Some of you, might know Dave "Baby" Cortez by his one big hit, "The Happy Organ". That's all I knew five years ago when I started this quixotic mess. It was before I heard "Hurricane" which had been posted by Funky 16 Corners, a blog run by a humble super knowledgeable soul selector named Larry Grogan. The song was revelation enough for me to post a link and Funky 16 Corners has been a regular haunt of mine ever since. I was reminded of this when he re-upped the song recently. All the memories of wet feet and fumbled text came flooding back.
So, what of Dave Cortez? He was the first guy to score a hit with the organ as lead instrument, and he could get down, much more than "The Happy Organ" would have you believe. Take a listen to some of the songs below, particularly "Hurricane" (love that bass!) and "Happy Soul," which at first listen sounds a lot like a funky rip off of Archie Bell and the Drells "Tighten Up", but let it roll. The breaks, bass, the freaky guitar and Cortez's organ will have you doing the dishes.
~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~
Listen:Dave Cortez mp3 - Hurricane at Funky 16 Corners
Dave Cortez - Happy Soul mp3 at Probe is Turning-On the People
Dave Cortez - Rinky Dink mp3 at Archive.org
Dave Cortez - Summertime mp3 at Archive.org
Visit:
Dave "Baby" Cortez at Wikipedia
Funky 16 Corners
