CAT STEVENS BIOGRAPHY


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Cat Stevens Biography
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Source: http://catstevens.com/discography/people/00001.html

Steve Georgiou
BORN: July 21, 1947, London, England

My father was a Greek Cypriot and my mother was Swedish, but for some reason they decided to send me to a Roman Catholic school. I suppose that was the first anomaly of my life. Born Steven Demetre Georgiou, I was brought up Greek Orthodox, so didn抰 take part in the religious rituals at school; you could say it meant I started out life as an observer.

My family weren抰 at all strict, but they did want me to have a good moral grounding - hence their reasons for sending me to a Catholic school. I learned about good and bad, and about morality in general, and religion definitely left a strong impression on me. When a friend of mine refused to kneel at prayer because he didn抰 want to spoil the crease in his trousers, it caused a fracture in our friendship. I must only have been about seven at the time!

Ironically, considering I have now converted to Islam (and am now called Yusuf Islam (Bio)), my upbringing was very anti-Muslim. Essentially, the Greeks and Turks were enemies, so I adopted the stance of my Greek Cypriot father and hated everything about the Turks, including their religion: 'Islam', whatever that meant.

There was a Muslim family living near us and, although we never hurled abuse at them or anything like that, we did keep our distance. I grew up in the West End of London. My parents ran a busy restaurant in the upper part of Shaftesbury Avenue and so the atmosphere I was born into was exciting. Life was all lights, hurried people and black taxis. We were close to the theatres and that is definitely where I picked up my interest in the entertainment industry.

I was the youngest of three, and I抦 sure my brother and sister would say I was very spoiled as a result, but I certainly did my fair share of hard work. By the time I was 10, I was already working as a waiter in the shop, clearing away and mopping up, so I suppose that抯 when I first learned how to serve people. Sometimes, I turned the kebabs, but normally things went quite well and, because I was so young, I got lots of tips from the customers.

Being a mixed-race child wasn抰 difficult. The part of London I grew up in was so cosmopolitan that I didn抰 stand out at all. But it was an interesting situation at home. The hot and cold of my parents?different personalities meant I learned to maintain a kind of balance throughout my life. I loved the emotions of my father and the fact that he was so very strong-willed, active and smart. But his temper was sometimes a bit much for some of us. Our mother, on the other hand, was very cool and collected, and always found time to listen.

But I do remember a bit of shouting in our household. I must have been about eight when my parents decided to break up. It was an unusual separation because they both remained in the house. We all lived above the restaurant, with my father taking a first floor room, while my mother took another.

We all shared a single living room but the real centre of activity was the shop, where my parents both continued to work. The only difficulty was the sleeping arrangements. Occasionally, I would become the object of a tug-of-war between them. Because my father usually won, I would end up sleeping in his room most of the time. Strangely, though, I was always closer to my mother.

After they separated, she tried to set up home in Sweden, and I found myself going to school there for about six months. I was the only dark-haired, dark-eyed, olive-skinned boy in the whole blond- haired, blue-eyed school. At play time, I was the centre of attention. I had a section of the playground for myself where all the boys could come to take a look at me. This way, I got to choose who would be my friends that day, but it increased my sense of being an observer.

I was always a sensitive child and tended to look rather closely at life for someone so young. I was quite an introvert and was forever thinking. I can抰 remember a time as a child when I wasn抰 thinking about something.
Once, I tried not thinking, while I was on my way to school, but I couldn抰 manage it.

When we returned to my father in London, I found myself always trying to patch up things between my parents. I felt I had to be a bridge between them.

Later, when I became famous, my success was a great source of pride to both of them. In a way, I think that helped to keep us all together.
I showed my artistic ability at a very young age, and it was my mum who encouraged me. I would often draw late into the evenings, but instead of telling me to stop and go to bed, she would leave me to get on with it. My interest spread to music, which gave me a way of expressing all those thoughts. We had a grand piano at home, and I soon learned how to play it.
Later, I switched to the guitar and started writing songs which I recorded on to a demo tape in a studio just down the road. Once I had changed my name to Cat Stevens (Bio), I was on my way.

