Philadelphia’s Legendary Radio Personality Jerry Blavat Salutes the 60’s and 70’s in a Nostalgic Doo Wop and Disco Reunion with Special Guests at the Kimmel Center on January 26
January 3, 2008
Featuring special guests Peaches & Herb, Eddie Holman, The Manhattans, Candi Staton, The Trammps, and G.C. Cameron
Philadelphia’s legendary radio personality Jerry Blavat returns to the Kimmel Center to host a Salute to the 60’s and 70’s with an all-star line-up of performers on Saturday, January 26, 2008 at 8pm in Verizon Hall. The "Geator with the Heater" will take a nostalgic walk down memory lane with doo wop and disco greats such as "The Sweethearts of Soul" Peaches & Herb, performing their monster hit "Reunited"; Eddie Holman and his celebrated love song "Hey There Lonely Girl"; The Manhattans performing "Kiss and Say Goodbye"; among other stars of the 60’s and 70’s Candi Staton, The Trammps, and The Spinners’ G.C. Cameron.
This concert is the fifteenth concert in the World & Pop Series scheduled for the Kimmel Center Presents 2007/2008 season. The next concert in the series will be the Paco Peña Flamenco Ensemble on Sunday, January 27, 2008 at 3pm in Verizon Hall.
Tickets for Jerry Blavat’s Geator Gold are $41, $46, $56, $71, and $81 and can be purchased by calling 215-893-1999, online at www.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 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 curtain time and 11:30am for matinees. Limit one ticket per person.
Now with more than 45 years of radio experience, South Philadelphia bred "Boss with the Hot Sauce" and "Geator with the Heater" Jerry Blavat 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 the Philadelphia region. 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. In 1967, WIFL-TV 6 offered the Geator a daily show called "Jerry’s Place," which was eventually syndicated coast-to-coast in 42 markets. Blavat began hosting "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 event "DooWop 50" and "DooWop 51."
Vocalist duo Peaches & Herb debuted in 1967 with a string of successful singles, including "Let’s Fall in Love," "Close Your Eyes," "For Your Love," and "Love Is Strange." Their 1976 album, 2 Hot, went platinum, featuring one of disco’s all-time greatest hits "Shake Your Groove Thing" which peaked at #5 on Billboard’s Hot 100 in 1979. Their unlikely follow-up, the ballad "Reunited," reached #1 in 1980.
Philadelphia native Eddie Holman struck gold in 1970 with his timeless love song, "Hey There Lonely Girl." Holman’s other hits include "This Can't Be True," "Am I a Loser From the Start," "I Love You," "Don't Stop Now" and "Cathy Called."
The Manhattans originally came to attention in the 1960’s with a string of hits, but broke out of their doo-wop mold and achieved major national success with their love song "A Million to One" in 1972. The Manhattans also received critical acclaim for their chart-topping R&B hit "One Life to Live" and the 1976 platinum-selling #1 pop and R&B hit "Kiss and Say Goodbye."
Candi Staton began her career as a gospel singer, touring with such greats as Mahalia Jackson and the Soul Stirrers during the 1950s as a member of the Jewell Gospel Trio. She went on to solo success as an R&B singer during the ‘60s and ‘70s and earned Grammy® nominations for her versions of hits like Tammy Wynette’s "Stand by Your Man" and Elvis Presley’s "In the Ghetto." Staton’s most famous recording, "Young Hearts Run Free," made her a name as part of the disco outbreak of 1976.
The Trammps began in Philadelphia in 1972, and became one of Atlantic Records hottest disco recording acts. Their 1977 mega-hit song "Disco Inferno" was part of the "Saturday Night Fever" soundtrack and won a Grammy® award in 1979. Other recognizable hits of the era include "Hooked for Life," "Where the Happy People Go," "Disco Party," "Body Contact," "I Feel Like I've Been Livin' (On The Dark Side Of The Moon)," "The Night the Lights Went Out," and "Soul Bones," which originally featured a harmonica solo by Stevie Wonder.
Mississippi native George Curtis "G.C." Cameron was the lead singer of Motown act The Spinners during the late-1960s and early 1970s. The group was best known for their hit "It's a Shame," co-written and produced by Stevie Wonder. When The Spinners left Motown, Cameron found solo success with his hit "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday," the theme song for the 1975 film "Cooley High" that was later covered by Boyz II Men in 1993.
Kimmel Center Presents 2007/2008 season is sponsored by Citi. Support for the Mellon Jazz Series comes from The Bank of New York Mellon. The Great Orchestra Series is supported by ARC Wheeler. Additional support is provided by the University of Pennsylvania Health System and American Express. American Airlines is the Official Airline of Kimmel Center Presents. Toyota is the Official Vehicle of Kimmel Center Presents Mellon Jazz, Mellon Jazz Up Close and World & Pop.
The Kimmel Center also receives support from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, The William Penn Foundation, The Wachovia Foundation, Verizon Foundation, PNC Foundation, The Philadelphia Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, and the Philadelphia Music Project and Dance Advance, Initiatives of The Pew Charitable Trust administered by The University of the Arts. In-kind support is generously provided by Deloitte. NBC-10 is a Media Partner for Kimmel Center Presents, and additional media sponsors include WDAS, WRTI, WJJZ, Afro-Pop, WXPN and WXPN's Kids Corner 20th Anniversary.
Free in the Plaza 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 Wachovia Foundation.
KIMMEL CENTER PRESENTS SPONSORED BY CITI
Saturday, January 26, 2008 | 8pm
Verizon Hall
World & Pop Series
Jerry Blavat
Featuring:
Peaches & Herb
Eddie Holman
The Manhattans
Candi Staton
The Trammps
G.C. Cameron
FREE AT THE KIMMEL:
Saturday, January 26, 2008 | 6pm and 11pm
Commonwealth Plaza Stage
Geator Dance Party
Dance the night away before and after the ticketed Jerry Blavat concert in Verizon Hall.
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