Yusuf / Cat Stevens announces long-awaited memoir Cat on the Road to Findout

Lauded singer-songwriter Yusuf/Cat Stevens will unveil his fascinating life story in the memoir, Cat on the Road to Findout, which is set to hit shelves on 18 September in the U.K. via Constable and 7 October in North America via Genesis Publications.

The memoir begins with his upbringing in the West End of London, where he was born Steven Demetre Georgiou in 1948, and his start as a musician in ‘60s.

His career was briefly put on pause in 1969 when he contracted tuberculosis and famously spent a year in isolation, penning over 40 songs. Several of those would appear on 1970’s Tea for the Tillerman, namely ‘Father and Son’, ‘Wild World’, and ‘Morning Has Broken’.

Following a decade of massive success, Stevens walked away from music in 1978 and converted to Islam, after which he adopted the name Yusuf Islam and focused his efforts on philanthropy and humanitarian relief. He did not regularly record or perform in his prior folk style until the early 2000s.

Since then, he has been active in the studio and on the live circuit, with his most recent release being the 1974 concert document Saturnight: Live From Tokyo earlier this month, which Hot Press’ Riccardo Dwyer called “a fascinating portrait of a singular artist” in his 9/10 review.

In 2020, Stevens also reimagined Tea for the Tillerman, which will be inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame this Friday, 16 May, in Los Angeles.

“I’ve been on an amazing journey, which began in the narrow streets of London and led me through the most iconic cities, to perform upon the great stage of Western culture, ascending the dizzying heights of wealth, recognition and artistic pinnacles; freely exploring vast ranges of religions and philosophies, wandering through churches, temples, all the way to the Holy abode in Jerusalem — ignoring myths and warnings — and crossing the foreboded, desert heartlands, to arrive at the House of One God in Abrahamic Arabia,” Stevens says in a statement. “What finally elevated my perspective was a luminous Book that perfectly alchemized my thoughts [and] beliefs with human nature. It taught me Oneness, and my place and purpose within the universe.”

Stevens will support Cat on the Road to Findout with a book tour later this Autumn, with details TBA. He will also perform his biggest concert in over two years on 11 July as part of a triple bill with Van Morrison and Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts at London’s Hyde Park.