I had my first hit when I was 18, with a song called 慖 Love My Dog (Song)? All that fame led to a big change of lifestyle. I was being interviewed, photographed and chased by girls. Although I抎 love to say none of that actually changed me, it did have an effect. Rather than worrying about being too young for this success, I thought I had left it too late, my expectations were so high.

I had grown up in Soho and was pretty streetwise. I suppose I was quite naughty when I was young, trying to see what reaction I would get from my parents. I smoked and went off to art school at 17, and that exposed me to lots of ideas and new customs.

Although I lived life fast, I was always searching for answers. I was aware that there was something I had to achieve in life. At first I thought that if I had luxuries, that would answer all my problems, but it didn抰.

At 19, I contracted tuberculosis and was whisked off to hospital. It was a very scary time - I came face-to-face with my own mortality. It sparked off my first earnest search for a way forward. The thoughts which I developed during that teenage period of illness helped me to reflect on things, and paved the way for the life I now lead as a Muslim.

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response to some comments | Reviewer: marina Shah | 1/9/10

Beautiful music and great man..
I wouldnt have entered into a religious discussion but after reading some of the comments from some Christian brothers and sisters , I just wanted to clarify few points about Islam that many might not know:
1- Islam simply means Submission to God and Peace. It is the religion of the one God, of peace , love and tolerance. I know it sounds the opposite to what comes on the news..but you have to appreciate that you can never judge a good senario from a bad made film, a minority of bad actors.
2- Muslims believe that there has always been one religion calling people to believe in one and only one God. For muslims, JUdaism, Christianity, and all monotheist religions had originally the same message.
3- Muslims believe in all prophets without distinction, and cannot prefer one above the other: from Adam to Noah, to Abraham, to Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses..etc..to Jesus peace be upon al of them, and that the prophet Mohamed peace be upon him was the last messanger of that chain of prophets sent to humans to guide them to worship the one and only.
4- Also muslims believe that the Massih Jesus did not crucified (but rather saved, raised to the heaves, while his ennemy Juda, I think, was made into Jesus body and was crucified by those thinking he was Jesus.
5- Muslims believe that Jesus will come back at the end of time to correct the ill in the world.
6- that Jesus was created without father in same way Eve was created without a mother, and Adam from clay (neither a mother nor a dad). If a God is capable of creating Adam, then this same God should be able to create Jesus.
7- Muslims are recommended to read Torah, bible and gospels and believe in them. It is a pillar of faith in Islam. But they believe in the original forms of these scriptures are sent by God, and not in their exact form nowadays, as there is a belief that they are not authentic and have been changed over centuries by political and religious leaders for their own agendas.But still, there are things that stayed authentic and were not currupted.
8- Quran is the only sacred scripture that is proven to have not been edited since it was revealed to Prophet Mohamed. There is only one and single version of Quran all over the world.
9- There is a chapter in Quran called after Mary the Virgin. Mary is regarded as one of the best and most respected women in Islam and is taken as a model of goodness, patience and chastity by muslims.
10- Muslims believe all humans are brothers and sisters, whatever race, social class, nationality..they believe in universiality and that the most important concept is our humanism

I was intrigued | Reviewer: Janet | 12/10/09

I grew up in the 70's, I remebered Cat Stevens. However; it wasn't until I came across the Father and Son video this week. I don't know, it just grabbed my attention. I have two children 21 years apart, one is 28, the other is 7...I dedicate that song to my seven year old, for I may not see him to reach 28......so inspirational....ty

Appreciation! | Reviewer: Anonymous | 11/2/09

What an inspiring artist!

Yusuf was way ahead of is time with a lot of his music in the 70s and he was so amazing and now he's back!

I saw someone mentioned "An other cup" which is a great album.He has another album out as well called "Roadsinger" with some signature Yusuf/Cat tunes(even though all of Yusuf's work is unique!)

I love his new music as such as his old one since it shows a more matured and contemplative side of him and also his versatility!

