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Jerry Blavat, the fast-talking Philadelphia DJ and impresario known as “The Geator with the Heater,” has died at 82. His tireless promotion of pioneering Black artists of the 1950s and 1960s shaped the pop music culture of the city where he maintained an iconic presence for seven decades.

Mr. Blavat first came to fame as a dancer on the teen-targeted pop music television show Bandstand in the 1950s. Having learned to jitterbug watching his mother, aunts, and uncles dance to Artie Shaw and Tommy Dorsey records — ”The Italians, when the radio was on, they would start to dance,” he said — he quickly established himself as one of the stars of the show, then hosted by Bob Horn.

Having heard Fats Domino’s “Ain’t That a Shame” and Little Richard’s “Tutti Frutti” — played by Black DJs like Jocko Henderson and Georgie Woods on Philadelphia station WDAS — he advised Horn to play the originals, rather than the watered down versions sung by the likes of Pat Boone.

Little Richard later said of Mr. Blavat: “For a white boy, the Geator’s got too much soul. And can that boy dance! I remember

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A Lifetime A Legacy: Jerry Blavat‘God Bless The Geator’

It was a cold and blustery afternoon. I was driving south through Absecon Island and passing through Margate. I was in a bit of a hurry, but something inside me told me that I should make the slight detour and drive past Memories, the legendary nightclub owned by Jerry Blavat that recently marked its 50th anniversary in “Maaar-gate, New Jersey.”

I drove down toward the bay and Amherst Avenue. January is nothing like the summer along the Gold Coast in Margate. Few, if any, people were walking along the sidewalks, and there were loads of parking spaces. Something that you’d never find on any summer evening. I could see the blue landmark building off in the distance. Luckily, traffic too was virtually nonexistent on this cold afternoon, so I was able to take my time and take it all in. My first observation was exactly what I expected: The few steps leading into the nightclub were piled high with bouquets of flowers. Some large, obviously from florist shops. Others were more simple, probably from local g

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10 Facts About Legendary Personality Jerry Blavat

In 1953, as a teenager, Jerry Blavat was a dancer on the original American Bandstand. The show was broadcast on Philadelphia's WFIL TV. This was before Dick Clark took the show nationally.

Jerry had his first radio show in 1960. According to legend, Blavat won an hour-long time slot on WCAM in a game of craps. On the day of his show, a snowstorm hit, and what was originally supposed to be a one-hour show turned into 4 hours. Jerry played his own records and the response was huge.

If you've ever been to one of the dances he's hosted, you knew that when Martha and the Vandellas', "Heatwave" started playing, the Geator rap was about to start. What you may not know, is where some of his catchphrases originated.

For instance, "...according to the big tick tock on thee tower of power..." is a reference to his days as a regular on ‘CAU, where he hosted his show from the top floor of Camden's City Hall, which had a giant clock tower.

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