Earning the nickname "Old Smoothie" for the smooth dance tunes he and his band would play, he had a career that lasted over seven decades.
[2] Having graduated from university, and having formed his first band at the Claremont Hotel, he became immensely popular in the Bay Area.
[4] In early 1948, Courtney was playing his sixth engagement at the Rose Room at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco.
At that time, his band consisted of trumpet players, George Rank, Seymour Solk, and Billy Petri.
The rhythm section consisted of Bob Moonan on Piano, Val Eddy on bass, Mel Severs on guitar, and Ellis Stickey on drums.
[5] In October 1958, his album Dancing 'Til Daybreak LP, which was released on Capitol Records, received a favorable review in Billboard.
[10] After a bout pneumonia that he had for a week, he died at Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu aged 95 in February 2006.