Check out his official site(which is BEAUTIFUL)...it has some rare photographs and videos...good stuff of that.

Wish you well Yusuf!

Observations | Reviewer: Maria Elena Gamboa | 6/11/09

I loved the music of Cat Stevens: every single song - and what a beautiful man. I remember he composed a song, the melody of which sounded Greek, and he sang in Greek. I assumed he was Greek, and have only found out now that his father was a Greek Cypriot. I wondered how a Christian became a Muslim, and now I know. He spoke of himself has being of "mixed race", having a Swedish mother. Understandable perhaps to use those words for a person born in the forties and fifties, but today the offspring of two people from different European countries would no longer be described as mixed race. At least, I wouldn't describe them as such.

hello | Reviewer: saman | 4/1/09

dear cat setevens my friend i know from long time ago from 1978-79 after iran revolution ,my brother told me a lots of you ,this is the first time ever i cotect a great singer like you khow ever made something so long to my heart which i do since always remember my childshid past when i was a almost 16 years old ,since that many thing happand ,like i am living in canada ottwa from 1990 nov 02 ,i left my coutry then i was refeygee in side the irak camp use be call HELLLE and then after i live in noway when i left IRAQ ,then since 1990 i am in canada ,prety wonder about what happand in my life there is somethings i never asked ,it is very srange ,some time i thing we do not have a choice or very nothings to make our dream come true ,,,,but there is somethings i can tell that i am tallking you my old frind mr ,cat stevens ,,,,,i just got you by chance when i was listening your old 1973-1975 ,oh very yonge and other song you ever made and legendly sing ,,,,,,much love kiss the family ,,,saman from ottawa

you inspire me | Reviewer: mejdi fares | 2/8/09

you are my inspiration........... i love what u did and what you do...i'm Muslim and that's what makes me more glad when i listen to your music...you helped me up many times...thank you....from the bottom of my heart

Wonderful Music | Reviewer: Jon D. Abbey | 1/23/09

Greetings: I must confess your music to me is as heartfelt and poignant as when I first heard it as a child thirty years ago and more. I read that you attended a Catholic school in England as a child. I am a Roman Catholic, and my wife and I went to Rome(the eternal city) this past year and loved it. I had a tremendous spiritually uplifting experience in this wonderfully rich and holy city. This city is the seat of Christendom. I believe the Catholic church is the true church, and can trace it's history to the year 33 in Jerusalem. Our Lord personally founded this Church when he said "Thou art Peter and upon this rock I build my Church. This was not the church of Luther or Calvin or Wesley or Knox or King Henry the eighth. The catholic Church has an unbroken chain of the papacy for almost 2000 years. This unbroken chain started with Peter and continues on with Pope Benedict the sixteenth. My wife and I prayed over the tombs and sarcophagus of saint Peter at St. Peter's basilica, as well as at St. Paul's. While at Paul's tomb I was moved to tears and overwhelmed with a sense of great Joy and Peace, that came from my Savior Christ Jesus. I hope someday you visit this wonderful and holy place, as it ties in with all the biblical lands of the middle east as we read history and of course sacred scripture. I will pray for you. Gratefuuly. Jon D. Abbey

Did you check out the Christian faith? | Reviewer: Holly Smith | 1/2/09

I saw your interview with Travis Smiley last night and I wondered why you haven't checked the Christian faith out. You mentioned that Jesus was a prophet. Christ said many times that He was the son of God. Just my thoughts.

Just saying | Reviewer: Sarah | 12/26/08

I don't care if you muslim, Catholic or whatever, I just love your music. I am 18 and none of my friends know who you are, but I have heard your music since I can remember. I wish you would have a concert. I'm listing to one of your videos now that I got for Christmas.

Still making music | Reviewer: Anonymous | 11/18/08

Cat Stevens now Yusuf Islam is still making music and is releasing a new album soon!!! I just thought I'd let whoever comes here know:P He released one in 2006 after nearly 30 years away from music... it's called 'An Other Cup' and it's great:):):) Check it out.

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