1. Several notable musicians who hailed from the Philadelphia suburbs, including Daryl Hall and Todd Rundgren, cited Jerry Blavat as inspiring their musical careers.
21 Facts About Jerry Blavat
1. 2.
Jerry Blavat was born in South Philadelphia to a Jewish father and Italian mother.
3.
Jerry Blavat's father was a bookmaker and his mother worked at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard during World War II.
4.
In 1953, Jerry Blavat debuted on the original Bandstand on WFIL-TV with Bob Horn and Lee Stewart.
5.
Jerry Blavat got his start in radio on January 15,1961, at WCAM in Camden, New Jersey.
6.
Jerry Blavat made promotional appearances at Record Museum, a now-defunct chain of record stores based in Philadelphia, which was owned by Greene and Weinstein.
7.
Jerry Blavat appeared in the movies Desperately Seeking Susan, Baby It's You, and Cookie.
8.
In 1972, Jerry Blavat purchased a nightclub in Margate, New Jersey, and named it "Memories".
9.
In 1981, Jerry Blavat was having dinner at a South Philadelphia restaurant with Philadelphia Greek Mob boss Chelsais "Steve" Bouras, Philadelphia crime family soldier Raymond Martorano, and several other guests when Bouras was shot dead in a contract killing.
10.
DelGiorno testified that Jerry Blavat regularly served as a driver for crime boss Angelo Bruno.
11.
Jerry Blavat pled the fifth and repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, claiming that his relationship with the Bruno family was strictly personal and based on Mrs Bruno's and his mother's ancestors having come from the same town in Italy.
12.
In 1993, Jerry Blavat was inducted into the Philadelphia Music Alliance's Hall of Fame.
13.
On January 15,2020, Jerry Blavat celebrated his 60th consecutive year on radio.
14.
Jerry Blavat continued to broadcast on local radio seven days a week and perform at several record hops and events a week in the greater Philadelphia area.
15.
Jerry Blavat had been producing oldies concerts at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia every year since January 2002.
16.
Jerry Blavat had been a member of the New York Friars' Club since 2010 and had been the emcee of Time Life's annual Malt Shop Memories Cruise since 2011.
17.
In 2020, Jerry Blavat expanded his radio network to the internet station Tyme 102.9 WTYM-DB in Zephyrhills, Florida.
18.
Jerry Blavat was voted "Best Philly Icon" in a 2018 readers' poll conducted by Philadelphia magazine.
19.
Jerry Blavat had four daughters, Kathi Furia, Geraldine Jerry Blavat, Stacy Braglia, and Deserie Downey, plus five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
20.
Jerry Blavat was separated from his wife, Patricia Blavat, since 1972 and was in a long-term relationship with Rosalie Stahl since 1989.
21.
Jerry Blavat died in hospice at Methodist Hospital in Lower Moyamensing following complications from myasthenia gravis on January 20,2023, at the age of 82.