Cozy Morley Explained

Thomas Francis "Cozy" Morley (– August 23, 2013) was an American singer-songwriter, entertainer, comedian and club owner, best known for his rendition of "On the Way to Cape May", which became his signature song.

Raised in South Philadelphia, Morley attended Southeast Catholic High School.^[1] He started with the banjo and added the clarinet and saxophone to his repertoire. Morley credited the broad diversity of his neighborhood for the breadth of cultural references in his humor, though in his later years he recognized that some of the jokes he had told were no longer "politically correct".

The nickname "Cozy" came because he looked like he could be the younger brother of an entertainer named Cozy Dolan. He was described by The New York Times as having been a "South Jersey Shore institution" starting from the time when he was first discovered in 1949 and brought to the attention of Ed Suez, who owned a club in North Wildwood, New Jersey and hired him as an opening act; building on his success as a performer, Morley bought the club from Suez in 1958 for $10,000.^[2] Though he didn't create the song, Morley helped popularize the song "On the Way to Cape May," a song that became Morely's signature song, chronicling the places encountered along the route.^[3]

A statue of Morley stands at the former site of Club Avalon in North Wildwood, which he owned and operated until 1989, when the city condemned the building.^{[2] [4]} He attracted crowds as large as 1,200 to his club.^[5] The city's mayor called him "Mr. North Wildwood".^[6] After his club closed, Morley performed frequently in Atlantic City.^[7]

In the late 1990s, Morley competed in an annual Tramcar Race as a fundraiser on the Wildwood / North Wildwood boardwalk against entertainer Al Alberts.^[8]

He wrote a song called "It's New Jersey", which he unsuccessfully promoted for acceptance as the official state song.^[9] In 2003, New Jersey State Senators James Cafiero and Stephen M. Sweeney, both from South Jersey, introduced legislation that would make Morley's song "It's New Jersey" one of six official state songs.^[10]

A longtime resident of Haddon Township, New Jersey, Morley also owned homes in North Wildwood and in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.^{[11] [5]} Morley died on August 23, 2013, at a hospital in Camden.^[12] The cause of death was complications related to diabetes.^[13]

Morley was inducted into the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia Hall of Fame in 2015.^[1]

Notes and References

1. https://www.broadcastpioneers.com/bp11/cozymorley.html Cozy Morley
2. Strauss, Robert. "Theater; For Comedian, Old Jokes, Loyal Fans", The New York Times, August 13, 2000. Accessed May 31, 2020. "Mr. Morley has been a South Jersey Shore institution since the old comic Mickey Shaughnessey saw him performing his quasi-musical comic act in Philadelphia in 1949."
3. https://whyy.org/articles/warm-memories-of-shore-legend-cozy-morley/ "Warm memories of Shore legend Cozy Morley"
4. Hoffman, Lori. "Cozy Morley Dies at 87; The long time comedian and singer was known for his rendition of 'On the Way to Cape May'", Atlantic City Weekly, August 30, 2013. Accessed May 31, 2020. "He owned and operated Club Avalon in North Wildwood for 30 years, starting in the late 1950s. In addition to his comedy act, he sang, played banjo, saxophone and the clarinet. A statue of Morley, erected in 2003, sits outside Westy’s Irish Pub in North Wildwood, where Club Avalon once stood."
5. Morrison, John F "Thomas "Cozy" Morley, 87, popular South Jersey comedian and musician.", The Philadelphia Inquirer, August 26, 2013. Accessed May 31, 2020. "Thomas Francis "Cozy" Morley, who became an iconic part of the South Jersey entertainment scene, a jokester who could pack his 1,200-seat Club Avalon in North Wildwood every night and became a hit in the Atlantic City casinos, died last week. He was 87. He had homes in North Wildwood, Haddon Township and Fort Lauderdale, Fla."
6. Gilfillian, Trudi. "Jersey Shore icon Cozy Morley dead at 87", The Press of Atlantic City, August 25, 2013. "In 2002, then-Mayor Aldo Palombo called Morley 'Mr. North Wildwood.' 'Cozy is an institution,” Palombo said."
7. Kent, Bill. "Atlantic City; Make 'em Laugh!", The New York Times, July 30, 1995. Accessed May 31, 2020.
8. Hawk, Tim. "9 odd facts about the Wildwood tram cars' 70 years of existence", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, June 9, 2018; updated May 14, 2019. Accessed May 31, 2020. "Sitting comfortably behind the wheel of a tram, Gigliotti explained that for years Al Alberts, of the Four Aces, and Cozy Morley, owner of Club Avalon, used to race trams for charity. For $5 people would ride in the passenger cars as they raced from 16th street to 23rd street. Funny thing about the races, Al Alberts always won."
9. https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/179689110/ "Cozy Morley's brand of comedic diversity has him going strong"
10. ftp://www.njleg.state.nj.us/20022003/S2500/2455_I1.PDF Senate No. 2455
11. Strauss, Robert. "Theater; For Comedian, Old Jokes, Loyal Fans", The New York Times, October 19, 2006. Accessed May 31, 2020. "He admits to having homes in Florida and Wildwood, in addition to his primary residence along the Cooper River in Haddon Township in Camden County, where he lives with his wife, Bobbie."
12. https://www.trentonian.com/news/nj-shore-entertainer-thomas-cozy-morley-dies/article_cb6833bc-b7a0-5980-aa25-fc16364dda48.html "NJ shore entertainer Thomas 'Cozy' Morley dies"
13. via Associated Press. "Shore funnyman 'Cozy' Morley; Club owner was Wildwoods icon", The Record, August 28, 2013. Accessed May 31, 2020.