Rock-star pro promotes own magic

By Virginia Ross

MIDLAND, Pa. — Name a rock star, any rock star, and chances are Pete Bennett will have a story or two about him.

Bennett, former promotions man for The Beatles and Rolling Stones, can chat it up for hours about the celebrities he’s known, worked with and promoted.

“I can usually tell by how they look and act whether they’re going to make it,” Bennett said during a recent phone conversation. “The next thing is if they can actually sing.”

Bennett will share some of his stories tonight during a 30-minute lecture on rock music’s “British Invasion” at the Lincoln Park Performing Arts Center in Midland, Pa. The program will include a question-and-answer session. There will also be a concert starring guitarist Denny Laine from Paul McCartney’s post-Beatles band Wings. Backed by the Granati Brothers of Beaver Falls, Pa., Laine will perform Wings hits such as “Band on the Run” and “Live and Let Die.”

The evening will also include a performance of British Invasion hits by Lincoln Park students lead by David Granati, guitarist for the Granati Brothers and an instructor at Lincoln Park.

The evening starts at 7 p.m. General admission tickets are available for $20 and $25. Some proceeds will benefit Lincoln Park. For more information, call Lincoln Park at (724) 643-9004.