Context:

Dave 'Baby' Cortez, born David Cortez Clowney, was a prominent figure in the 1950s Detroit doo-wop scene who achieved significant success with his instrumental hit 'The Happy Organ,' which topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 1959. Despite this early success, his musical career was relatively short-lived, as he gradually withdrew from the music industry in the 1970s, becoming a recluse. Cortez's life remained largely mysterious, with few details available beyond his musical achievements, and his death in 2022 went unnoticed for years, culminating in an anonymous burial on Hart Island. His daughter, Taryn Sheffield, had not communicated with him since 2009, highlighting his reclusive nature, although there was no animosity between them. His influence on music persisted, particularly in liberating the organ as a rock instrument, with 'The Happy Organ' being covered by various artists across genres over the years.

Dive Deeper:

• Dave 'Baby' Cortez was a key figure in the Detroit doo-wop scene and achieved fame with his instrumental hit 'The Happy Organ' in 1959, which became the first instrumental to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

• Cortez's career was marked by his retreat from the music industry in the early 1970s, driven by bitterness towards the industry, and he became reclusive, rarely giving interviews or engaging with the public.

• Despite his withdrawal, Cortez's influence on music was significant, particularly in demonstrating the organ's potential as a rock instrument, paving the way for future hits featuring the organ.

• His enigmatic life and disappearance from the public eye left many details of his personal life unknown, and his death in 2022 was only discovered years later when his body was found in an unmarked grave on Hart Island.

• Cortez's daughter, Taryn Sheffield, had not heard from him since 2009, reflecting his reclusive lifestyle, though she emphasized there was no bad blood between them, attributing their lack of contact to life's circumstances.

• In 2011, Cortez briefly re-emerged to record an album with Norton Records, surprising many who believed he had vanished from the music scene entirely.

• Cortez's musical legacy lives on through covers of 'The Happy Organ' by various artists and his role in redefining the organ's place in popular music.