Title
Honoring the life and legacy of South Philadelphia Legendary Disc Jockey and Entertainer Jerry Blavat known as "The Geator with the Heater" and "The Boss with the Hot Sauce".
Body
WHEREAS, Gerald "Jerry" Joseph Blavat, known as "The Geator with the Heater" and "The Boss with the Hot Sauce", was a Philadelphia icon widely known as one of the early rock-and-roll DJs who revolutionized the profession and developed the "oldies" format; and
WHEREAS, Blavat was born and raised in South Philadelphia, and throughout his childhood, music ran through his veins; and
WHEREAS, As a teenager he would sneak into the "Bandstand", a daily dance show later to become "American Bandstand" with Dick Clark, where he wowed then-host Bob Horn with his dancing skills and musical taste. Producers of the Channel 6 show in Philly discovered their popular dancer was below the age limit, but let him stay to help pick records; and
WHEREAS, When he was 16, he went on the road for the first time, tour managing Philadelphia doo-wop group Danny And The Juniors a year ahead of their breakout hit "At The Hop."; and
WHEREAS, His first break in radio came in the winter of 1960, when he began hosting on Camden's WCAM radio where Blavat became a regular fixture due to his natural talent for knowing what would hit with teens. In his first three years on the air, Blavat moved from WCAM to WFIL, branding his program "The Discophonic Scene" and got it syndicated across the Delaware Valley region cultivating his fan base further to all around the region; and
WHEREAS, Through his radio show, he was an early advocate of music by Black artists that was often marketed to just Black audiences. Where many radio stations played white artists covering songs by Black artists, Blavat played the originals and supported artists like Dionne Warwick and Aretha Franklin early in their career. Blavat's tireless promotion of pioneering Black artists of the 1950s and 1960s shaped the pop music culture of the c...
Click here for full text