Thursday, March 28, 2024

Pete Bennett, Famed Promo Man for the Beatles, Dies at 77

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I just heard that Pete Bennett died on Thanksgiving. What a shame. He was a great guy, an original, the real thing. He was one of those people who really made the Beatles what they were in the US. I’ll never forget Pete showing up at Westbury Music Fair in 1999 and helping us film for “Only the Strong Survive.”Also Pete gave me a bootleg DVD of “The Concert for Bangla Desh” long before one was really available. He knew everything, and had everything.

Here’s what his office sent:

The man Billboard Magazine named “World’s Top Promotion Man,” Pete Bennett, 77, died suddenly of a heart attack Thanksgiving day in Connecticut.

Bennett, born in the Bronx, NY is credited for propelling the careers of the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson, The Who, Simon and Garfunkel, James Taylor and many others.

Described by Paul McCartney as “the promotion man responsible for getting the Beatles on the radio,” Bennett was named Director of Promotion for the Beatles’ Apple Records label in 1968.  After the break-up of the group, Bennett guided the promotional efforts to radio for the solo releases by John Lennon, Ringo Starr, George Harrison and McCartney.

Over the years in interviews when Bennett was asked why his services were in such demand, he would say “I make unknowns into stars and stars into superstars.”

Among his many legendary achievements, Bennett, working side-by-side with Harrison, produced the world’s first global charity event, “The Concert for Bangladesh,” at Madison Square Garden in 1971.  The former Beatle requested Bennett to use his clout and relationships to secure some of the biggest rock stars of the time, including Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr, Leon Russell and Billy Preston.

In 1975 when Michael Jackson and his brothers were looking to leave Motown Records, Bennett orchestrated a deal to bring the Jacksons to Epic Records.

Well known for his eye for talent, Bennett is recognized as the first music executive to discover Aerosmith front man Steven Tyler, when he was in a Yonkers, NY band called Chain Reaction.

As impactful as Bennett’s accomplishments were in the music industry, his long list of relationships spanned a who’s who of politics, sports, television and movies, including Bob Hope, Muhammad Ali, Richard Nixon, Elvis Presley, Dick Clark, Nat King Cole, John Wayne and Bobby Vinton.

Bennett is survived by his wife of 47 years, Annette, and his two sons, Peter and Joseph, all of Connecticut.  Services will be private. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the American Heart Association.

Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.
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