NATURE BOY
Music and lyrics: eden ahbez, also known as Alexander Aberle
Year: 1948
Origin of the song
The author of ‘Nature Boy’, eden ahbez (no capital letters by his own request), was born in Brooklyn in 1908. His real name was Alexander Aberle. The original score of the song shows a picture of himself with a beard and long hair, a very unusual image for the decade of the forties.
He became orphaned at an early age and after running away from a foster home in Kansas, he sipped into a wandering life, finally ending in Los Angeles. In 1947, he left a filthy manuscript of the composition ‘Nature Boy’ in Nat King Cole’s dressing room.
Cole believed in the song and its simple message that could reach the public, as he could confirm during his live shows; however, the executives of the record company didn’t share his opinion. In the end, Capitol decided to launch the disc, the song hit the charts and on May 1948 got to first place, in which it remained eight weeks.
Even though ahbez wrote some songs for Cole, Eartha Kitt, Frankie Laine and some other, and he recorded an album in the early sixties, the only theme by him getting a modest popularity was ‘Lonely Island’, that reached first place in the Rhythm and Blues charts in 1958 with Sam Cooke’s version. He kept living a simple life and died in 1995, when he was 86 years old, as a consequence of the injuries he suffered from being hit by a car.
Versions in the top charts
|
PERFORMERS |
DATE OF RECORDING |
DAY OF
ENTRANCE |
PERMANENCE WEEKS |
HIGH POSITION REACHED |
|
|
King Cole Trio |
1947.08.22 |
1948.04.17 |
18 |
1 (eight weeks) |
Nat Cole (voc, p), Frank DeVol Orchestra |
|
1948.04.08 |
1948.07.03 |
1 |
9 |
Sarah Vaughan (voc), The Earl Rodgers Choir |
|
|
1948.04.10 |
1948.05.29 |
4 |
7 |
Frank Sinatra (voc), The Jeff Alexander Choir |
|
|
Dick Haymes |
1948.04.16 |
1948.06.05 |
5 |
11 |
Dick Haymes (voc), The Song Spinners |
Jazz. Outstanding performances
Instrumental
|
PERFORMERS |
DATE OF RECORDING |
MUSICIANS WHO TOOK PART IN THE RECORDING
|
|
1948.08.10 |
Svend Asmussen (vn), Svend Hauberg (cl, g), Max Leth (p), Jørgen Ingmann (g), Leif Sjøberg (b), Erik Frederiksen (d) |
|
|
1949.01.?? |
Django Reinhardt (g), Stéphane Grappelli (vn), Gianni Safred (p), Marco Pecori (b), Aurelio de Carolis (d) |
|
|
1955.07.09 |
Miles Davis (tp), Britt Woodman (tb), Teddy Charles (vib), Charles Mingus (b), Elvin Jones (d) |
|
|
1956.01.25 |
Bud Shank (as, fl), Claude Williamson (p), Don Prell (b), Chuck Flores (d) |
|
|
1960.03.?? |
Stan Getz (ts), members of the Stuttgart Symphony Orchestra |
|
|
1961.11.26 |
Ike Quebec (ts), Milt Hinton (b) |
|
|
1965.02.17 |
John Coltrane (ss, ts), McCoy Tyner (p), Jimmy Garrison, Art Davis (b), Elvin Jones (d) |
|
|
1977.10.14 |
Ra (p), Akh Tal Ebah (tp), Marshall Allen (as, fl, ob), Danny Davis (as, fl), John Gilmore (ts, perc), James Jacson (fl, fg), Eloe Omoe (cl, fl), Richard Williams (b), Luqman Ali (d), Atakatune (cng) |
|
|
1978.12.18 |
Harry 'Sweets' Edison (tp), Zoot Sims (ts), Roger Kellaway (p), John Heard (b), Jimmie Smith (d) |
|
|
1979.09.21 |
Art Pepper (as), Tommy Flanagan (p), Red Mitchell (b), Billy Higgins (d) |
|
|
Jacky Terrasson Trio |
1997.06.14 |
Jacky Terrasson (p), Ugonna Okegwo (b), Leon Parker (d) |
Vocal
|
PERFORMERS |
DATE OF RECORDING |
MUSICIANS WHO TOOK PART IN THE RECORDING
|
|
1947.08.22 |
Nat Cole (voc, p), Oscar Moore (g), Johnny Miller (b), Buddy Cole (cel), Frank DeVol Orchestra |
|
|
Monica Zetterlund |
1960.03.14 |
Monica Zetterlund (voc), Thad Jones (tp), Milt Hinton (b), Osie Johnson (d) |
|
1972.12.01 |
Johnny Hartman (voc), Mikio Masuda (p), Yoshio 'Chin' Suzuki (b), Motohiko Hino (d) |
|
|
1976.02.08 |
Ella Fitzgerald (voc), Joe Pass (g) |
|
|
1976.08.?? |
George Benson (g, voc), Phil Upchurch (g), Ronnie Foster (p, sint), Jorge Dalto (p), Stanley Banks (b), Harvey Mason (d), Ralph MacDonald (per), string section, Claus Ogerman (dir) |
|
|
1994.08.29 |
Abbey Lincoln (voc), Roy Hargrove (tp), Julien Lourau (ts), Rodney Kendrick (p), Christian McBride (b), Victor Lewis (d) |
|
|
1996.02.27 |
Nnenna Freelon (voc), Rickey Woodard (ss, ts), Bill Anschell (p), Scott Sawyer (g), John Brown (b), Woody Williams (d), Alex Acuña (cng) |
|
|
1996.11.13 |
Kurt Elling (voc), Laurence Hobgood (p), Rob Amster (b), Paul Wertico (d) |
|
|
Claudia Acuña |
2001.10.?? |
Claudia Acuña (voc), Avi Leibovich (fl), Jason Lindner (p), Dave Holland (b), Jeff 'Tain' Watts (d), Luisito Quintero (per) |
|
Jeanette Lindström |
2006.??.?? |
Jeanette Lindstrom (voc), Palle Danielsson (b), Magnus Öström (d) |
On cinemas
The song 'Nature Boy' is included in the soundtrack of the following movies:
|
ORIGINAL TITLE |
TITLE IN SPAIN |
YEAR OF PRODUCTION |
PERFORMERS OF THE SONG IN THE FILM |
|
The Boy With Green Hair |
El muchacho de los cabellos verdes |
1948 |
A chorus |
|
Untamed Heart |
Corazón indomable |
1993 |
Roger Williams; King Cole Trio |
|
I Woke Up Early the Day I Died |
Me levanté temprano el día de mi muerte |
1998 |
King Cole Trio |
|
The Talented Mr. Ripley |
El talento de Mr. Ripley |
1999 |
Miles Davis Quintet |
|
Moulin Rouge |
Moulin Rouge |
2001 |
John Leguizamo; David Bowie & Massive Attack |
|
Angel Eyes |
Mirada de ángel |
2001 |
Jon Hassell |