In 2005, he was named "Songwriter of the Year" and awarded "Song of the Year" by the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers for his 1967 hit, "The First Cut is the Deepest." The award recognized Stevens for the song, which had been covered more than a dozen times and become a hit single for four different artists over the last four decades. Catch Bull reflects these challenges as Cat begins to mine further and deeper into his spiritual core unearthing fascinating lyrical content. That year, he released a charity track with Irish pop singer Ronan Keating, and appeared in a live concert for Darfur refugees at the Royal Albert Hall in London. After Mona Bone Jakon, Tea for the Tillerman and Teaser and the Firecat much was changing in Cat’s world and the road forward would prove to be complex and unpredictable. Stevens returned to recording non-religious music in 2004. He was also accused of funding the Hamas paramilitary group, but he denied doing so knowingly. Although he vigorously condemned the terrorist acts of September 11, 2001, he was placed on a "no fly" list which prevented him from entering the United States. But these, combined with his philanthropic efforts, couldn't seem to erase his previous stigma. In the mid-90s, Stevens began to release albums of spiritual lectures and Islamic-themed music. As a result, Stevens' music was largely removed from the airwaves in the United States and he was blacklisted from the music industry. In 1989, Stevens claims he was misrepresented as supporting the death sentence for exiled novelist Salman Rushdie. For the most part, he lived a quiet life devoted to his family and faith, and wasn't heard from until the late 80s. In September of 1979, Stevens entered into an arranged marriage with Fawzia Ali, and founded a Muslim school near London.
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