Ray Tiley, of Oakhurst, is a gentle southern man, born and raised in Falls Church, Virginia. Already a fan of Ricky Nelson at a young age, he was in third grade when The Beatles arrived in the U.S., and became a big fan of the electric guitar. Because his hands were too small at that time to play guitar, he began his music journey with the ukulele, and then experimented with the clarinet in the school band. In high school, Santa Claus finally delivered an acoustic guitar, and within months Tiley bought himself a pre-owned 1968 Fender Jazzmaster electric guitar. Attending a small southwestern Virginia college after high school, he studied music on the piano, because there were no guitar courses. Well versed in several instruments, he performed in local bands for a while – until love entered the room.
of all ages. Photo courtesy Ray Tiley
Tiley just happened to meet a great gal from Jersey while they were both in Virginia, and they decided to relocate to N.J. in 1979. Marianne and Ray got married in 1982, and music took a backseat for many years as he concentrated on his family and an accounting career. Fast forward to 2002, when a co-worker asked Tiley to play Santa at a Christmas party for the Catholic Charities organization, attended by many of the organization’s foster children. It was here that “Santa Ray” was officially born.
Joy is a powerful emotion and all of the smiles that day profoundly affected Tiley. A single holiday party in 2002 turned into two holiday parties in 2003, which then turned into several more by 2005. The snowball effect had begun, and Santa Ray now visits boys and girls at more than two dozen public and private events every December. What began with a fake beard and a borrowed suit has morphed into an authentic “homegrown” long white beard and a true Santa suit of the highest quality.
One of the biggest shows of the year for Santa Ray is his annual Christmas Extravaganza at The Colts Neck Inn, scheduled this year for Friday, Dec. 9. This show benefits Socks For Seniors, a national nonprofit service that distributes warm, fuzzy socks to elderly people living in care centers in our area. Early in October, Tiley lines up the best local musicians to act as his “house band,” and he then invites even more artists to sit in during the night. The only cover charge is a new pair of socks, and attendees are then treated to a wild rocking and rolling music feast for the ears. The 2014 and 2015 shows were wildly successful, and this year’s event should be no different.
Santa Ray Tiley has never forgotten his very first Santa appearance; the joy and appreciation from that event has created a wonderful, thoughtful, giving, hard-rocking holiday phenomenon that just gets bigger and better every year.
This article was first published in the November 17, 2016 print edition of The Two River Times.
