Behind the Music

Season 1, Episode 121

Episode Title: Cat Stevens

Air Date: 2000-10-01

Overview:

Cat Stevens: Behind The Music tracks the musical and spiritual journeys of the '70s superstar singer-songwriter, born as Steven Georgiou and now known as Yusef Islam. Steven's early pop chart successes in the late '60s were followed by a year with tuberculosis complicated by his own vague discontent, but he followed his near-death experience with rebirth as a huge international star in the '70s, with hits like "Wild World," "Lady D'Aarbanville," "Moonshadow," "Peace Train," "Morning Has Broken," "Miles from Nowhere" and many others. But another near-fatal incident, however, when Stevens almost drowned while swimming in the Pacific, changed his life forever. He answered the call to the Muslim faith, and became Yusef Islam. Back in his native London, the former idol has established a school for Islamic children, is an activist for war orphans from Bosnia, among other humanitarian efforts, and is busy recording new music.