Thomas Francis "Cozy" Morley (c. 1926 – 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 "On The Way To Cape May" is a song that has become a Jersey Shore sound summertime anthem for the Philadelphia/Delaware Valley and South Jersey Shore area. It was written by Maurice "Buddy" Nugent according to BMI and ''The Philadelphia Inquirer ...

", which became his signature song. Raised in

South Philadelphia South Philadelphia, nicknamed South Philly, is the section of Philadelphia bounded by South Street to the north, the Delaware River to the east and south and the Schuylkill River to the west.Cozy Morley

Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia The Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia is a state-chartered, federally recognized, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, devoted to collecting information about and promoting cultural work related to broadcasting and communications in Philadelphia, Pe ...

. Accessed May 31, 2020. "His parents named him Thomas, but we all knew him as Cozy. A shy kid, Cozy Morley was born in South Philly at 1240 E. Moyamensing Ave and grew up on Two Street. He went to Southeast Catholic High." 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 ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' 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 North Wildwood is a city located on the Jersey Shore in Cape May County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the Ocean City metropolitan statistical area. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 3,621, a decrea ...

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.Strauss, Robert
"Theater; For Comedian, Old Jokes, Loyal Fans"
''

'', 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." 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. 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. He attracted crowds as large as 1,200 to his club.Morrison, John
"Thomas "Cozy" Morley, 87, popular South Jersey comedian and musician."
''

The Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The newspaper's circulation is the largest in both the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the Delaware Valley metropolitan region of Southeastern Pennsy ...

'', 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." The city's mayor called him "Mr. North Wildwood".Gilfillian, Trudi
"Jersey Shore icon Cozy Morley dead at 87"
''

The Press of Atlantic City ''The Press of Atlantic City'' is the fourth-largest daily newspaper in New Jersey. Originally based in Pleasantville, it is the primary newspaper for southeastern New Jersey and the Jersey Shore. The newspaper designated market runs from Ware ...

'', August 25, 2013. "In 2002, then-Mayor Aldo Palombo called Morley 'Mr. North Wildwood.' 'Cozy is an institution,” Palombo said." After his club closed, Morley performed frequently in

Atlantic City Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, Boardwalk (entertainment district), boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020 United States censu ...

. In the late 1990s, Morley competed in an annual

Tramcar A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...

Race as a fundraiser on the Wildwood / North Wildwood boardwalk against entertainer Al Alberts. He wrote a song called "It's New Jersey", which he unsuccessfully promoted for acceptance as the official

state song Forty-eight of the fifty U.S. states have one or more state songs, a type of regional anthem, which are selected by each state legislature as a symbol (or emblem) of that particular U.S. state. Some U.S. states have more than one official state ...

. In 2003,

New Jersey State Senators New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

James Cafiero James S. Cafiero (September 21, 1928 – August 3, 2023) was an American attorney and Republican Party politician who served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1968 to 1972 and in the New Jersey Senate from 1972 to 1982 and from 1990 to 20 ...

and

Stephen M. Sweeney Stephen M. Sweeney (born June 11, 1959) is an American politician and labor leader who served in the New Jersey Senate from 2002 to 2022, representing the 3rd legislative district. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the 114th President ...

, both from

South Jersey South Jersey comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of New Jersey located between the lower Delaware River and the Atlantic Ocean. The designation of South Jersey with a distinct toponym is a colloquialism rather than an administrative ...

, introduced legislation that would make Morley's song "It's New Jersey" one of six official state songs. A longtime resident of

Haddon Township, New Jersey Haddon Township is a township in Camden County, New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 15,407, an increase of 700 (+4.8%) from the 2010 census count of 14,707, in turn reflecting an increase of 56 (+0 ...

, Morley also owned homes in North Wildwood and in

Fort Lauderdale, Florida Fort Lauderdale () is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and largest city in Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the 2020 census, making it the tenth ...

. Morley died on August 23, 2013, at a hospital in Camden. The cause of death was complications related to

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ap ...

.via

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

"Shore funnyman 'Cozy' Morley; Club owner was Wildwoods icon"
''

The Record The Record may refer to: Music * ''The Record'' (album), a 1982 studio album by the hardcore-punk band Fear * The Records, an English power pop band * '' Their Greatest Hits: The Record'', a 2001 greatest-hits album by the pop-music group Bee Ge ...

'', August 28, 2013. Accessed May 31, 2020. Morley was inducted into the

Hall of Fame in 2015.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morley, Cozy 1920s births 2013 deaths Comedians from New Jersey People from Haddon Township, New Jersey People from North Wildwood, New Jersey People from Philadelphia Singers from New Jersey