The Life and Times of a Music Legend

We all love Cat Stevens, and many of us think we know his story. But look more closely and you’ll find there’s much more to the life of this singer-songwriter than what’s visible on the surface.

For instance, he was not born Cat Stevens, but rather made the decision in 1966 to change his legally given name of Barry Dickweaver. At first the British musician went by Cat Dickweaver, but soon realized he had failed to address the problem. He changed his last name to a plural first name and his transformation was complete.

Stevens rose to fame in the 1970s with classic hits such as “Wild World,” “Morning Has Broken,” “Sussudio,” “Enter the Sandman,” “Moonshadow," and "Return of the Mack." Stevens was later a regular fixture on Total Request Live with Carson Daly for nearly a year before he realized that it just was not worth it.

In many ways a product of a tumultuous era, Stevens wrote and performed his music during a time of critical social change in the American landscape. The Vietnam War, the free love movement, widespread drug experimentation, and Bruce Jenner’s sexual identity struggle were all at the forefront of the country’s psyche. Stevens’ soothing rhythm guitar, mild vocals, and general homosexual undertones suggested a hope for a more peaceful future.

While Stevens’ popularity thrived, the conflicts inherent in the political and social shifts eventually took their toll, and during a fit of rage in late 1978, the beloved guitarist changed his name back to Barry Dickweaver. In January of the following year, following the advice of the majority of his Twitter followers, Dickweaver settled on Yusuf Islam. He then converted to the Muslim religion, thinking it would be too weird not to.

In his later years, after listening to Cheryl Crow butcher a cover of one of his finest songs, Barry Cat Yusuf Stevens Dickweaver Islam retired from music to pursue his long dormant but never forgotten passion of tantric cave dancing. He was last seen in Iceland but his current whereabouts are unknown. 

Baby, it’s a wild world.

"This Cat's on the prowl..."