Remember Cat Stevens?

It's a long time since I've listened to my Cat Stevens LPs, but he did write some classic, unforgettable songs, like Rubylove (very Greek), How Can I Tell You, Bitterblue, Peace Train, Wild World.

I met him in Addis Ababa in the early 1970's, when he was guest-of-honour at a UNICEF reception. I think he must have been there as a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF, or in a similar role.

We chatted about Ethiopia and its children, and about the songs of Bob Dylan, which he much admired.

The offspring of a Greek-Cypriot father (Stavros Georgiou) and a Swedish mother (Ingrid Wickman), his real name is Steven Demetre Georgiou.  He's better known these days as Yusuf Islam.

I'm glad to see that he has resumed his music-making- he's a fine British talent, a great singer-songwriter by any standards.

I must dig out my copy of "Teaser and the Firecat".

That's how I'll remember him.

BBC, 1971

On the Rushdie affair.