At the end of February 2002, Reggie Benjamin froze as he heard the latest news update about Wall Street Journal reporter Danny Pearl. "I felt this connection to Danny," said Reggie from his home in Illinois. Before Danny Pearl left for Pakistan to gain a greater understanding of terrorist activity, he was based out of the Mumbai bureau for the Wall Street Journal, a special place in India where Reggie had spent a lot of time touring and visiting with family.

Composer and pop singer Reggie "Raj" Benjamin is notorious for his commitment to helping the poor in India, particularly donating the proceeds from the sale of his debut album, "2X-Centrix," to cleaning up the water and the environment. After reading an article about the Daniel Pearl Foundation in People Magazine, Reggie asked his publicist if there was any way he could dedicate his 2003 tour to the memory of Danny Pearl.

Due to the fact that the publicist already had an existing relationship with the Pearl family, and was familiar with the Foundation's goals, she was able to contact Ruth Pearl on behalf of Reggie, and permission was granted to acknowledge Danny's legacy while touring India.

During Reggie's concerts scheduled in Goa, Mumbai, Hyderabad, New Delhi, Madras and Bangalore, he will ask the audience to meditate with him for one minute of silence to honor Danny's memory. Reggie's success in the most remote of international locations amplifies the Foundation's desire to encourage music projects to unite performers from disparate backgrounds in a common artistic pursuit, and to bridge existing divides between cultures and religions through journalism, music and communications.

Reggie will be flying to India at the end of December to work on his second music video requested by MTV Asia. The production will take place in the snowy mountains of Simla, and will include appearances from Bollywood's most popular Indian actors. On January 7th, 8th and 9th, Reggie will be performing at the Parliament in New Delhi for the NRI, the non-residential Indian Convention.

Reggie is also working to spearhead an extended tour through Afghanistan and Pakistan. If anyone else is interested in joining Reggie, they should contact his publicist immediately at 213/617-0967, who is working to coordinate logistics with the U.S.O. and the U.S. press office for the Ambassador of Pakistan.

With retail marketing in place with 101 Distribution, Benjamin's team is determined to deliver the right mix of music critics, lifestyle press, radio program directors and music store executives to ensure a long U.S. lifespan for "2X-Centrix" and create demand for future tracks.

Growing up, he was influenced by Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson and George Michael. Today, he puts everything into being a musician. He plays the piano, guitar and drums, with a degree in music, voice/composition from Columbia College in Chicago. Benjamin's daily workout is more than two hours long and includes tap dancing, stretching, yoga, meditation and weightlifting to keep his lean sexy hot performer body!

Reggie's parents were born and raised in Madras, India.

Reggie Benjamin and "2X-Centrix" have all of the ingredients to cross over to the U.S. Market! Benjamin's aggressive three-year plan includes delivering a Grammy acceptance speech!

For interviews/CD samples, contact RAKNROLL Entertainment Inc. immediately at the phone number listed below.

COPYRIGHT 2002 Business Wire
COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group

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