Cat Stevens
A folk-rock troubadour whose spiritual quest transformed his music, selling over 100 million records before a celebrated return to secular songwriting.
Born 1948 (age 78)·British musician·Birthday: July 21·Baby Boomers
Biography
Born Steven Demetre Georgiou in London, the man who would become Cat Stevens found early fame in the late 1960s with a string of gentle, introspective hits. His songs, like 'Wild World' and 'Father and Son,' captured a generation's search for meaning with a poetic touch. At the peak of his commercial success, a near-drowning experience and a profound spiritual awakening led him to convert to Islam in 1977, changing his name to Yusuf Islam and stepping away from the pop world for decades. He devoted himself to philanthropy and education, founding Muslim schools and engaging in humanitarian work. In a surprising turn for fans, he cautiously re-entered the realm of popular music in the 2000s, his voice weathered but his songcraft intact, offering a bridge between his two worlds and securing his place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Cat was born in 1948, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Cat Was Born
The biggest hits of 1948
#1 Movie
The Red Shoes
Best Picture
Hamlet
#1 TV Show
Texaco Star Theatre
Cat's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1948Born
Israel declares independence; Berlin Blockade begins
Gas: $0.26/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Twelfth Street Rag" — Pee Wee HuntBest Picture: Hamlet
1953Started school
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
1961Became a teenager
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1964Could drive
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1966Could vote
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1969Turned 21
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1978Turned 30
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1988Turned 40
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 50
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 60
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 70
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 78 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014.
- Has sold more than 100 million records worldwide.
- Awarded the Man for Peace prize by the Nobel Peace Prize Laureates in 2004.
- Received two honorary doctorates from the University of Exeter and the University of Gloucestershire.
Did You Know?
He taught himself to play guitar by listening to The Beatles' song 'I Want to Hold Your Hand' on the radio.
He auctioned his guitars in 1979 to raise funds for orphans in Bosnia.
His song 'Tea for the Tillerman' was launched into space aboard the Voyager Golden Record in 1977.
He was seriously ill with tuberculosis at age 20, which led him to write many songs during his year-long recovery.
“I listen to the wind, to the wind of my soul.”
