Philly’s own "Geator with the Heater" Returns to the Kimmel Center
March 28, 2006
Philly’s own legendary DJ the "Geator with the Heater", Jerry Blavat, once again brings the nostalgic sounds of the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s to the Kimmel Center’s Verizon Hall on Saturday, April 15, 2006 at 8pm. Joining the Geator are special friends, The Soul Survivors ("Expressway to Your Heart"), The Five Satins ("In the Still of the Night"), Kenny Vance and the Planotones ("Gloria") and Jay and the Americans ("This Magic Moment").
Tickets for Jerry Blavat’s Geator Gold are $81, $71, $56, $46, and $41, and can be purchased by calling 215-893-1999, online 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 215-893-5883.
A limited number of $10 tickets are available for every Kimmel Center Presents performance at the Kimmel Center. Tickets go on sale the day of the event and can be purchased at the Kimmel Center box office beginning 2.5 hours prior to evening performances and 11:30am for matinees.
Jerry Blavat began his career on a bet that he could hold a radio session based at a nightclub. However, on the night of his one-hour segment there was a huge snowstorm. Ever tenacious Blavat drove to the radio station and commenced to air his show—all night long until the morning guy showed up at 6am. The rest is history. Since then he has been airing shows on his terms with smaller stations that give him the independence that gives room for his personality to shine through. It may be tempting to say that "they don’t make them like they used to" but it would be more accurate to say they never made them like this Geator.
Born November 2, 1938, Jay Black began his singing career by writing songs with neighborhood friend Marty (Sanders) Kupersmith. After hearing one of their songs, a record company asked if they could come up with a name and release it as a single. Using the name The Two Chaps, they recorded the songs "No More" and "Forgive Me." Jay and Marty continued to write and produce records for the next few years, until Marty joined the group Jay and the Americans. In 1962, Jay and the Americans were desperately seeking a lead singer, and Marty brought Jay Black into the group.
Jay Black and the Americans charted a string of hits on the United Artists label featuring the voice of Jay Black, including "Only In America," "Come A Little Bit Closer," "Cara Mia," "This Magic Moment," and "Walkin' In The Rain." During the group's heyday, they made countless television appearances, on shows such as Shindig, Hullabaloo, Where The Action Is, Johnny Carson, Mike Douglas, Merv Griffin, Red Skelton, and Sammy Davis, Jr., and in 1966 were featured in the movie "Wild, Wild Winter" singing "Two of a Kind." Jay and the group were the opening act for The Beatles' first appearance in the United States, and they went on to open for The Rolling Stones and other top British acts. In spite of the British invasion, Jay and his boys carried the American flag almost single-handedly through the 1960's with 21 chart singles.
Jay Black and the Americans continue to tour and play to sold-out audiences. Their stirring performance of "Cara Mia" on the 2001 PBS show "Rock, Rhythm and Doo Wop" has generated a resurgence in popularity for the group, and Jay Black has earned the nickname "The King of Westbury" for his unparalleled record of sell-out concerts at New York's Westbury Music Fair.
Formed by leader Fred Parris, The Five Satins is comprised of Wes Forbes, Lewis Peeples, Rich Freeman and Sy Hopkins. The group is best known for the Fred Parris original,In the Still of the Night, which was written by Parris while on night duty in the Army. Upon his return home, the ensemble recorded the song in the basement of their local church, and later that same year hit the top forty, peaking at number 24. During the height of it’s success, Parris was re-stationed in Japan and the group created a new lineup lead by lead singer Bill Baker and comprised of Jim Freeman, Al Denby, Eddie Martin and Jessie Murphy. In 1985, Parris returned from Japan and replaced lead the group once again. The song that made them famous returned to the charts in 1960 and 1961, but the group broke up soon after. In 1969, Parris reformed the group, made up of an entirely new ensemble. They went on to appear in the 1973, Let the Good Times Roll, and in 1982 recorded another chart topper, Memories of the Days Gone By.
As a kid in New York, Kenny Vance was captivated by the magic of rock and roll. At fifteen he was hanging around the Brill Building meeting other singers and songwriters and eventually formed the successful group Jay and The Americans. They went on to record fifteen albums, tour extensively and open for The Beatles and The Rolling Stones for each of their first U.S. performances.
Kenny remained with Jay and The Americans throughout their entire eleven-year career. In the years that followed, Kenny began an expansive career that kicked off with producing the first record for Walter Becker and Donald Fagen - Steely Dan. Kenny Vance went on to compose, supervise and produce a long list of scores and soundtracks for feature films and television giving the Alan Freed story, "American Hot Wax," its musical life by recreating the groups of the 50's and 60's for the screen. The Planotones were formed for the film and gave their first on-screen performance. In addition, Vance was musical director for Saturday Night Live and music supervisor for "Animal House," "Eddie & The Cruisers," and "Looking For An Echo." As an actor Kenny has appeared in "Hurly Burly," "Billy Bathgate," "American Hot Wax," "Eddie & The Cruisers," and in several Woody Allen films.
The Soul Survivors, originally from New York City, grew up listening to the R&B groups of the 1950's.The sounds of groups like the Moonglows, Heartbeats, and Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers had a great influence on brothers Charlie and Rich Ingui. With various street corner groups, they developed their vocal skills. While in high school, Charlie joined the vocal group from Queens, New York, The Dedications. When, a year later, the group's lead singer decided to leave, brother Rich was recruited. The group now consisted of the Ingui brothers, Kenny Jeremiah and Bobby Bosco. While performing at clubs in the New York area, they found themselves at the mercy of house bands and decided to find a group of musicians who would become permanent members of the group, thereby creating a self contained unit. They would be renamed The Soul Survivors.
Shortly thereafter, with some personnel changes, the group began to build a strong following, playing venues in Atlantic City and Philadelphia. Enjoying great success in Philadelphia, they attracted the attention of record producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. Into the recording studio they went, emerging with "Expressway To Your Heart", a song that would climb to #3 on Billboard's R&B chart and #4 on It's Top 100 list. The success of "Expressway" was somewhat of a surprise, given that records by white artists were rarely played on radio stations programmed for mostly black audiences. "Expressway" became Gamble and Huff's first "crossover" hit when it began to be played on both white and black stations. It's success enabled Gamble and Huff to reach the large audiences they sought in order to bring their "Sound Of Philadelphia" to the mass market.
Kimmel Center Presents’ 2005/2006 season is supported by: Mellon Financial Corporation, University of Pennsylvania Health System, Sovereign Bank, The American Express Company, Verizon Foundation, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the National Endowment for the Arts, and The William Penn Foundation. Special Student Matinees at the Kimmel Center are generously supported by Merck & Co., Inc. American Airlines is the Official Airline of Kimmel Center Presents. Toyota is the Official Vehicle of Kimmel Center Presents Jazz and World Pop programming. In-kind support is generously provided by Deloitte and Southern Wine and Spirit. NBC-10 is a Media Partner for Kimmel Center Presents.
KIMMEL CENTER PRESENTS
Sovereign Bank World Pop Mix
Saturday, April 15, 2006 | 8pm
Verizon Hall
Jerry Blavat, host
Jay Black and the Americans
The Five Satins
Kenny Vance and the Planotones
The Soul Survivors
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