Cortez began singing
at the age of five in church and worked the Texas gospel circuit with his
family, The Cortez Singers. Later on, John P. Kee, adopted him as a spiritual
son and began mentoring him. For a while, Cortez sang with Kee’s V.I.P. Mass
Choir and sang a solo on the CD, Live at the Fellowship, in 2001. He later made
guest shots on recordings by Kurt Carr, Bishop Paul S. Morton and Pastor Gregg
Patrick & the Bridge Project.
at the age of five in church and worked the Texas gospel circuit with his
family, The Cortez Singers. Later on, John P. Kee, adopted him as a spiritual
son and began mentoring him. For a while, Cortez sang with Kee’s V.I.P. Mass
Choir and sang a solo on the CD, Live at the Fellowship, in 2001. He later made
guest shots on recordings by Kurt Carr, Bishop Paul S. Morton and Pastor Gregg
Patrick & the Bridge Project.
Then, circa 2006,Blacksmoke Media Worldwide CEO, Kerry
Douglas, discovered Cortez and recruited him to sing the lead single, The
Blood,” from James Fortune’s sophomore CD, The Transformation. The traditional
styled song was a showcase for Cortez’ vast vocal range and gave Fortune his
first Top 20 national radio hit. He has since recorded on all of Fortune’s
subsequent CDs. His volcanic vocals, alongside those of Shawn McLemore, ushered
Fortune’s track “I Believe” to #1 on Billboard’s Hot Gospel Songs chart for 14
weeks and earned them coveted TV performances on BET’s “Celebration of Gospel”
and BET’s “Sunday Best” programs.
Douglas, discovered Cortez and recruited him to sing the lead single, The
Blood,” from James Fortune’s sophomore CD, The Transformation. The traditional
styled song was a showcase for Cortez’ vast vocal range and gave Fortune his
first Top 20 national radio hit. He has since recorded on all of Fortune’s
subsequent CDs. His volcanic vocals, alongside those of Shawn McLemore, ushered
Fortune’s track “I Believe” to #1 on Billboard’s Hot Gospel Songs chart for 14
weeks and earned them coveted TV performances on BET’s “Celebration of Gospel”
and BET’s “Sunday Best” programs.
On May 22, 2012, Blacksmoke Media Worldwide will debut
Cortez’s CD debut, Zacardi Cortez: The Introduction. The set features both
new and old school gospel tracks with cameos by Donnie McClurkin, Lalah
Hathaway and Kierra Sheard.
Cortez’s CD debut, Zacardi Cortez: The Introduction. The set features both
new and old school gospel tracks with cameos by Donnie McClurkin, Lalah
Hathaway and Kierra Sheard.
Check out the video for His new single ”Living For You” HERE