Sunday Morning Vault: Dave "Baby" Cortez--The Happy Organ (1959)

    David Cortez Clowney was born in 1938 at Detroit. His dad who was a pianist steered David to the piano which he played for 10 years before switching to the organ. He started out for a few years as a singer in the group, The Pearls, then in 1958 went off on his own.
     His first charting single was his only #1. "The Happy Organ", released on the Clock label made Cortez the first African-American to have an instrumental reach that status in the rock and roll era. A few years later, he hit the top 10 again with, "Rinky Dink". His last charting song was in 1966, and his last album was released in 1972 until just past year, when Cortez released a new album on Norton Records backed by Lonnie Youngblood and His Bloodhounds.