Gerald Joseph “Jerry” Blavat (born July 3, 1940), also known as “Geator with Heater” and “Big Boss with Hot Sauce” , was an American disc jockey and performer who had a major influence on the promotion of Oldies – music on the radio. An iconic Philadelphia figure, he gained local notoriety by hosting live dance parties in the area, which led to his own independent radio show, and throughout the 1960s, he introduced numerous shows to wide audiences, including Four Seasons and Ace Lee Brothers. Blavat was born in South Philadelphia to a Jewish father and an Italian mother.In 1953, Blavat made his debut with Bob Horn and Lee Stewart on WFIL-TV’s original bandstand. He led Danny and the Juniors on a national tour in 1956 and served as Don Rickles’ valet in 1958-59. He started working in radio in 1960. By 1963, his shows were syndicated in Camden, Atlantic City, Trenton, Pottstown, Wilmington and Allentown. He says he refuses to listen to playlists and “plays the music with his heart, not studying the charts”. In the 1960s, Blavat teamed up with Jared Weinstein and Collectables Records founder Jerry Greene to start Lost Nite and Crimson Records. The three also co-own the Recording Museum, a now-defunct Philadelphia-based chain of record stores.
From 1965 to 1967, Blavat produced and hosted a weekly television show in Philadelphia called The Discophonic Scene, a “discophonic scene” modeled on American Bandstand (which started in Philadelphia a decade earlier). All my [sic] teens” dance program. He himself is known as “geator with heater” and “big boss with hot sauce”. He has guest-starred on TV shows such as The Mod Squad, The Monkees, The Tonight Show and The Joey Bishop Show. He appeared in the films “Desperately Finding Susan”, “It’s You Baby” and “Cookies”. In 1972, Blavat bought a nightclub in Margate, New Jersey, which he named Memories.