Benny Mardones
(born November 9, 1946 in Cleveland, Ohio) is an American pop singer and songwriter who is best known for his hit single "Into the Night", which hit the Top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart twice, in 1980 and again in 1989.
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BENNY MARDONES TICKETS
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Career
Due to the success of "Into the Night,"
Curb Records signed Mardones and he recorded "Into the Night '89." The track appeared on his self-titled release (known as the "Blue Album" by his fans.) Not long after that, Mardones appeared on a
Showtime tribute to
Roy Orbison, alongside such luminaries as
Bob Dylan,
John Fogerty,
Johnny Cash and
K.D. Lang.
Elvis Presley's band was the house band for the evening. When Mardones came on stage to sing "Running Scared," few people knew his name, but when he finished the song, he received a standing ovation.
Even though his lone hit charted twice, Mardones is still considered a "
one-hit wonder." He continues to have a substantial fan following in
Syracuse, New York with his band called the Hurricanes.
Mardones began his career as a songwriter. He has written songs for people like Brenda Lee and Chubby Checker. He used to demo the songs he wrote and someone suggested that he record his own songs.
Since that time he has written and recorded over 100 songs.
Into the Night
The story behind "Into the Night" charting twice is this: In 1989,
KZZP, a radio station in
Arizona, ran a segment titled "Where Are They Now?" The most popular question was "Whatever happened to the guy who sang 'Into the Night'?"
Scott Shannon, then program director for
Pirate Radio in
Los Angeles, added "Into the Night" to its playlist. Radio stations across the country followed suit and "Into the Night" was once again a hit.
Mardones was 33 years old when the song became a hit for the first time and he still lives quite well on the royalties received from this song that was also a hit in 1989.
Personal life
Mardones was raised in
Savage, Maryland, and, as of 2008, resides in Southern California. He has one son, Michael, who was born in 1985.
Mardones has been diagnosed with
Parkinson's Disease.
See also
- 1980s One-hit wonders in the United States