I Said to (John) Lennon, 'You're the Boss of Songwriting. I'm the Boss Of
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Feb-03-e6;e7 Page 1 2/6/01 11:34 AM PAGE E6 G FEBRUARY 3, 2001 The Boss From Ol’ Blue Eyes to the Beatles and beyond, Peter Bennett has touched showbiz royalty By Tony Lofaro he Prince of Promo- arms around me, but there States and it led to a return tions is holding court were no bad feelings over what club engagement, possibly lat- at Patsy’s — one of had happened.” er this year. Frank Sinatra’s fav- Bennett — who has been For about nine months, Ben- ourite New York res- photographed with showbiz’s nett has also shuttled to Ot- taurants — and talk- elite — has been the boss of tawa from his home in Green- ing about the Beatles. promotions for more than 40 wich, Connecticut, to act as ad- TIt all makes sense. Peter Ben- years. And he’s not slowing viser and possible investor on nett has worked with both down. He has recently been two business ventures with Sinatra and the Fab Four dur- spending time in Ottawa, hard- Digital Works, a printing firm ing an astounding career that ly an entertainment mecca, to on Bank Street. One is an Inter- has touched most of the big work on a couple of new ven- net project in which people names in showbusiness. tures. He has also gotten to would vote via computer on In his bulging briefcase he know some Ottawa talent. the world’s sexiest woman, the carries snapshots that tell Bennett’s extensive bio in- other is a magazine listing bios some of the tales. There’s Eliz- cludes a national hit in his mu- of models and performers who abeth Taylor, Princess Grace, sician days (a version of the would be available to casting Elvis Presley, John Lennon and Peggy Lee song Fever), a stint agents, producers and model- Yoko Ono, Michael Jackson as the national promotion ling agencies. The projects (with an Afro), the Rolling director at Apple Records and could debut later this year. Stones, Julio Iglesias, Bob Dy- a period as Nat King Cole’s lan, Eric Clapton, Sophia manager. He also helped orga- BENNETT ENTERED THE Loren. The stories are in his nize the first rock benefit, record promotion business head, and may soon be in a Concert for Bangladesh, in through the back door. book. 1971, promoted the large-scale He grew up in the Bronx, The 55-year-old Bennett, a Emerson Lake and Palmer con- where he once shined Frank hulking man with thinning cert at the opening of Montre- Sinatra’s shoes. He also made black hair, a warm smile and a al’s Olympic stadium in 1976, hero sandwiches for Ol’ Blue thick-as-cheesecake New York and produced a worldwide TV Eyes at an old New York accent, is a dead ringer for ac- special at the 1988 Seoul restaurant frequented by tor Paul Sorvino (Goodfellas), Olympics with Gloria Estefan fighters Jake LaMotta and who also happens to be a and Brooke Shields. And he Rocky Graziano. He consid- friend. He’s a distant cousin of had a long association with ered entering the priesthood, Tony Bennett, a fact he tends Bob Hope, working with the but later turned to music, buy- to downplay. ailing comedian until six years ing his first drum set at a Bennett, aka Pietro Benedet- ago pawnshop for $22. to of the Bronx, knows some- Bennett was primarily a He dreamed of being a fa- thing about record promotion. record promoter, hustling mous drummer and he won a Billboard magazine dubbed records to radio station pro- Gene Krupa drum contest. At him the World’s Top Promo- gram directors. He had to age 17, he got a break when he tion Man, Rolling Stone also make sure his clients’ records worked with bandleader Tom- hailed him as one of the top got airplay and then made it my Dorsey on a reunion tour promoters in the business. onto the Billboard record with Sinatra. Still, there was one record charts. “I worked behind Sinatra on GINO DOMENICO FOR STYLE WEEKLY even the world’s best couldn’t He has covered much ground the drums. Sinatra used to say, Peter Bennett is a distant cousin of Tony Bennett, about the only connection the World’s Best do anything with. Bennett in his career, dabbling in rock ‘Hey kiddo,’ and he called me Promotion Man downplays. His briefcase bulges with photos of some of the greats he has worked knew he couldn’t turn John music, concerts, personal man- his former shoeshine boy. He with during the past 40 years, from Mohammed Ali to Dean Martin to the Beatles and Rolling Lennon’s controversial 1973 agement and movie production embarrassed me onstage, I hat- Stones. song Woman Is the Nigger of — always as a