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Dave "Baby" Cortez was born David Cortez Clowney in Detroit, Michigan, on August 13th, 1938 into a musical family. He grew up surrounded by gospel and R&B influences, and he took to music early, developing a particular flair for keyboards.
Trained on both piano and organ, he studied music formally and played with several doo-wop and gospel groups in his teens. Though he initially aimed to become a singer, it was his instrumental work that eventually made his name.
His breakthrough came in 1959 with the instrumental single "The Happy Organ," a track that changed the shape of pop and R&B music almost overnight. Using a Hammond organ in place of a lead vocal, Cortez created a bright, catchy, and distinctive sound that stood out on radio. The single climbed to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and became the first instrumental to do so that featured the organ as its lead instrument. That achievement not only put him on the map but also helped popularize the organ as a viable solo voice in rock and pop music.
Dave followed the success of "The Happy Organ" with a series of other instrumental records, many of which featured his playful, swinging approach to rhythm and melody. "Rinky Dink," released in 1962, also charted, reaching the Top Ten. It retained much of the same formula—organ-driven riffs, tight drumming, and an infectious bounce - but he made sure each track carried its own identity. Though his vocals appeared on a few recordings, including some under alternate names, it was always his instrumental prowess that defined his style.
Throughout the 1960s, Cortez released a string of albums and singles, often working with small combos and drawing on both pop and R&B influences. His ability to combine streetwise soul with lighthearted novelty made his music accessible and radio-friendly. While he didn’t replicate the chart-topping success of "The Happy Organ," he remained a respected figure in the industry and continued to perform live.
In the 1970s, he stepped back somewhat from the limelight but remained musically active behind the scenes. He did session work, played organ for various projects, and occasionally appeared onstage. Over the decades, Cortez’s early hits were rediscovered by collectors, DJs, and retro fans, and his influence could be heard in the work of artists who brought organ and keyboard back to the forefront of pop and soul.
Later in life, he returned to the studio and even released new material and in 2011, he collaborated with fellow veterans of the New York R&B scene for an album that paid homage to his roots while adding fresh energy to his signature style.
For the last ten years of his life however, Dave lived as a recluse in The Bronx, New York City, rarely venturing out except to play organ at a local church. When he died, nobody claimed the body, and he was buried in a pauper's grave at Hart Island, New York. In July 2025, three years after his death, his daughter learned of his passing from the royalty collection agency BMI, and released the news to the media.
Dave Cortez's songwriting was often overshadowed by his playing, but he wrote or co-wrote most of his nine instrumental hits, crafting catchy hooks and arrangements that stood the test of time.
Dave "Baby" Cortez’s legacy lay not just in the records he made, but in the space he opened up for the organ in mainstream pop and soul. His knack for melody, his inventive use of keyboard tones, and his ability to craft joyous, danceable instrumentals earned him a permanent place in the history of American popular music.
Dave "Baby" Cortez died at the age of 83, on the 31st May 2022, in New York City, New York, USA, of undisclosed causes.
© Jim Liddane
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