{"id":9613,"date":"2023-11-22T16:39:04","date_gmt":"2023-11-22T16:39:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.webhostlabs.net\/synergy\/?p=9613"},"modified":"2023-11-22T16:39:04","modified_gmt":"2023-11-22T16:39:04","slug":"cat-stevens-yusuf-islam-biography","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.webhostlabs.net\/synergy\/2023\/11\/22\/cat-stevens-yusuf-islam-biography\/","title":{"rendered":"Cat Stevens – Yusuf Islam Biography"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cYou can argue with a philosopher,<\/p>\n

but\u00a0you can\u2019t argue with a good song\u201d.<\/em><\/h1>\n

This 65 year old English man initially played the piano in his parent\u2019s restaurant.\u00a0 He is entrenched in the folk scene and released his first album when he was 18.\u00a0 Living near London\u2019s West End had a large musical influence on him.\u00a0 Even though he was born as a Greek Orthodox, he was sent to a Roman Catholic school. \u00a0This combination of religious influences helped him develop a strong moral conscience, and provided an anti-Muslim slant to his upbringing.\u00a0 Being influenced by The Beatles, he got his first guitar at 15 and started writing and singing his own music.\u00a0 One of the first songs he wrote was \u2018The First cut is the Deepest\u2019 which he sold for $40.\u00a0 In 1979, he auctioned all his guitars for charity and left his music career after he converted to Islam in December 1977 and adopted the name Yusuf Islam. \u00a0From then, he devoted his time to educational and philanthropic causes in the Muslim community. He has been given several awards for his work in promoting peace in the world, including the 2003 World Award, the 2004 Man for Peace Award and the 2007 Mediterranean Prize for Peace. In 2006, he returned to pop music with his first album of new songs in 28 years, entitled\u00a0An Other Cup<\/em>. He is now known professionally by the single name Yusuf.His most recent album,\u00a0Roadsinger<\/em>, was released on 5 May 2009.<\/p>\n

He was born Steven Demetre Georgoiu on 21st<\/sup>\u00a0July 1948 and today is simply called Yusuf.\u00a0 Born in Marleybone, London, he was influenced by the Capital\u2019s West End theatres.\u00a0 As well as using his voice as an instrument, he can also play guitar, bass guitar, double bass, banjo, mandolin, violin, piano, organ, keyboards, mellotron, synthesisers, percussion and drums.\u00a0 During the years 1965 to 1980, he was known as Cat Stevens and from 1995 to the present day he is known as Yusuf.<\/p>\n

His Greek father, Stavros Georgiou, Swedish mother, Ingrid Wickman and his two older siblings, Anita and David lived above The Moulin Rouge, a restaurant his parents ran near Piccadilly Circus.\u00a0 Even though his parents divorced when he was eight, they still lived together and ran the restaurant.\u00a0 While he spent a lot his sleeping time in his father\u2019s room, he felt closer to his mother.\u00a0 She encouraged him.<\/p>\n

He taught himself the piano on his parent\u2019s baby grand in the restaurant and at 15 persuaded his father to spend \u00a38 on a guitar for him.\u00a0 Even though he had to work in the restaurant, he regularly escaped up to the roof to listen to the West End musicals.\u00a0 This hugely influenced him, in particular \u2018West Side Story\u2019.<\/p>\n

In school, he was not the brightest except at art and music.\u00a0 Because of that, he was bullied and beaten up. He considered being a cartoonist for a while and even used his original drawings on some of his album covers.<\/p>\n

When he was 17, he started performing under the name Steve Adams in Hammersmith.\u00a0 At this stage, he was also writing songs.\u00a0 He signed a publishing deal with Ardmore & Beechwood and recorded several demos, including \u2018The First Cut Is the Deepest\u2019.<\/p>\n

His musical influences were quite diverse, including The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Nina Simone, John Lennon, Biff Rose (who played on his first album), Leo Kottke and Paul Simon as well as blues artists Lead Belly and Muddy Waters.\u00a0 He also wanted to copy composers who wrote musicals, like Ira Gershwin and Leonard Bernstein.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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