Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts

Radio Icon Jerry Blavat Celebrates 50 Years in Show Business with Legends of Doo Wop at the Kimmel Center, May 22

MAY 10, 2010

"Jerry Blavat is as 'Philadelphia' as the cheesesteak," said Governor Edward G. Rendell. "He has been the heart and soul of the Philadelphia music scene for five decades."

 

A venerable Philadelphia institution better known as “Boss with the Hot Sauce” and “Geator with the Heater,” Jerry Blavat continues his 50th anniversary celebration as a nationally-renowned radio icon with Legends of Doo Wop performing on Saturday, May 22, 2010 at 8pm in Verizon Hall.  

 

Special guests return to the stage to perform feel-good hits from the late 50s and early 60s, including Tommy Mara and The Crests “16 Candles,” rock n’ roll doo wop maverick Little Isidore, 2010 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame honoree The Chantels, Eugene Pitt and The Jive Five’s “My True Love,” The Classics “Till Then,” The Demensions “Over the Rainbow,” Cathy Jean and The Roommates “Please Love Me Forever,” and an all-star finale featuring Philly-based disco group, The Trammps.

 

"The Geator is as much a part of Philadelphia's history as the Liberty Bell, Mummers and the Phanatic.  I grew up listening to his music and congratulate him on an incredible fifty years in the business and thank him for all he does to promote Philadelphia and our music scene." — Mayor Michael Nutter

“Jerry Blavat has come a long, long way in fifty years—from McKean Street and St. Monica’s to a true Philadelphia legend. Jerry’s hard work and uniquely dynamic personality have given unforgettable memories to so many Philadelphians. I am proud to call ‘The Geator’ my good friend, and I congratulate him on his first fifty years in show business.” —City Council President Anna C. Verna

 

South Philly-bred Jerry Blavat influenced a generation of doo wop fans with his on air DJ talents in the 1950’s and 60s.  He was the first DJ to play hits such as “Sherry” by the Four Seasons and “Twist and Shout” by the Isley Brothers on air in Philadelphia.  Beginning in March 1965, Blavat produced and hosted the “Discophonic Scene” on WCAU-TV 10, featuring only live performances, including the Supremes' only Philadelphia television appearance.

 

Blavat’s iconic TV personality continued to charge the social scene with live performances  in 1967 with WIFL-TV 6 daily show “Jerry's Place” eventually syndicated coast-to-coast in 42 markets, as well as “On the Air with the Geator” in 1992, and “Backstage with Jerry Blavat” in 1997. In 1998, he was one of the radio greats inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Since then, Blavat has appeared on the PBS fundraising events “Doo Wop 50” and “Doo Wop 51.”

 

Party with DJ Mark the Spark as he spins tunes in Commonwealth Plaza prior to and following the ticketed Jerry Blavat's Legends of Doo Wop event in Verizon Hall. The 6pm party will be broadcast live on WLVT-FM 92.1.

 

Tickets for Jerry Blavat’s Legends of Doo Wop are available from $41 to $81 and can be purchased by calling 215-893-1999, online at kimmelcenter.org, or at the Kimmel Center box office, open daily from 10am to 6pm and later on performance evenings. (Additional fees may apply.) For group sales call 215-790-5883.

 

A limited number of $10 community rush tickets will be available for this performance. Tickets go on sale the day of the event and can be purchased at the Kimmel Center box office beginning at 5:30pm prior to evening curtain time. Limit one ticket per person.

 

New York-based doo-wop group The Crests is best known for the popular hit “16 Candles,” theme song of 1984 cult classic film, Sixteen Candles; the song originally rose to Number two on Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1959 and went gold after selling one million copies.  Lead vocalist Tommy Mara, also known as the “Pavarotti of Doo Wop,” has worked with the who’s who of the oldies world. Together, the group will perform several top 40 hits of the late 1950s and early 1960s, such as The Crests’ classics “A Year Ago Tonight,” “Trouble in Paradise,” “Six Nights a Week,” “Step By Step,” and “The Angels Listened In.”  In 2004, The Crests were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame.  

 

Little Isidore, otherwise known as David Foreman, is best known for the album release Inquisition of Love with Neil Posner.  Inquisition of Love included a cover of the DuMauriers’ All Night Long and was voted “Best All-Time Doo-Wop Record” by the listeners of New York’s WCBS Radio in 1997.   Dedicated to classic rock ‘n’ roll group harmony, in the early 1990’s David Foreman worked with Neil Posner to create Little Isidore and the Inquisitors, debuting in 1994 with No One Gets Hurt.  The album hit the top of Beach Music charts and New York, New Jersey, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia radio.

