On Tuesday, September 13, 2016, at 1:30 pm, the Garden State Arts Foundation continued it’s season of free live entertainment for NJ residents aged 55 and over with a concert entitled “Jerry ‘The Geator’ Blavat Presents A Salute to Motown featuring the Contours, The Elgins, and The Marvelettes.”
Since 1984, the Foundation has provided free programs for senior citizens, families, and children at the PNC Bank Arts Center and other locations throughout New Jersey.
According to Ronald Gravino, Vice President of GSAF’s Board of Trustees, “no federal, state, local, or Garden State Parkway toll money” is used to fund any GSAF presentations. Rather, the programs are presented by donations from such long-time GSAF partners as PNC Bank, Live Nation, Serius XM ’60s on 6 radio, WOLD Oldies 1079 radio, Sills Cummins and Gross, and the Hon. Jerold Zaro, in addition to support from new partners including The Two River Times, the Hon. Jerry Langer, The Hovnanian Foundation, NJ Resources, First Energy, and Sen. Joseph M. Kyrillos, Jr., along with contributions from the general public.
Opening the show on this gorgeous September afternoon is Jerry “The Geator” Blavat, a NJ area DJ well known today for promoting classic oldies music on the radio. In the 1960s, however, it was Blavat who introduced the world to new artists like The Four Seasons and The Isley Brothers on his popular radio show and also appeared as an actor on TV on such 60s-era programs as The Monkees and The Mod Squad.
Revealing to the audience that he originally began his career as a 13-year-old dancer on TVs Bandstand, he later became road manager for Danny and the Juniors of “At the Hop” fame and eventually became a DJ on WCAM Radio in Camden, NJ. It was there he came up with the various nicknames he’s now used for decades to describe himself including “the Geator with the Heater” and “the big boss with the big hot sauce.”
Blavat tells the crowd of more than 4500 NJ music lovers at the PNC Bank Arts Center, “I love Jersey,” going on to explain, “Not cuz of the tomatoes…or the corn… but because of the people.”
And just like he’s done for a over a half-century, Blavat introduces the people of New Jersey to the current edition of one of Detroit’s first supergroups — The Marvelettes — calling them “The #1 hit girl group before The Supremes.”
At this point, the 2016 edition of The Marvelettes — featuring Violet Wakefield, Vivienne Lewis, and Stephanie Laws — take the stage and open with the first-ever Motown song to reach the #1 position on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart — the 1961 smash, “Please Mr. Postman.” Later recorded in 1963 by The Beatles and again in 1975 by The Carpenters, the audience shows they know all the words to this famous number as many sing along, especially on the catchy “You gotta wait a minute wait a minute” lyric.
Next up are two Marvelettes hits from 1963, “Playboy” and “Beechwood 4–5789,” the second tune having been co-written by Marvin Gaye.
Asking the crowd, “Is anyone here from Jersey?” and “Are you having a good time?,” The Marvelettes go on to perform the well-known Smokey Robinson-penned 1966 number, “Don’t Mess With Bill.”
Moving on to 1964’s “You’re My Remedy,” a soulful granny in the audience struts across the PNC Arts Center’s main aisle dancing as members of the audience take note of her spontaneous performance and applaud her for it. Acknowledging such spirited contributions by the crowd, Marvelettes’ vocalist Vivienne Lewis changes the lyrics of “You’re My Remedy” singing, “JERSEY is my remedy.”
Joining the Marvelettes back on stage, Blavat says, “I love Jersey because people dance in Jersey.” And as if to prove that point, several more members of this Jersey audience dance in the aisles to the Marvelettes’ final song of the afternoon, their 1964 up-tempo tune, “Too Many Fish in the Sea.”
Following hearty applause, Blavat introduces The Elgins — Sharon Ginyard, Guy Isley, Arthur Thompson, and Tyrone Covington — who open their portion of the program with their 1966 tune, “Stay in my Lonely Arms.”
As Ginyard sings lead on the group’s next tune, “Red Light in the Basement,” at least one PNC Bank Arts Center stage hand can be seen strutting and dancing….backstage!
