It was announced today that one of the most influential singer-songwriters of all time, Yusuf / Cat Stevens, will take to the stage Live at the Marquee Cork this June.

Cat Stevens (born Steven Demetre Georgiou) began writing songs in his teens and quickly found success with his debut single, ‘I Love My Dog’. His follow-up single, ‘Matthew & Son’ helped establish him as a bona fide pop star.

In 1968, Cat’s career was derailed when he contracted a near fatal bout of TB. After a long convalescence during which he underwent somewhat of a spiritual awakening, he returned to the industry in 1970 looking and sounding completely different. The clean-cut teen idol was replaced by a long-haired, bearded troubadour and the heavy orchestration of his early songs gave way to stripped-down, intimate acoustic arrangements.

A sequence of four consecutive albums: Mona Bone Jackon (1970), Tea for the Tillerman (1970), Teaser and the Firecat (1971), and Catch Bull at Four (1972), would elevate Cat to the very heights of musical stardom producing many of his most beloved and timeless songs including ‘Wild World’, ‘Father & Son’, ‘Peace Train’, ‘Moonshadow’ and ‘Morning Has Broken’.

In 1975, during the peak of his commercial success, a near-death experience in the Pacific ocean prompted Cat to dedicate himself to the service of God. After a period of exploration, he found his direction when his brother gave him a copy of the Quran and in 1977 he converted to Islam. The following year he changed his name to Yusuf Islam and shocked the world by walking away from his music career.

Over the next three decades Yusuf dedicated himself to starting a family, founding faith schools in North London, and establishing a number of internationally-recognised charities. His tireless efforts in the field of Humanitarian Relief resulted in his being awarded a World Social Award for “dedicating his life to aiding the needy and the ill” and in 2004 he was presented with the Man of Peace award by Mikhail Gorbachev for his work to “alleviate the suffering of thousands of children and their parents and dedicating himself to promoting peace, reconciling people and the condemnation of terrorism”.

Yusuf tentatively returned to mainstream music making after 9/11 with the hope that his songs could help to build bridges and spread a message of peace. His full return came with the release of An Other Cup in 2006 and he has since released a further three studio albums and toured extensively.

Yusuf’s return has delighted audiences who had long dreamt of hearing his soft voice, compelling melodies, and poignant lyrics once again. It has also been warmly received by the music industry. In 2014, he was inducted into the Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame. His 2017 album, The Laughing Apple saw him receive his first ever Grammy nomination. And in 2019, the accolades continued when he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Tickets for Yusuf / Cat Stevens Live at the Marquee Cork go on sale this Tuesday 26th November at 9am and will be available here.