"What I play is music from the heart,
not a research chart."

Jerry Blavat, known to millions as "The Geator with the Heater" and "The Boss with the Hot Sauce", is the man many credit with having invented the oldies craze. A broadcasting pioneer, Blavat was the first disc jockey in the early '60s to play music from the '50s. He took risks, introducing audiences to songs no one else played, which became local and national hits all over again.

During a career spanning nearly five decades, Blavat has done it all. He's been a dancer, a record producer, and nightclub owner. He's launched television shows, made guest appearances in movies, and was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And what drives him first and foremost is his passion for music and the listeners he's always put first.

Now XPN listeners can enjoy the vast musical knowledge from a legend who has dedicated his life to helping audiences discover great artists and songs with The Geator's Rock and Roll, Rhythm & Blues Express.

A Jerry Blavat Time Line

• 

  1954:

  A fourteen-year-old Jerry debuted on the original Bandstand on WFIL-TV with Bob Horn and Lee Stewart.

• 1956:

  Managed a national break-out tour for Danny and the Juniors.

• 1960:

  Got his start in radio when a bet with the owner of the Venus Lounge coincided with a paralyzing snowstorm in Philadelphia. Jerry ended up playing rock 'n' roll records from his own collection through the night until his relief came at 6am That same morning, Bud Hibbs, the general manager of WCAM, asked Jerry to return because the "phones haven't stopped ringing" since he was on the air.

• 1963:

  Syndicated his show in Atlantic City, Trenton, Pottstown, Wilmington, and Allentown. He was the first DJ in the country in the early '60s to play music from the '50s.

• 1965:

  Produced a weekly TV show called "The Discophonic Scene", featuring a host who not only looked like the teens, but also danced with them - Jerry himself.

• 1970s:

  Bought a night club in Margate, New Jersey and named it Memories in keeping with his career.

• 1993:

  Inducted into the Philadelphia Music Alliance Walk of Fame

• 1998:

  Inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

• 2000:

  Named one of Jonathan Takiff's Top Five All-Time Philly DJs in The Philadelphia Daily News

• 2002:

  Recognized with the U.S. Congressional Horizon Award, given to "individuals who have contributed to the welfare of young Americans"

• 2003:

  Inducted into the Broadcast Pioneers Hall of Fame

• 2006:

  Launches The Geator Rock 'n' Roll, Rhythm & Blues Express show Saturdays at 6pm on WXPN.