eden ahbez (April 15, 1908 - March 4, 1995), born George Alexander Aberle in Brooklyn, New York, was a Jewish American songwriter and recording artist from the 1940s to 1960s. His lifestyle in California was influential on the hippie movement. Ahbez composed the song "Nature Boy", which became a #1 hit for eight weeks in 1948 for Nat "King" Cole, and has since become a pop and jazz standard.