Picture of Nat King Cole

In 1948, eden ahbez was a bearded, robed vegetarian with long hair who believed in the power of love and Asian mysticism and lived under the Hollywood sign. He also happened to be the songwriter behind "Nature Boy," a smash hit recorded by Nat King Cole after ahbez had dropped a tattered copy of his music off with one of Cole's employees. The song was instantly iconic and would go on to be re-recorded by artists like Frank Sinatra, Marvin Gaye, David Bowie, and Miles Davis. Despite the hundreds of thousands in royalties from "Nature Boy," however, ahbez continued to live humbly — though he never stopped writing music, eventually releasing the cult-classic album "Eden's Island" in 1960. ⁠