behind-the- ed it,” says Bennett, who is sep- the World into a hit and he told scenes guy, piecing together arated from his wife, Annette, a the Beatle so. deals, soothing the egos of per- corporate headhunter. He has He says the early records Darin (Splish Splash) and other sensitivities about how they “I did not like the song and formers and working closely two grown sons, Joseph, 30, he promoted — the Shirelles’ artists. should be treated, he makes told John I would not promote with record executives. and Peter Jr., 31, who live in Tonight’s the Night and Bennett moved from record sure he puts together the right it,” says Bennett over the Just think of him as a con- Greenwich. Smokey Robinson and the Mir- promotion to personal man- team,” says Camillo, who rep- lunchtime din at this popular sigliere (the Robert Duvall In the early ’60s his own acles’ Shop Around — were agement in the mid-’60s, tak- resents Regis Philbin, Bill Cos- 56th Street eatery. “I thought character in The Godfather), a band, Pete Bennett and The tough sells, especially with the ing on Nat King Cole at a time by and Wayne Newton. the song was racist, it was not a negotiator between artist and Embers, had a modicum of program directors of “white- when the singer had no hit “Pete does not have to do commercial song, nobody record company. He’s ridden success with their recording of owned” New York radio sta- records and was largely forgot- 400 shows, lose on 150, win on would play it.” the coattails of the big stars, Fever, which led to an appear- tions. Through sheer determi- ten by the public. 100 and break even on the rest. His decision put him in con- but he still loves the smell of ance on American Bandstand. nation and guts, Bennett “Nat comes to me and he has He understands quality, not flict with the most tempera- new talent. He is always When a friend offered him a plugged away and soon several his flunkies with him. He plays quantity; that’s how best to de- mental of the Beatles. Lennon searching for the next big star, 50-per-cent partnership to dis- of the big stations began to me Ramblin’ Rose and six ac- scribe him.” stomped off to promote the eager to “enhance” (his tribute records for a new play the records he promoted. etates of new songs. I said to Bennett was thanked by Paul song himself, telling Bennett favourite word) their career. record label to radio stations, He was soon regarded by him I love Ramblin’ Rose out of McCartney in his book Many that if it turned into a hit the He helped land Ottawa he reluctantly took the job, fig- record industry types as a mar- the bunch, I could make it a hit Years from Now for helping to legendary promoter would singer Tammy Raybould a gig uring there was nothing to keting whiz, an Italian kid who for you.” promote the Beatles on the ra- have to kiss his behind. Ben- last summer at the Bitter End, lose. The record label, Mo- could get airplay for new The singer was not con- dio. “In one of the outer offices nett agreed. a vaunted New York club, after town, was a newly formed De- artists. vinced Bennett could turn the lurked Pete Bennett,” McCart- The song, of course, bombed, he met her in Montreal. troit-based company founded “Pete is one-of-a-kind and ballad, which had yet to be re- ney wrote, “a vast bulk of a never rising higher than No. 67 “He got me into New York by Berry Gordy, Jr. the personification of the inde- leased, into a hit. man with a round Italian face, on the pop charts. The promot- and without him I would not “I did not know how hard it pendent promotion man, he’s “Why do you love that looking more like a bodyguard er knew his stuff, a fact Lennon have had a name there,” says was to promote other people’s probably the originator of it,” record so much?” Bennett asks for Sinatra than the promo later acknowledged, with an Raybould, 24, of her set before records. It was a lot of work, says Seymour Stein, chairman in a deep, gravelly voice, im- man responsible for getting apology. some record industry execu- going to radio stations, getting of London-Sire Records, who personating the late singer. the Beatles on the radio.” “I said to Lennon, ‘You’re the tives. She said the Bitter End them to play records of artists signed Madonna to a record Bennett told Nat to give him boss of songwriting, I’m the gig was crucial to her chances for a label that no one had contract in 1982 after seeing her the song and he’d waive his WHEN THE BRITISH INVASION boss of promotion.’ He put his of breaking into the United heard of.” perform in New York clubs.