British singer-songwriter and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Yusuf, formerly known as Cat Stevens, is heading to the Hunter Valley in December for the Peace Train Tour.
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The tour commemorates the 50th anniversary of his first major hit single and debut album Matthew & Son, released in 1967.
The tour will commence on November 22 at Perth Arena and will travel to Adelaide’s Botanic Park on November 25, Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena on November 27, Roche Estate in the Hunter Valley on December 2, Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena on December 4 and Brisbane’s Entertainment Centre on December 9.
Having first found fame as a teen idol in 1960s England, Cat Stevens became one of the most influential singer-songwriters of all time. In addition to his vast musical achievements, his lifelong spiritual quest and search for meaning has added intrigue and depth to a groundbreaking career.
Cat achieved early success in the mid-’60s with Matthew and Son, Here Comes My Baby and The First Cut Is The Deepest. In 1968 the heavy work load of non-stop appearances and touring, the excesses of a pop-star lifestyle took its toll and Cat contracted tuberculosis. He was hospitalised for several months and began a significant process of inner reflection and meditation. During this time Stevens began to question aspects of his life and spirituality and underwent a profound musical transformation.
From 1970 to 1978 he recorded and released the albums that would establish him as a leading singer-songwriter of his generation. His album, Tea for the Tillerman, from 1970, went multi-platinum in the US and Australia with such songs as Wild World, Hard Headed Woman, Where Do the Children Play? and Father & Son. It was Teaser and the Firecat in 1971 that made him a megastar, with songs like Morning Has Broken, Peace Train and Moonshadow spending 15 weeks at the top of the Australian charts, becoming the biggest-selling album of the country in 1972.
In 1975 Cat experienced another momentous and life-changing event after nearly drowning in the Pacific Ocean. He quit the music industry and concentrated on the education and humanitarian relief. The tragic events of September 11, 2001, though, motivated Yusuf to once again take to the global stage. He spoke out in the media against the atrocities, against fanaticism and war, and called for peace and unity.
In 2006 Yusuf returned to mainstream music with the album An Other Cup, which was followed in 2009 by Roadsinger. In 2014 he released his 14th studio album Tell ‘Em I’m Gone and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He is currently working on a children’s animation series and writing his autobiography, which is expected to surface next year.
When Yusuf/Cat Stevens toured Australia in 2010, it was his first Australian tour in 36 years.
