He announced Monday that he will make a six-city concert tour in North America this December, his first
series of shows in the U.S. since 1976. His conversion to Islam followed, putting his music career on
hold for a quarter century.

Stevens, who also is releasing a blues album on Oct. 27 produced by Rick Rubin and titled "Tell ‘Em
I’m Gone," is using that stage name along with Yusuf, the name he took when he converted. The
performer of 1970s-era hits "Wild World," ”Morning Has Broken" and "Peace
Train" has slowly broken back into secular music during the past decade and has made only a handful
of semi-public and television appearances in the U.S.

"I’ve been a bit slow in coming around to the United States, but there were so many people asking me
to do that, that I just felt an obligation," Stevens said in a telephone interview from Dubai,
where he lives most of the time now.

The title of the "Peace Train … Late Again" tour refers to his unhurried music career. Only
six dates are scheduled so far — starting Dec. 1 in Toronto and hitting Boston, New York, Chicago, San
Francisco and Los Angeles.

Stevens said he frequently gets feedback on Facebook asking him to perform more and that it makes him
feel guilty "because I’m not doing as much as they want me to do. Then again, I’m 66 years old, and
I do take things in my stride."

Stevens, who was inducted into the rock hall this spring in Brooklyn, said he had a lot of hesitation
about getting back into the music business.

"That’s something I ran away from a long time ago," he said. "But that’s not to say the
music business is the same as making music. When I finally reconciled my questions about the issue —
where it should be in my life — by that time, I had something to say. I wouldn’t be writing songs if I
didn’t have something to say."

Despite the political climate, with the U.S. fighting Islamic State militants in the Middle East, Stevens
said he didn’t expect his faith to be an issue when he goes on the road in this country.

"I’m afraid that a lot of things that people believe about Islam are totally different from the
religion that most of us recognize," he said. "I was really fortunate that I got to know Islam
before it became a headline."

Gary Bongiovanni, editor of the concert industry trade publication Pollstar, said he didn’t expect
problems, although it would be different if Stevens had spoken out in favor of the Islamic State
militants, for instance. He said it looked like a modest tour designed to test the waters and that if
Stevens makes clear he’ll be playing his old hits — Stevens said he will — he should get some interest.