Philadelphia is not a city of celebrities. It’s a city of legends. And we were lucky enough to sit down with one of the biggest legends of all. Jerry Blavat grew up in South Philly, and by age 13 he was a star dancer on the original (pre Dick Clark) American Bandstand. A few years later, while still in high school, he was valeting for Don Rickles. His story only gets wilder from there, and features appearances from Sammy Davis Jr., Chuck Berry, and Angelo Bruno.Â
In 1960, he started working in radio. With a show still on WXPN, he’ll be starting his 60th year on radio in 2020. While on radio in the 60s, he gave himself the nickname “The Geator with the Heater, the Boss With the Hot Sauce”. The nickname Geator has stuck, and it rings out all over Philadelphia. Older Philadelphians know him from his legendary dance parties, where kids from all over Philadelphia came together to get down. Millenials know him from the parties he puts on at Memories at Margate, where he still keeps the crowd dancing every Friday and Saturday night.Â
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At age 79, the tireless Geator is working as hard as ever. As we were setting up for the interview, he was on the phone, discussing with his business partner what songs Peaches and Herb were going to be singing at his big Disco, Rock n Roll, and Soul show at the Kimmel Center on January 25th. He’s got the weekly show on WXPN. He’s got the summer gig at Memories. He makes appearances at the Thanksgiving Parade each year, as well as at the Mummers Parade. He’s part of an annual Malt Shop Cruise. I asked him if he ever thought about retiring, and he told me that his followers would get too mad at him, so he can’t. Think about that for a second: at age 79, Blavat still has enough diehard fans that he simply can’t retire.Â
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This is a highly entertaining and far ranging interview. He discussed his friendship with Sammy Davis, an INSANE story about Chuck Berry, and how he and Dick Clark started as adversaries but became good friends. What an honor it was for us to sit down with a true Philly legend, and to hear some of the best stories we’ve ever heard on the show. Whether you’re a fan of the Geator, or just a fan of great music, or just like to hear great stories, you’re going to enjoy this one, guaranteed.Â
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