YUSUF ISLAM Biography - Musicians

 
 

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YUSUF ISLAM

Name: Yusuf Islam                                                                           
Birth name: Steven Demetre Georgiou                                                         
Born: 21 July 1948 London, England                                                         
                                                                                           
Yusuf Islam, formerly known by his stage name Cat Stevens (born Steven                     
Demetre Georgiou on 21 July 1948 in London, UK), is an English musician, singer-songwriter, 
educator, philanthropist and prominent convert to Islam.                                   
                                                                                           
As "Cat Stevens," Islam has sold over 60 million albums around the world since             
the late 1960s. Stevens' albums Tea for the Tillerman and Teaser and the Firecat           
were both certified by the RIAA as having achieved Triple Platinum status in the           
United States (three million sales each); his album Catch Bull at Four sold half           
a million copies in the first two weeks of release and was Billboard's number-one           
LP for three consecutive weeks. His songwriting has also earned him two ASCAP               
songwriting awards (for "The First Cut Is the Deepest," which has been a hit               
single for four different artists.)                                                         
                                                                                           
Stevens converted to Islam at the height of his fame in 1977. The following year,           
he adopted his Islamic name Yusuf Islam and left his music career to devote                 
himself to educational and philanthropic causes in the Muslim community. In 2006,           
he returned to pop music, with his first album of new pop songs in 28 years,               
entitled An Other Cup.                                                                     
                                                                                           
He has been given several awards for his work in promoting peace in the world,             
including the 2004 Man for Peace award and the 2007 Mediterranean Prize for                 
Peace. He lives with his wife, Fauzia Mubarak Ali, and five children in                     
Brondesbury Park, London, and spends part of each year in Dubai.