Born Steven Demetre Georgiou (1948), Cat Stevens is a British singer-songwriter who rose to prominence in the late 1960s and early 1970s for melodic acoustic folk-rock albums. He later converted to Islam and is known as Yusuf Islam.

Major early-1970s albums include Tea for the Tillerman and Teaser and the Firecat; "Morning Has Broken" is a noted performance (piano by Rick Wakeman on the recording). He changed his name to Yusuf Islam after converting to Islam.

DeBaser reviews praise Cat Stevens' early-1970s acoustic/folk period (Tea for the Tillerman, Teaser and the Firecat, Mona Bone Jakon) for melody and Mediterranean touches. Reviewers note recurring themes of spirituality that culminated in his conversion to Islam and name change to Yusuf Islam. Later albums receive more mixed assessments.

For:Fans of 1970s folk and singer-songwriters, listeners interested in spiritual themes in music.

 "Creating images that are larger than life itself is what makes the world of pop music so unacceptable."

  Discover the review

 "Of his third life, the current one, very little is known: he goes by the name Yusuf Islam and at one point he endorsed the fatwa against Salman Rushdie issued by the ayatollahs, which suggests that Allah has now taken over his brain."

  Discover the review

 "Lady D'Arbanville opens as best it could, with Mediterranean arpeggios reminiscent of the metallic \"bouzouki\" typical of Cat Stevens' second homeland, but soon unleashes a kind of sinister Latin rhythm, almost a dark samba, punctuated by a soft bass and typically discreet percussion."

  Discover the review
You and Cat Stevens
Who knows Cat Stevens?
Loading...