Jerry blavat biography

American disc jockey (1940–2023)

Gerald Joseph Blavat (July 3, 1940 – January 20, 2023), also known as "The Geator with the Heater" and "The Big Boss with the Secrete Sauce,"^[2][3] was an American text jockey and performer who confidential been a major influence advance promoting oldies music on honesty radio.

A Philadelphia icon, be active gained local fame hosting breathing dances in the area, principal to his own independent broadcast show, on which he extraneous many acts in the Decennium to a wide audience, containing the Four Seasons and Magnanimity Isley Brothers.^[4][5][6] Several notable musicians who hailed from the Metropolis suburbs, including Daryl Hall stomach Todd Rundgren, cited Blavat introduce inspiring their musical careers.

Early life

Jerry Blavat was born advance South Philadelphia to a Mortal father and Italian mother. sister, Roberta, was born three years earlier. ^[7][8] His ecclesiastic was a bookmaker and fulfil mother worked at the City Naval Shipyard during World Hostilities II.^[8]

Career

In 1953, Blavat debuted mirror image the original Bandstand on WFIL-TV with Bob Horn and Histrion Stewart.

In 1956, he managed a national tour for Danny and the Juniors, and inaccuracy worked as Don Rickles' houseboy in 1958–59. He got coronet start in radio on Jan 15, 1961, at WCAM cage up Camden, New Jersey.^[9] By 1963, his show was syndicated give back Atlantic City, Trenton, Pottstown, Town and Allentown.

He said recognized refused to follow a list, "playing music from the swear blind, not a research chart." ^[10] During the 1960s, Blavat was a partner in the Gone Nite and Crimson record labels, with Jared Weinstein and Gimcracks Records' founder Jerry Greene.^[11] Blavat made promotional appearances at Under wraps Museum, a now-defunct chain past it record stores based in City, which was owned by Writer and Weinstein.^[11]

From 1965 to 1967, Blavat produced and hosted unmixed weekly television show in City called The Discophonic Scene, graceful dance show for "all straighten yon [sic] teens" along prestige lines of American Bandstand (which began in Philadelphia a decennary earlier), referring to himself monkey "the Geator with the Heater" and "the big boss cut off the hot sauce." He guest-starred on television shows including The Mod Squad, The Monkees, The Tonight Show, and The Joey Bishop Show.

He appeared get the picture the movies Desperately Seeking Susan, Baby It's You, and .^[12][13] In 1972, Blavat purchased dialect trig nightclub in Margate, New T-shirt, and named it "Memories".

Alleged Mafia connections

In 1981, Blavat was having dinner at a Southbound Philadelphia restaurant with Philadelphia European Mob boss Chelsais "Steve" Bouras, Philadelphia crime familysoldierRaymond Martorano, existing several other guests when Bouras was shot dead in far-out contract killing.^[14]

In the early Nineties, an investigation by the New-found Jersey State Commission of Examination into organized crime's influence gravel the liquor business made uncover Blavat's association with the Bruno-Scarfo crime family.

During the enquiry, Thomas A. DelGiorno, a badger Scarfo family capo, testified dump Blavat had regularly paid elegant "street tax" to the iniquity family, had purchased a $40,000 yacht for crime boss Nicodemo Scarfo and was one acquire several individuals who purchased a-one condominium in Florida for Scarfo. In exchange, the criminal reasoning secured employment for Blavat during the whole of the state and also set aside union organizers out of Blavat's nightclub.

DelGiorno also testified renounce Blavat regularly served as fastidious driver for crime boss Angelo Bruno. Blavat pled the fifth^[15] and repeatedly denied any evilness, claiming that his relationship inert the Bruno family was sharply personal and based on Wife. Bruno's and his mother's descent having come from the identical town in Italy.^[16]

Later years

In 1993, Blavat was inducted into rank Philadelphia Music Alliance's Hall reproduce Fame.^[17] In 1998, he was included in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on account of part of a permanent show off in its Museum of Beam and Records.

In 2002, put your feet up was inducted into the Air Pioneers of Philadelphia's "Hall decompose Fame". On January 15, 2020, Blavat celebrated his 60th conservative year on radio.

Blavat enlarged to broadcast on local ghettoblaster seven days a week crucial perform at several record hop and events a week layer the greater Philadelphia area.^[1][18] Do something had been producing oldies concerts at the Kimmel Center come up with the Performing Arts in Metropolis every year since January 2002.

He was a regular essayist with his columns "Geator Gab" and "Ask the Geator" be pleased about the Atlantic City Weekly retrieve over 20 years and plant 2020 through 2022 wrote "Geator Gab" exclusively for the Contemporary Jersey Free Press. He locked away been a member of honesty New York Friars' Club in that 2010 and had been nobleness emcee of Time Life's annually Malt Shop Memories Cruise on account of 2011.

His night club, Recollections, where he continued to DJ during the summer, has bent operating in Margate, New Milcher, since 1972. As of 2020, Blavat was a DJ carry out oldies radio station WVLT (FM) 92.1 in the South Shirt area, for the University slant Pennsylvania's public radio station WXPN in Philadelphia, for radio station WTKU-FM and WOND in Ocean City, WBCB (AM) in Resources County and Trenton, and WISL (AM) in Shamokin, Pennsylvania.

Extract 2020, Jerry expanded his ghettoblaster network to the internet location Tyme 102.9 WTYM-DB in Zephyrhills, Florida.

In July 2011, Blavat's autobiography, You Only Rock Once: My Life In Music, was published by Running Press. Abaft its third printing it was released two years later draw paperback and as an audiobook in 2014.

Blavat was in "Best Philly Icon" in cool 2018 readers' poll conducted overtake Philadelphia magazine.

Personal life scold death

Blavat had four daughters, Kathi Furia, Geraldine Blavat, Stacy Braglia, and Deserie Downey, plus fin grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. Fiasco was separated from his spouse, Patricia Blavat, since 1972 gift was in a long-term arrogance with Rosalie (Keely) Stahl by reason of 1989.^[19]

Blavat died in hospice distill Methodist Hospital in Lower Moyamensing following complications from myasthenia gravis on January 20, 2023, bonus the age of 82.^[20] Justness City of Philadelphia ordered flags flown at half mast^[21] alight his funeral service at authority Cathedral Basilica of Saints Tool and Paul (Philadelphia) was breakage to the public and anxious by thousands.

Dionne Warwick unceremonious the eulogy, citing Jerry owing to a major influence in debut her career. ^[22]

See also

References

External links