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Yusuf, aka Cat Stevens, with former Hugh Myddelton schoolmates |
Cat returns to his ‘Old School Yard’
Acclaimed singer-songwriter’s reunion with former schoolmates from his days as student in the 1960s prompts speech and an intimate concert for the class of 2009
HE hasn’t toured in 33 years yet Yusuf Islam, aka Cat Stevens, chose his former school, Hugh Myddelton, to break the drought.
Yusuf, known as Steven Demetre Georgiou at school, was mobbed during the whirlwind visit to Hugh Myddelton on Tuesday.
The soft-spoken singer, who was there to open the school’s brand new £2million building, told a packed assembly he changed his name so many times because: “It was so long no one would remember it. I chose Yusuf because it’s the same name as Joseph. My life had gone through so many changes that I felt like the story of Joseph.”
He told the children, who serenaded his arrival with a sign-language version of Morning Has Broken: “It’s great to be back here. This is a whole new school. It looks like a dream world to me. Today is new and like when you’re singing Morning Has Broken, every day is an opening for something new. One of the ways of enjoying today and tomorrow is to believe in yourself.”
Yusuf was later quizzed by members of the school council before singing If You Want to Sing Out to a much smaller audience.
Yusuf attended Hugh Myddelton between the ages of 13 and 16, in the 1960s, when it took in older pupils.
Following an appeal in last week’s Tribune, he was reunited with former maths teacher Una Simpson, 86, and friends who showed him an old class photo.
Ms Simpson said: “It was over 40 years ago but I remember him. He was clever and quiet.”
Ex-classmate Janet Dowling said: “We were in class 4b. He was a lovely looking fella. He had a beautiful green corduroy jacket.”
Another friend, Joan Clarke, said: “He was always asking girls out. We were hanging out on the streets, he was much more sophisticated.” While John Langsworthy recalled: “He was a brilliant artist but never sang one word at school.”
Speaking after the meeting, Yusuf said: “It was a great day with the kids. I saw an old teacher and she still looks incredibly young. She was a lovely lady, always very kind. I bumped into some old friends and maybe I recognised them because I saw the old pictures.”
Recalling his school days, he said: “I wasn’t really that enamoured with the whole education process. I left as soon as I could after my GCEs and ended up with an O-level in art.”
Of growing up in Islington, he said: “There were gangs in those days and if you didn’t belong to the right one you were in trouble.”
He said the new school building was brilliant, adding: “It’s light, airy, open, has lots of colours.” |
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