Artist: Nat King Cole
Author: eden ahbez
Label: Capitol
Year: 1947
With Frank DeVol's Orchestra. Black performer, romantic strings, a new combination; jazzmen and Ray Charles adopted this formula soon after. Melody possibly based upon Herman Yablokoff's Yiddische lied Schweig mein Hertz and the American spiritual Sweet Jesus Boy.
Covers:
Unnatural Seven feat. Red Ingle [backward parody as Serutan Yob (A Song For Backward Boys & Girls Under 40); no wonder: Ingle played saxophone with Spike Jones]
Herb Jeffries with eden ahbez [author on LP The Singing Prophet as The Legend Of Nature Boy, a lengthy symphonic suite]
George Brummell [as Etrange garçon]
Big Star [on third album recorded in '74]
David Bowie [along with 3D from Massive Attack in film Moulin Rouge, imitating eden ahbez]
Jennifer Hudson [in Aretha Franklin biopic Respect]
Author eden ahbez was a guru from Big Sur, California who refused to write his name in capitals as this was a privilege for the gods. He was born in 1908 and - Native Americans non included - the first twentieth century American with long hair. ("I look crazy but I'm not. The funny thing is: other people don't look crazy but they are"). Recorded an LP for Del-Fi in '59, but Nature Boy wasn't even considered. According to legend he left the Nature Boy lyrics on the doorsteps of the artist entrance of the California theatre where Cole was supposed to perform that evening.
If you noticed blunt omissions, mis-interpretations or even out-and-out errors,
please let me know:
Arnold Rypens
Rozenlaan 65
B-2840 Reet (Rumst)