Singer/songwriter Cat Stevens (Wild World, Peace Train) was inducted into the Rock & Rock Hall of Fame this year, even though years ago (in 1976) he took a hiatus from the music business. Since then he has famously converted to Islam and taken the name Yusuf Islam. He lives in Dubai. Changing his name is no big deal to Cat Stevens/Yusuf Islam–he was born Steven Demetre Georgiou.
This week Cat Stevens announced a six-city concert tour in North America beginning this December – his first in the US since 1976. Why now? Stevens said he felt obligated as so many of his American fans were asking him to come back and tour. He said he gets a lot of requests on Facebook and “that it makes him feel guilty.” The tour will stop in Toronto, Boston, New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Sony’s Legacy Recordings will release a ten track album from Yusuf/Stevens called “Tell ‘Em I’m Gone” on Oct. 27. Half the tracks are new material, the others are covers.
