At a time when so many are encouraging racism, hate and bigotry wholesale, the world desperately needs more people like Cat Stevens — a peacemaker who calls out to the best in us. Yusuf Islam, commonly known by his stage name Cat Stevens. Photo: Reuters.

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In our continuing series spotlighting those who have gone the extra mile in creating stellar cover versions of classics we present two more that deserve attention. From sea to shining sea indeed. This classic Kinks song was a natural choice with its joyous, optimistic sentiment. Everyone contributed their parts from their homes—Becker laid down the piano and backing vocals, Christopher Peifer played bass and sang, Mark Brotter played drums, and Kevin Lydon sang lead vocals. Finally, Askold Buk recorded his guitars and mixed the track, as well as adding some final production. When the video, which emanates fresh air and a communal sense of togetherness, debuted last week at the outset of the continuing political and racial crisis, the song took on an added significance. Log in to leave a comment. Sign in. Log into your account. Privacy Policy.
As his musical star was rising, so too was his desire to connect more deeply with his spirituality -- a path that led him to Islam. He changed his name to Yusuf Islam and disappeared from public life for more than a decade. When I think about how young you were when you wrote some of your biggest songs, you seem to have possessed a wisdom beyond your years. Where did that come from? There was another era where I was trying to enter into songwriting and making hit records. I was brought up in London in the middle of the West End, which is very comparable to Broadway. But the storytelling, and the great composers like Gershwin and Bernstein. And so my first inspiration really came from musicals, and if you look at my early career, my first songs were kind of jerky, cameo life experiences I would just imagine and then write a song about.