Dave "Baby" Cortez

Organist Dave "Baby" Cortez never reached the level of a soulful, bluesy master like Jimmy Smith or a dashing experimentalist like Larry Young, yet he left his imprint across the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s as a capable and often clever soloist working in pop instrumentals. An ear for memorable melodies, riffs, and hooks produced his breakthrough when "The Happy Organ" hit number one pop and number five R&B in 1959. Another paired success arrived in 1962 with "Rinky Dink," which rose to number nine R&B and number ten pop. Ahead of those instrumental peaks, Cortez cut sides for Ember under the name David Clowney in 1956 and sang with the Pearls from 1955 to 1957. His lone later placement inside the R&B Top 50 came in 1973 via "Someone Has Taken Your Place" on All Platinum. Remaining tracks appeared on Clock and Chess. No domestic reissues of his catalog exist, though import anthologies can still be found.