In the late 1940s, rumors circulated about a mysterious “hermit,” disenchanted and disillusioned with the world, living in a cave under one of the “L’s” of the iconic Hollywood sign in California. This reclusive figure, said to be “out of sync” with society, was largely ignored until one fateful night in 1947 when he appeared at the Lincoln Theater in Los Angeles. Nat King Cole, one of the era’s biggest stars, was performing that night, and the man attempted to gain backstage access. Claiming to have something for Cole, the eccentric figure was turned away by the staff but left behind a song sheet with Cole’s manager.
That song would later become “Nature Boy,” a hauntingly beautiful track that captured Cole’s attention. He was captivated by its mystical lyrics and melody, and he sought out the strange man who had gifted it to him. Witnesses described him as peculiar, with shoulder-length hair, a beard, sandals, and a white robe. The man identified himself as eden ahbez, always writing his name in lowercase letters. When Cole finally tracked him down, he found ahbez living not in a hotel but in Central Park, New York City, where he slept under the stars.
“Nature Boy” became Cole’s first major hit, resonating with listeners and soon covered by the likes of Frank Sinatra, Sarah Vaughan, Tony Bennett, and, more recently, Lady Gaga. The media frenzy surrounding ahbez began, as people scrambled to understand the enigmatic figure who had given Cole such a significant hit.
What they uncovered was a man who had wandered through life like a nomad. Born George Alexander Aberle in 1908, ahbez grew up in foster homes, never staying in one place for too long. He traveled across the United States by hopping freight trains, living on raw fruits and vegetables, and rejecting conventional societal norms. At one point, he completely disappeared, only to reemerge in the hills of Hollywood.
When questioned by a policeman about his unusual appearance, ahbez reportedly replied, “I look crazy, but I’m not. The funny thing is that other people don’t look crazy, but they are.” His philosophy, centered on love and peace, stood in stark contrast to the turbulence of post-war America. His music, particularly “Nature Boy,” echoed this ethos. Some speculated that ahbez chose Nat King Cole as the messenger for his song because of Cole’s status and the racial tensions of the time, believing Cole to be the right person to deliver his message of love.
When asked about racism, ahbez offered a simple yet profound observation: “Some white people hate black people, and some white people love black people. Some black people hate white people, and some black people love white people. So, you see, it’s not an issue of black and white; it’s an issue of Lovers and Haters.” This message of love, which he insisted was missing from the world, would later resonate with the counterculture movement of the 1960s.
As the hippie movement gained momentum, ahbez became something of a spiritual guide to figures like Donovan, Grace Slick, and Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys. He wrote songs for Eartha Kitt and Sam Cooke, and in 1959 began recording instrumental music that blended his somber tones with exotic arrangements. His only solo album, Eden’s Island, released in 1960, was a fusion of beatnik poetry and exotic soundscapes, though it failed to find commercial success at the time.
Throughout the decades, ahbez’s “Nature Boy” remained a beloved anthem. In 2009, Congressman Bill Aswad even recited its final lyrics before the Vermont House of Representatives in honor of the passing of the state’s same-sex marriage bill. Musicologist Raymond Knapp described “Nature Boy” as a “mystically charged vagabond song” that delivered a universal truth salvaged from life’s journey: “The greatest thing you’ll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return.”
Living a bucolic lifestyle from the 1940s onward, ahbez embraced simplicity. He traveled with sandals, wore robes, and subsisted on fruits and nuts, claiming to live on just three dollars a week. He spent much of his life outdoors, often camping with his family under the Hollywood sign. In the 1970s, he established his own record label, Sunland Records, and continued to record music under the name “Eden Abba.” Despite his growing fame, ahbez remained elusive, choosing a life of quiet reflection over the spotlight.
He collaborated with engineer and drummer Joe Romersa in his later years, leaving behind a trove of unreleased music and writings. In 1995, eden ahbez passed away at the age of 86 from injuries sustained in a car accident, but his legacy as the man who lived by the creed of love remains immortalized in his music. His posthumous album, Echoes from Nature Boy, serves as a final testament to his belief that love, above all, is the key to humanity’s survival.
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