Cat Stevens

Publish date: 2024-08-16

Cat Stevens- Biography

Cat Stevens is a multi-instrumentalist, humanitarian, and singer-songwriter from the United Kingdom. He was influenced as a child by the musicians performing on Denmark Street, which was the core of the British music business. Listeners from the 1970s remember him as the sweet and romantic singer whose tracks always soared to the top of the charts and became ‘Top Ten’ staples. His success and reputation can be measured by the fact that three of his albums went gold, and he was inducted into the ‘Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.’ At the pinnacle of his career, he had a life-changing encounter that led him to accept Islam as his religion.

For several decades, Stevens ceased producing and singing music and committed his life to educational and humanitarian projects for the Muslim community. He was awarded two honorary doctorates for his efforts to promote peace. After fully comprehending the message of music in Islamic culture, he returned to music in the 1990s. He now believes that it is critical to convey the finer points of Islam to the rest of the world. He married Fauzia Mubarak Ali in 1979, and they have five children. The family is currently residing in London.

What is the Net Worth of Cat Stevens? Salary, Earnings

Cat Stevens’ net worth is believed to be $20 million.

Cat Stevens has done a lot of philanthropic work up to this point. In 1983, he established the ‘Islamia Primary School.’ He formed ‘The Association of Muslim Schools,’ a foundation that brought together all Muslim schools in the United Kingdom, in 1992. From 1985 to 1993, he was the chairman of the nonprofit group ‘Muslim Aid.’

Cat Stevens- Birth, Age, Ethnicity, Siblings, Education

Steven Demetre Georgiou, better known as Cat Stevens, was born on July 21, 1948, in London, England. Stavros Georgiou and Ingrid Wickman, his parents, were restaurateurs. Anita and David were Steven’s older siblings.
When he was eight years old, his parents split, but he continued to live above their restaurant, ‘Moulin Rouge.’ After returning from ‘St Joseph Roman Catholic Primary School,’ the pupils were frequently assisted by working at the restaurant.
His first musical instrument was a family-owned baby grand piano. Having been inspired by ‘The Beatles,’ he purchased an £8 guitar at the age of 15 and began playing and creating songs.
He and his mother spent a short time in Gavle, Sweden. He attended a primary school in Gavle and honed his artistic talents. After attending numerous different West End schools, he enrolled in a one-year cartooning study at the ‘Hammersmith School of Art.’
This impulse was rapidly overshadowed by the desire to become a musician, and he began performing under the stage name ‘Steve Adams’ at a local tavern called ‘Black Horse’ in 1965.
In 1965, he got his first publishing agreement as a songwriter with ‘Ardmore and Beechwood,’ and he went by the stage name Cat Stevens.
Cat Stevens’ ability wowed Mike Hurst, who signed him to a record deal in 1966. His hits ‘Matthew and Son and ‘I’m Gonna Get Me a Gun’ peaked at No. 2 and No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100, respectively. ‘Matthew and Son’ debuted at No. 7 on the ‘UK Albums Chart.’
Over the next two years, he released a number of singles that reached the top of the British Pop Music charts. He then went on tour with Jimi Hendrix and Engelbert Humperdinck throughout England and Europe. The pirate radio station ‘Wonderful Radio London’ is credited with boosting his popularity.
After gaining popularity, he wanted to release some mature songs, but his producer objected because he saw Stevens as more of a young pop artist. Stevens became depressed and an alcoholic as a result of this.
He was diagnosed with tuberculosis in 1969 and spent a year recovering. This time allowed him to ponder on his life and faith. He also began to practice yoga and meditation. He wrote around 40 songs in his musical career.
His new agent, Barry Krost, arranged for him to meet with Chris Blackwell of ‘Island Records.’ Stevens signed the contract in 1970 after Blackwell assured him that he could make any sort of music with any performer, and Paul Samwell-Smith became his producer.
His second record, ‘Mona Bone Jakon,’ was a folk-rock album with guitarist Alun Davies. It sold over 500,000 copies and was certified gold in 1971. ‘A&M Records’ released the album in the United States.
In 1971, he published the album Teaser and the Firecat,’ which peaked at No. 2 on the music charts. The album was a big success, earning gold status within three weeks of its release.
His album ‘Izitso,’ released in 1977, made considerable use of synthesizers. The techno-pop tunes created by music sequencers proved to be a forerunner to the electric music genre of the 1980s.
Following his conversion to Islam in 1977, he took a long vacation from his musical career.
In the 1990s, he relaunched his music career with songs about Islam. He established his own recording studio, ‘Mountain of Light,’ as well as a record company, ‘Jamal Records.’
In 2003, he had his first English performance in 25 years at the ‘Nelson Mandela’s 46664’ concert. He later re-recorded “Peace Train” with David Bowie and Paul McCartney.
After collaborating with A R Rahman, Magne Furuholmen, and Neil Primrose, he released a song titled ‘Indian Ocean’ in 2005. The song was written in response to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami calamity. The earnings were used to assist individuals who had been devastated by the tsunami.
He went on to release three albums under the name Yusuf Islam, which he adopted after converting to Islam: ‘An Other Cup’ (2006), ‘Roadsinger’ (2009), and ‘Tell ‘Em I’m Gone’ (2014).
Yusuf launched his song ‘My People’ in March 2011 and embarked on a 36-year European tour.
In September 2017, he released his 15th studio album, ‘The Laughing Apple.’ The album is credited to ‘Yusuf/Cat Stevens,’ and it is his first release under the name Cat Stevens since ‘Back to Earth.’ It is also his first record to be nominated for a ‘Grammy Award.’

Major Projects

His debut album, ‘Catch Bull at Four,’ spent three weeks at the top of the Billboard 200 and 15 weeks at the top of the Australian ARIA Charts.
His debut album, ‘The Laughing Apple,’ won him his first Grammy nomination. It was nominated in the category of ‘Best Folk Album.’

Achievements & Awards

In 2003, he received the ‘World Award,’ and in 2004, he received the ‘Man of Peace Award’ from the ‘World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates.’
Stevens received honorary doctorates from the ‘University of Gloucestershire’ in 2005 and the ‘University of Exeter’ in 2007.
In 2005 and 2006, he received the ASCAP Songwriter of the Year Award.
In 2014, he was inducted into the ‘Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.’ In 2019, he was also admitted into the ‘Songwriters Hall of Fame.’

Cat Stevens- Relationship, Married Life

He nearly drowned in 1976. When he washed ashore, he interpreted it as a sign of divine intervention and began reading the Quran, which his brother had given him. In 1977, he converted to Islam and took the name Yusuf Islam in 1978.

For a short time, Stevens was engaged to Louise Wightman. On September 7, 1979, in London, he married Fauzia Mubarak Ali. The couple is the parents of five children.

When asked about the ‘fatwa’ calling for Salman Rushdie’s murder in 1989, he just described the proper Islamic punishment. His remarks were misconstrued by the media as support for the ‘fatwa.’

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Related tags : Songwriter

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