George Alexander Aberle (April 15, 1908 – March 4, 1995), known as eden ahbez, was an American songwriter and recording artist of the 1940s to 1960s, whose lifestyle in California was influential in the hippie movement.

The cafe was owned by John and Vera Richter, who followed a Naturmensch and Lebensreform philosophy[5] influenced by the Wandervogel movement in Germany.

"[9] Their followers, known as "Nature Boys" and who included Gypsy Boots (né Robert Bootzin), wore long hair and beards and ate only raw fruits and vegetables.

In 1947, ahbez approached Nat "King" Cole's manager backstage at the Lincoln Theater in Los Angeles and handed him the music for his song, "Nature Boy".

[12] Ahbez was discovered living under the Hollywood Sign and became the focus of a media frenzy when Cole's version of "Nature Boy" shot to No.

Ahbez faced legal action from a Yiddish music composer, Herman Yablokoff,[14] who claimed that the melody to "Nature Boy" came from one of his songs, "Shvayg mayn harts" ("Be Still My Heart").

[17][18] He worked closely with jazz musician Herb Jeffries, and, in 1954, the pair collaborated on an album, The Singing Prophet, which included the only recording of Ahbez's four-part "Nature Boy Suite".

Grace Slick's band the Great Society recorded a version of "Nature Boy" in 1966 and ahbez was photographed in the studio with Brian Wilson during a session for the Smile album in early 1967.

Later that year, British singer Donovan sought ahbez in Palm Springs, California, and the two wanderers shared a reportedly "near-telepathic" conversation.

Some time in 1947, he married Anna Jacobson a month after they met;[22][2][9] the couple had a son, Tatha "Zoma" Om Ahbez, on October 9, 1948.