Jerry Blavat

Gerald Joseph Blavat (July 3, 1940 – January 20, 2023), also known as "The Geator with the Heater" and "The Big Boss with the Hot Sauce," was an American disc jockey and performer who had been a major influence in promoting oldies music on the radio. A Philadelphia icon, he gained local fame hosting live dances in the area, leading to his own independent radio show, on which he introduced many acts in the 1960s to a wide audience, including the Four Seasons and the Isley Brothers. Several notable musicians who hailed from the Philadelphia suburbs, including Daryl Hall and Todd Rundgren, cited Blavat as inspiring their musical careers.

Jerry Blavat was born in South Philadelphia to a Jewish father and Italian mother. His sister, Roberta, was born two years earlier. His father was a bookmaker and his mother worked at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard during World War II.

In 1953, Blavat debuted on the original Bandstand on WFIL-TV with Bob Horn and Lee Stewart. In 1956, he managed a national tour for Danny and the Juniors, and he worked as Don Rickles' valet in 1958–59. He got his start in radio on January 15, 1961, at WCAM in Camden, New Jersey. By 1963, his show was syndicated in Atlantic City, Trenton, Pottstown, Wilmington and Allentown. He said he refused to follow a playlist, "playing music from the heart, not a research chart." During the 1960s, Blavat was a partner in the Lost Nite and Crimson record labels, with Jared Weinstein and Collectables Records' founder Jerry Greene. Blavat made promotional appearances at Record Museum, a now-defunct chain of record stores based in Philadelphia, which was owned by Greene and Weinstein.