Dave "Baby" Cortez facts for kids

David Cortez Clowney (born August 13, 1938), known as Dave "Baby" Cortez, is an American pop and R&B musician. He plays the organ and piano. He is most famous for his big hit song from 1959, "The Happy Organ". This song was a number one hit! Dave "Baby" Cortez is one of the earliest musicians still alive who had a solo number one song on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Discovering Music: Dave's Early Life

Dave Clowney was born in Detroit, Michigan, USA. He went to Northwestern High School in Detroit. His dad played the piano and encouraged Dave to become a musician. Dave played the piano for 10 years. After that, he started playing the organ.

First Steps in Music

Dave made his first record in 1956. He also sang with two doo-wop groups in the mid-1950s. These groups were called the Pearls and the Valentines.

The Story Behind "The Happy Organ"

Dave Clowney was well-known in the world of black pop music. He was the music director for a group called Little Anthony and the Imperials. In 1959, Dave was going to record his own song, "The Happy Organ". The microphones were set up for him to sing.

But Dave didn't want to sing. He said, "I didn't like the vocal, because I'm not a great singer." He saw a Hammond organ in the corner of the studio. Most people weren't using organs in pop music back then. He decided to try it. He said, "Let me try this thing here."

How "The Happy Organ" Became a Hit

"The Happy Organ" was a very special song. It was the first pop or rock song to feature the electronic organ as the main instrument. A drummer named Gary Hammond played on the song. It was co-written by a famous photographer, James J. Kriegsmann, and Kurt Wood. The cool guitar solo was played by a session musician named Wild Jimmy Spruill.

The record was released with Dave's stage name, Dave "Baby" Cortez. It became the first instrumental song to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart! An instrumental song means it has no singing, just instruments. The first record was on a small label called Clock Records. But a bigger company, RCA Victor, released the album that featured the song.

More Hit Songs

Dave "Baby" Cortez had another top ten hit song in 1962. This song was called "Rinky Dink". It was released on Chess Records. This song became very popular in the UK. It was the theme song for a TV show called Professional Wrestling.

"Rinky Dink" sounds a lot like the 1957 song "Love Is Strange" by Mickey & Sylvia. This is because it used the same guitar part. Later, Dave focused more on singing. He had a smaller hit song called "Unaddressed Letter". His last pop hit was in 1973. It was called "Someone Has Taken Your Place" and was on the All Platinum label.

Returning to Music

After 38 years, Dave "Baby" Cortez returned to recording music in 2011. He released a new album on Norton Records. He was backed by Lonnie Youngblood and His Bloodhounds. The band included Mick Collins from famous underground groups like the Dirtbombs and the Gories.

Dave's Music: Albums and Singles

Here are some of the albums and singles Dave "Baby" Cortez has released.

Albums

• Dave "Baby" Cortez and His Happy Organ (RCA Records, 1959)
• Dave "Baby" Cortez (Clock Records, 1960)
• The Fabulous Organ of Dave "Baby" Cortez (Metro Records, 1960)
• Music 'Round the Clock (Clock, 1961)
• Rinky Dink (Chess Records, 1962)
• Organ Shindig (Roulette Records, 1965)
• Tweety Pie (Roulette, 1966)
• In Orbit with Dave "Baby" Cortez (Roulette, 1966)
• Baby Cortez the Isley Brothers Way (T-Neck Records, 1970)
• Soul Vibration (All Platinum Records, 1972)
• With Lonnie Youngblood and His Bloodhounds (Norton Records, 2011)

Chart Singles

These are songs that made it onto popular music charts.