 

The Chantels were the second black girl group to reach nationwide success in the Unites States, outside of the Supremes, in the early 1950s. The original Bronx-based group members are best known for their second single release, “Maybe,” which became a chart topping success (number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number two on the R&B chart), and was awarded a gold disc with over one million copies sold.  When lead singer Arlene Smith decided to go solo, she was replaced by Annette Smith in 1960 and the group recorded their second huge hit on Carlton Records, “Look in My Eyes” (number 14 on the U.S. Pop charts and number six on the R&B chart). The Chantels were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010 and The Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2002.

 

American doo wop group The Jive Five was formed in Brooklyn in the late 1950s with  Eugene Pitt at the forefront.  Their 1961 hit “My True Love” reached number three on the U.S. Pop Singles chart. With the death of a band member, the group reorganized in 1962 and recorded “What Time is It,” “Three Golden Rings” and the hit “I’m a Happy Man.” In 1985, Eugene and The Jive Five began a ten year relationship with cable television channels, creating memorable advertising jingles, such as the doo wop style catch phrase “Nic-Nic-Nic” for Nickelodeon.

 

One-hit vocal group The Classics were originally known as the Perennials when formed in Brooklyn, N.Y. in 1958.  Original group members included Emil Stucchio, lead vocals, Tony Victor, first tenor, Johnny Gambale, second tenor and Jamie Troy, bass singer, who all lived on the same street and attended the same high school, later performing acts at local clubs.  The group is best known for their 1963 doo-wop version of the Mills Brothers’ hit “Till Then,” which reached the Top 20.

 

Doo Wop group The Demensions were popularly known in the early 1960s for their performances on television programs, American Bandstand and The Clay Cole Show and in Palisades Park, New Jersey. The group’s version of “Over the Rainbow” reached number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1960, followed by 1962 release of “My Foolish Heart” which reached number 95.  In 1992, The Demensions recorded again with a new group lineup to release Beyond the Rainbow.

 

Cathy Jean and The Roommates are known for the 1960 hit “Please Love Me Forever,” which reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 In New York.  Follow-ups included 1960 recordings of singles “Band of Gold” “Glory of Love” and “My Foolish Heart.”  Cathy Jean Ruiz sings with a new version of the Roommates and has hosted a Saturday morning talk show on WNYG in Long Island, N.Y.

 

The all-star finale of the Legends of Doo Wop program features Philadelphia-based super group The Trammps, one of the first disco bands. Their Grammy-Award winning “Disco Inferno” single in 1976 was featured on the Saturday Night Fever movie soundtrack in 1977, and reached number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1978. “Disco Inferno” has been popularly canonized by artists such as Tina Turner and Cyndi Lauper.  Their first major successful album was Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart in 1972.   Other hits include “Hold Back the Night” (1975) and “That’s Where the Happy People Go” (1976).

 

Kimmel Center Presents 2009/10 Season is sponsored by Citi. American Airlines is the Official Airline of Kimmel Center Presents.

 

Free at the Kimmel programming and subsidized tickets offered to the community and social service groups for $10 are made possible through the Wachovia Gateway to the Arts Community Access Program, supported by a generous grant from the Wachovia Foundation.

The Kimmel Center is a recipient of partnership funding through the nationally recognized PNC “Grow Up Great” initiative, a ten-year, $100 million investment preparing children for success in school and life. Funding gives support to the Kimmel Center’s early childhood program “Bop and Swing,” an arts program for children 1-5 years old, designed to promote an appreciation for American culture.

 

KIMMEL CENTER PRESENTS SPONSORED BY CITI

Saturday, May 22, 2010 | 8pm
Verizon Hall

 

Jerry Blavat’s Legends of Doo Wop

 

Tommy Mara and The Crests

Little Isidore

The Chantels

Eugene Pitt and The Jive Five

The Classics

The Demensions

Cathy Jean and The Roommates

The Trammps

Saturday, May 22, 2010 | 6pm and Post-Show (Approx. 11pm)
Commonwealth Plaza | Free at the Kimmel
Geator Dance Party with DJ Mark the Spark
Party with the Geator and DJ Mark the Spark as they spin tunes in the Commonwealth Plaza prior to and following the ticketed Jerry Blavat's Legends of Doo Wop event in Verizon Hall. The 6pm party will be broadcast live on WLVT-FM 92.1.

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