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Four outstanding Americans, each of whom has devoted years supporting and promoting Italian-American culture and heritage in America, were added to the Little Italy Wall of Fame at a ceremony on Saturday, May 26, 2007. The new Wall of Fame members are (in alphabetical order): legendary radio disc jockey Bruce Morrow, aka Cousin Brucie; Cristyne L. Nicholas, former President/CEO of NYC & Company, New York City’s official tourism agency; Saturday Night Live alumnus Joe Piscopo; and WOR Radio late night talk show host Joey Reynolds, whose talkfest is heard nightly from coast to coast
They joined singer/bandleader Frank Sinatra, Jr. and actor/singer Gianni Russo (Carlo in “The Godfather”) on the Wall of Fame, located in the patio of Most Precious Blood Church, the national sanctuary of San Gennaro, at 110 Mulberry St.
The Little Italy Wall of Fame was created in 2006 by the Little Italy Merchants Association (LIMA) and Sorrento Cheese to celebrate those who support Italian American culture and heritage in the United States.
Brooklyn-born Bruce Morrow, who has been a mainstay of New York hit radio for more than 40 years, adopted the moniker 'Cousin Brucie' in 1959 while working at WINS/New York. He moved to Miami radio in 1961 and two years later returned to New York City where he developed a large following as one of WABC Radio’s top deejays for 13 years. “Cousin Brucie” hosted the famous Palisades Park rock concerts and in August 1965, he also had the distinction of introducing The Beatles at their historic concert at Shea Stadium. In the 1980s, he joined the staff of WCBS-FM/New York. From 1987 to 1993, Morrow was heard nationally on the weekly CBS Radio series, Cruisin’ America, and then hosted two weekly programs on WCBS, Cousin Brucie’s Yearbook and Cousin Brucie’s Saturday Night Oldies Party. After the reformatting of WCBS-FM/New York Morrow joined Sirius Satellite Radio in June 2005 where he currently hosts two weekly programs. He was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1988.
Cristyne Lategano Nicholas served as President & CEO of NYC & Company, New York City’s official tourism agency, from October 1999 to early 2007 when she and George Lence formed Nicholas & Lence Communications. As a leader of one of New York’s key industries, she spearheaded numerous initiatives that placed her at the forefront of the efforts to revitalize New York City’s $25 billion tourism industry following the events of September 11, 2001. One of the area’s helped most by her efforts was Lower Manhattan, especially Little Italy and Chinatown which, along with Tribeca, were the hardest hit communities post 9/11. Prior to joining NYC & Company, Ms. Nicholas served in the administration of New York City Mayor Rudolph W, Giuliani as director of communications in which capacity she was globally promoting New York’s renaissance. A Brooklyn native, she attended New York area public schools and graduated in 1987 from Rutgers University with a B.A. in political science and a minor in French. She lives in Manhattan with her husband, golf writer Nick Nicholas, and their 16-month old daughter Rebecca.
New Jersey-born Joe Piscopo is a versatile actor, comedian, impressionist and singer who attained stardom as regular cast member of Saturday Night Live in the 1980’s. He subsequently went out to Hollywood where he starred in numerous action and comedy films. His impressions of Frank Sinatra became world famous and attracted the admiration of Ole Blue Eyes himself. A major star for more than 20 years, Piscopo is one of America’s most popular comedy concert attractions, filling arenas and casino showrooms from coast-to-coast and in Canada. With his own original Big Band tribute to Frank Sinatra as well as his multi-media comedy shows. Although his unique talents are in constant demand from show business quarters, Joe devotes an extraordinary amount of time to non-profit and charitable activities. His willingness to perform at benefit functions knows no limits.
Joey Reynolds, who hosts a popular late night talk show on WOR Radio in New York that is heard on stations coast to coast, is known as ‘Leader of The Royal Order of the Night People’ as well as ‘Mr. Nice Guy of Night Radio.’ Born and raised in Buffalo, NY, Joey rose to national fame as a Top 40 radio personality and many leading authorities in radio think of Joey as the person who invented shock radio talk. Inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland a couple of years ago, Joey has a multifaceted career that includes stints at 20th Century Fox where he was instrumental in developing the successful “Star Wars” marketing program and also headed a company for singer Wayne Newton for two years. His skills far exceed the boundaries of a single medium. For example, a Joey Reynolds cheesecake is now being sold in many markets, including New York City and in Florida. A divorced father of two teenaged daughters, Joey maintains a second home in Florida and spends most weekends with his children. He is a longtime supporter of Little Italy and his Italian-American heritage
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