Benny Mardones
Benjamin" Ruben Armand "Benny" Mardones (November 9, 1946 – June 29, 2020)[1] was an American pop/rock singer and songwriter noted for his hit single "Into the Night,"[2] which hit the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart twice, in 1980 (#11) and again in 1989 (#20).
Benny Mardones | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Benjamin Ruben Armand Mardones |
| Born | November 9, 1946 Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | June 29, 2020 (aged 73) Menifee, California, U.S. |
| Genres | Brown-eyed soul, soft rock |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1978–2017 |
| Labels | Polydor, Curb, Warrior |
| Associated acts | Robert Tepper |
Early life and career
Benny Mardones was born Benjamin Ruben Armand Mardones on November 9, 1946, in Cleveland, Ohio. His father, Ruben Sr., who was originally from Santiago, Chile, left the family when Benny was an infant and returned to Chile. Mardones had a sister, two half-brothers, and two half-sisters who live in Chile.
Mardones grew up in Savage, Maryland, and graduated from Howard High School in Ellicott City, Maryland in 1964. He joined the U.S. Navy after high school and served in the Vietnam War. After his discharge, he moved to New York City to pursue his singing and songwriting career, and composed several songs with writing partner Alan Miles.
Mardones began his career as a songwriter, writing songs for people like Brenda Lee and Chubby Checker. He demoed the songs he wrote, and Tommy Mottola suggested that he record his own songs. From that point he wrote and recorded over 100 songs. Mardones' band was the Hurricanes.
Into the Night
Mardones co-wrote the 1980 soft rock hit "Into the Night" with Robert Tepper. The track was featured on his second album Never Run, Never Hide, and peaked at #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and went platinum. Its success catapulted Mardones into the limelight, but he spiraled into substance abuse that resulted in his being dropped by his label Polydor Records. Though he eventually overcame his addiction, Mardones' career produced no other hits.
In a TV interview on KTLA 5 "a while" before his death, Benny recalled how the song was inspired by a conversation between him and co-author Robert Tepper, after seeing a 16 year old neighbour take Benny's dog for a walk. In the real life scene, there was no romantic link. (YouTube video)
"Into the Night" charted a second time in 1989 when Phoenix, Arizona radio station KZZP ran a segment titled "Where Are They Now?", and Scott Shannon, then-program director for Pirate Radio in Los Angeles, added "Into the Night" to its playlist. Other stations across the country followed suit and "Into the Night" was once again a hit, peaking at #20 on the Billboard Hot 100. Curb Records signed Mardones and he recorded "Into the Night '89." The track appeared on his self-titled release that year.
Personal life
On October 4, 2011, he married his third wife, Jane Braemer, originally from Denmark, and they resided in Menifee, California. Mardones had a son, Michael (born 1985), from a previous marriage.
Illness and death
Mardones was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2000, but continued to tour and perform until the mid-2010s. In July 2018, he underwent deep brain stimulation to reduce his motor symptoms, but complications from multiple surgeries resulted in coordination issues that resulted in repeated falls and hip injuries.
Mardones died at age 73 from complications of the disease on June 29, 2020.[1][3]
Discography
Studio albums
- 1978: Thank God for Girls
- 1980: Never Run, Never Hide
- 1981: Too Much to Lose
- 1986: American Dreams (Benny Mardones & the Hurricanes)
- 1989: Benny Mardones
- 1996: Stand By Your Man
- 1998: Bless a Brand New Angel
- 2002: A Journey Through Time
- 2006: Let's Hear It for Love
- 2015: Timeless (Benny Mardones & the Hurricanes)
Live albums
- 2007: Turning Stone Live 2006
- 2008: Extended Versions (Live)
- 2008: Turning Stone Live 2007
- 2009: Turning Stone Live 2008
- 2010: Turning Stone Live 2009
Extended plays
- 1980: Live Sides
- 1985: Unauthorized
- 2013: The Lost Tapes
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions |
Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [4] |
US AC [5] |
AUS[6] | CAN[7] | NZ[8] | |||
| 1970 | "Stand and Be Counted" (released as Troy) | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles |
| 1972 | "Please Say You Want Me" (released as Troy) | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "If You Gotta Break Another Heart" (released as Troy) | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1978 | "All for a Reason" | — | — | — | — | — | Thank God for Girls |
| 1980 | "Into the Night" | 11 | — | 19 | 12 | 29 | Never Run, Never Hide |
| "Hometown Girls" | 103 | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1981 | "Sheila C." | — | — | — | — | — | Too Much to Lose |
| 1989 | "Into the Night" | 20 | 20 | — | — | — | Benny Mardones |
| "I Never Really Loved You at All" | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "I'll Be Good to You" | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1993 | "Two Worlds, Two Hearts" | — | — | — | — | — | Stand By Your Man |
| 1995 | "Dream Baby" | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1996 | "It's All in the Game" | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Stand By Your Man" | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003 | "I Know You By Heart" (Katrina Carlson with Benny Mardones) | — | 25 | — | — | — | Untucked (Katrina Carlson album) |
| 2006 | "Into the Night/Da Heat of the Night" (Conrad Hilton featuring Benny Mardones) | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles |
| "I Believe in Miracles" | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "United We Stand" (featuring Teresa James) | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" (featuring Tamara Walker) | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Please Say You Want Me" | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "The Train Don't Stop Here Anymore" | — | — | — | — | — | Let's Hear It for Love | |
| 2011 | "Forever Hypnotized" | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "From Me to You" | — | — | — | — | — | Bless a Brand New Angel | |
| "Everything That Touches You, Touches Me" | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Bless a Brand New Angel" | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Please Say You Want Me" | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles | |
| "And Tomorrow Means Another Day That We're Apart" | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Into the Night/Da Heat of the Night" (featuring Conrad Hilton) | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012 | "I've Got You" | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Into the Night (2012)" | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015 | "Where Angels Fly" | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 2016 | "Christmastime in Syracuse" | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 2017 | "No Words for Love" | — | — | — | — | — | Bless a Brand New Angel |
See also
- 1980s One-hit wonders in the United States
References
- "'Into the Night' Singer Benny Mardones Dies at 73". Variety. June 29, 2020. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
- Grein, Paul (May 7, 1989). "Old Records Are New Hits". Los Angeles Times. p. 76. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
- Unterberger, Andrew (June 29, 2020). "Benny Mardones, 'Into the Night' Singer, Dies". Billboard. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
- "Benny Mardones Chart History". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 7, 2019. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
- "Benny Mardones Chart History". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 7, 2019. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
- Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 191. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- "Item: 252 – Library and Archives Canada". Bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
- Steffen Hung. "charts.nz – Benny Mardones – Into The Night". Charts.nz. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
External links
- Benny Mardones discography at Discogs
- Allmusic
- Official MySpace site
- Fan site
- HIM Online Magazine Interview
- Interview with Benny Mardones
- Wiser, Carl (2011). "Benny Mardones : Songwriter Interviews". Songfacts.
- "HIM Interview Series: Into the Night, Getting Personal with Michael Mardones". HIM, mens magazine online. January 9, 2013. Archived from the original on December 27, 2013.
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