Following the doo-wop influenced number, “It’s Been a Long Long Time,” Ginyard informs the crowd, “Coming up is probably our most famous number, so get up and dance and shake your tail feathers.” At this point, The Elgins perform their 1966 Holland/Dozier/Holland-penned tune, “Heaven Must Have Sent You.”
Ginyard and the Elgins conclude their portion of the afternoon’s program with a rousing version of the Wilson Pickett hit, “634–5789 (Soulsville, USA).”
Following lots of cheers, Blavat strides on stage to introduce the Contours — founding member Joseph Billingsly, Jr., along with Gary Grier, Al Chisolm, Dejuan Brock, and Lyall Hoggatt — all wearing their dapper white suits!
The group opens with a snappy version of “First I Look at the Purse,” a tune co-written by Smokey Robinson and Bobby Rogers — the songwriting duo who also created the Temptations very first hit, “The Way You Do The Things You Do.” With sharp Temptations-like dance moves, in addition to wonderful harmonies and a terrific falsetto lead vocal by Al Chisolm, the group energizes the audience with a captivating performance.
They follow that up with their rendition of a bouncy number the group says “was written by Motown founder Berry Gordy specifically for The Contours,” 1962’s barn-burner, “Shake Sherry.”
“We’re gonna slow it down now... ‘cuz we’re tired,” jokes Gary Grier as he introduces the group’s next song while reminding members of this Jersey crowd to “always keep in touch with your loved ones.” With that, the men perform “That Day When She Needed Me” — a song written by Smokey Robison especially for The Contours — featuring wonderful vocal harmonies in addition to call-and-response questions and answers between the backup vocalists and the lead singer.
“Now we’re gonna kick it up a notch,” says Grier as they feature more Temptations-like dance moves on “Just a Little Misunderstanding” — a tune co-written by the legendary Motown teenage prodigy, Stevie Wonder.
After introducing the members of the quintet to the crowd, The Contours perform a tune which features the deeply resonant voice of bass singer, Lyall Hoggatt. He gets a standing ovation — while still singing the opening bars! — to The Righteous Brothers’ 1964 smash, “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin.’”
“You SING it!,” screams an audience member, as the group performs a soulful and rich rendition of this classic number.
Changing the tempo by saying “We hope you brought your dancing shoes!,” the group performs a medley of lively 60s-era dance tunes including Sam Cooke’s 1962 hit, “Twistin’ the Night Away” and Chubby Checker’s 1960 chart-topper, “The Twist.”
The Contours conclude their portion of the show by presenting an scintillating version of their own #1 R&B hit, “Do You Love Me?,” with audience members dancing both in and out of their seats!
Following the performance, several audience members stop to congregate and chat about their experience this afternoon.
Marion from Scotch Plains, for instance, says, “The music from the 60s is the best. We danced to it and we remember the words,” going on to add, “Did you look around? People with gray hair were dancing in the aisles!”
Then, taking a moment to reflect, Marion also notes, “I love being my age and hearing this music again.” At this point, she smiles, and with a twinkle in her eye wistfully reveals, “Every song reminds me of a different boyfriend I had growing up in Brooklyn.”
And, like Marion, many others in this audience surely experienced nostalgic feelings for days gone by as the sounds of their youth were recreated live on stage in this tribute to the great music of Motown.
And if the crowd at the PNC Arts Center is any indication, it’s not likely this music will be forgotten any time soon because, as Marion suggests, these songs are keys which can magically and instantaneously unlock priceless memories of youth.
That’s probably one reason why so many seem to be strolling out of the venue on this beautiful September day with a little spring in their step, many still humming:
“Now do you love me?
(Do you love me… now that I can dance?)
Watch me, now!”
For more information on Jerry “The Geater” Blavat, please go to geatorgigs.webs.com. For more info on The Contours, please go to thecontours.net. For more on additional free performances for New Jersey residents 55 and over — including Tony Orlando on Sept. 22, 2016 — please go to gsafoundation.org.
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