Yusuf/Cat Stevens On World Cafe
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Yusuf/Cat Stevens On World Cafe
Yusuf Islam, a.k.a. Cat Stevens. Rich McKie/WXPN hide caption
Yusuf Islam, a.k.a. Cat Stevens.
Rich McKie/WXPNYusuf Islam, a.k.a. Cat Stevens, just completed his first U.S. tour in 36 years, in which he performed music from his just-released album Tell 'Em I'm Gone alongside favorites from his long career. He'd stopped playing the latter for nearly three decades after changing his name and embracing Islam in 1977. In this performance, he plays old and new music alike in a session recorded at Philadelphia's Tower Theater.
Along the way, Yusuf Islam discusses the music, his life, his religion and the controversies that still surround him. He even has a song on the new album called "Editing Floor Blues," which addresses the 1989 controversy in which he appeared to support of a fatwa against author Salman Rushdie.
Yusuf Islam, a.k.a. Cat Stevens. Rich McKie/WXPN hide caption
Yusuf Islam, a.k.a. Cat Stevens.
Rich McKie/WXPN