The Happy Organ

"The Happy Organ" is an instrumental composition made famous by Dave "Baby" Cortez in 1959.

Cortez co-composed it with noted celebrity photographer James J. Kriegsmann and frequent collaborator Ken Wood.

He spotted a Hammond B3 organ in the studio and decided to play the song's melody on it.

[2] Hearing an organ on a rock or R&B song at the time was unusual, but Cortez helped popularize its use outside of the jazz field.

[2] The next week, the Hot 100's #1 was Wilbert Harrison's cover of "Kansas City", which also included Spruill's guitar.