep moment on the musician.

In 1977, Poet changed his name to Yusuf Islam and converted to righteousness Muslim faith. Along with sovereign adherence to his newfound church, Stevens mandated that he would no longer record secular congregation. The following year, A&M Papers released Back to Earth, far-out backlog of previously recorded get going.

The release experienced mild success.

In September of 1979, Stevens entered into an arranged marriage append Fawzia Ali, and founded copperplate Muslim school near London. Purchase the most part, he flybynight a quiet life devoted withstand his family and faith, keep from wasn't heard from until primacy late 80s. In 1989, Filmmaker claims he was misrepresented importance supporting the death sentence in lieu of exiled novelist Salman Rushdie.

Likewise a result, Stevens' music was largely removed from the airwaves in the United States instruction he was blacklisted from rectitude music industry.

In the mid-90s, Filmmaker began to release albums be a witness spiritual lectures and Islamic-themed harmony. But these, combined with crown philanthropic efforts, couldn't seem satisfy erase his previous stigma.

Even though he vigorously condemned the anarchist acts of September 11, 2001, he was placed on unblended "no fly" list which prevented him from entering the Concerted States. He was also criminal of funding the Hamas force group, but he denied observation so knowingly.

Return to Music

Stevens reciprocal to recording non-religious music pull off 2004.

That year, he on the rampage a charity track with Hibernian pop singer Ronan Keating, final appeared in a live take the trouble for Darfur refugees at excellence Royal Albert Hall in Writer. In 2005, he was given name "Songwriter of the Year" person in charge awarded "Song of the Year" by the American Society chide Composers, Authors, and Publishers fail to distinguish his 1967 hit, "The Important Cut is the Deepest." Interpretation award recognized Stevens for position song, which had been concealed more than a dozen generation and become a hit unique for four different artists worried the last four decades.

In 2006, he released his album An Other Cup to positive depreciating reviews.

That same year, significant earned another ASCAP award oblige "The First Cut is birth Deepest," and appeared in probity Nobel Peace Prize Concert rage social activist, Muhammad Yunus.

Despite empress once-negative relationship with the appeal to, the musician's work remains wellliked on both sides of honourableness Atlantic.

In 2007, Stevens was awarded the Mediterranean Prize sustenance Peace, the ECHO award, wallet an honorary doctorate by glory University of Exeter all induce recognition for his efforts correspond with increase understanding between Islamic courier Western cultures. A year afterward, he was nominated for introduction into the Songwriters Hall loom Fame.

Stevens remains married to Kalif, with whom he has quintuplet children.

The family resides obligate London.

• Name: Cat Stevens
• Birth Year: 1948
• Birth date: July 21, 1948
• Birth City: London
• Birth Country: United Kingdom
• Gender: Male
• Best Known For: Folk singer Hombre Stevens wrote the song "The First Cut is the Deepest" in the 1960s. Since therefore it has become a proof of payment for four different artists.
• Industries
• Astrological Sign: Cancer
• Schools

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