"Dik de Heer" 
August 13, 2002

DAVE "BABY" CORTEZ

Born Dave Cortez Clowney, 13 August 1938, Detroit, Michigan

Pianist / organist / vocalist / songwriter.

Dave "Baby" Cortez (Clowney) is almost solely known for his # 1 record
"The Happy Organ" (1959), but he surely merits better recognition for his
active role in the New York R&B scene. His musical career took off when
he joined the Five Pearls as second tenor and pianist, and he moved with
them to New York around 1955. The group, which became better known
as the Pearls, recorded for Aladdin, Atco and Onyx. Clowney then had a
short tenure with the Valentines, led by Richard Barrett, and recorded two
singles with them for Rama. In the autumn of 1956 he had recorded his
first single as David Clowney, the piano instrumentals "Movin' 'n' Groovin'"
and "Soft Lights", for Ember, followed by one of the great unknown R&B
instrumentals, "Hoot Owl"/"Shakin'" for Paris in late 1957. A few months
later, he cut a Little Richard-influenced single, "Honey Baby" and "You
Give Me The Heebie Jeebies" for Okeh as Baby Cortez. None of these
records registered.
In 1958 Dave signed for the new Clock label which was run by veteran
English-born EMI record man Wally Moody and his son Doug. Now called
Dave "Baby" Cortez, the young pianist cut his first Clock single "You're The
Girl"/"Eenie Meenie", which did nothing, but then came "The Happy Organ".
Dave was supposed to record a vocal record, but lost his voice during the
session and said, Let me try an instrumental. They had a huge Hammond
B-3 organ in the corner, and though Dave had never played the organ before,
he started doing "Shortnin' Bread". The backing musicians (who included
Jimmy Spruill on guitar, Buddy Lucas on sax and Panama Francis on drums)
started picking up the rhythm, and the result was "The Happy Organ", a # 1
smash in the spring of 1959. The follow-up, "The Whistling Organ" was a poor
record by comparison and went only to # 61. No further hits on Clock followed,
despite strong 45s such as "Piano Shuffle", "Cat Nip" and "Dave's Special".
In 1962, Dave was back in the Top 10 with "Rinky Dink" on Chess (picked
up from Julia Records), followed by some minor hits on Chess. The mid-sixties
saw him recording for Roulette and, keeping in tune with the times, Cortez soon
moved into funky soul music. By the 1980s he had turned his back on the music
business and was living in Jamaica, New York, with a day-time job.

CD: Happy Organs, Wild Guitars and Piano Shuffles (Ace 386). Clock recordings.

The Ace CD booklet by John Broven is very interesting, especially the lenghty
discussion on "breaking records" on the radio by Clock promo man Doug Moody.