Benny Mardones facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Benny Mardones
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Mardones in 2010
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Ruben Armand Mardones |
| Born | November 9, 1946 Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | June 29, 2020 (aged 73) Menifee, California, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1978–2017 |
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| Associated acts | Robert Tepper |
Ruben Armand "Benny" Mardones (born November 9, 1946 – died June 29, 2020) was an American pop and rock singer and songwriter. He became famous for his hit song "Into the Night". This song was so popular that it reached the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 music chart twice! It first hit number 11 in 1980 and then number 20 again in 1989.
Contents
Early Life and Music Career
Benny Mardones was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on November 9, 1946. His father, Ruben Sr., was from Santiago, Chile. Benny's father moved back to Chile when Benny was a baby. Benny had a sister and several half-siblings who live in Chile.
Benny grew up in Savage, Maryland. He finished high school at Howard High School in Ellicott City, Maryland, in 1964. After high school, he joined the U.S. Navy. He then moved to New York City to start his music career. There, he wrote many songs with his writing partner, Alan Miles.
Benny Mardones started his career by writing songs for other artists. Some of these artists included Brenda Lee and Chubby Checker. He would record demo versions of the songs he wrote. A music manager named Tommy Mottola suggested that Benny should record his own songs. From then on, Benny wrote and recorded over 100 songs himself. His band was known as the Hurricanes.
The Hit Song: "Into the Night"
Benny Mardones co-wrote his famous 1980 soft rock hit "Into the Night" with Robert Tepper. This song was part of Benny's second album, Never Run, Never Hide. "Into the Night" became a huge success, reaching number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It also sold enough copies to be certified platinum, meaning it sold over a million units!
Benny Mardones once shared how the song was inspired. In a TV interview, he said he and Robert Tepper were talking after seeing a 16-year-old neighbor walking Benny's dog. This everyday moment sparked the idea for the song. You can watch a video about it here.
"Into the Night" became popular again in 1989. A radio station in Phoenix, Arizona, called KZZP, played a segment called "Where Are They Now?". This segment reminded listeners of older songs. Then, Scott Shannon, a program director for Pirate Radio in Los Angeles, added "Into the Night" to his station's playlist. Other radio stations across the country followed. Soon, "Into the Night" was a hit for a second time! It reached number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100. Because of this, Curb Records signed Benny Mardones. He then recorded "Into the Night '89" for his self-titled album that year.
Personal Life and Later Years
On October 4, 2011, Benny Mardones married Jane Braemer. She was from Denmark. They lived together in Menifee, California. Benny also had a son named Michael, who was born in 1985, from an earlier marriage.
Benny Mardones was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in the year 2000. This is a condition that affects movement. Even with his illness, Benny continued to travel and perform his music until the mid-2010s. In July 2018, he had a special surgery called deep brain stimulation. This surgery helps to reduce some of the symptoms of Parkinson's. However, he had some problems after the surgeries. These problems caused him to have trouble with his balance, leading to falls and hip injuries. Benny Mardones passed away at the age of 73 on June 29, 2020. His death was due to complications from Parkinson's disease.
Music Albums
Benny Mardones released many albums during his career. Here are some of them:
Studio Albums
- 1978: Thank God for Girls
- 1980: Never Run, Never Hide
- 1981: Too Much to Lose
- 1985: Unauthorized
- 1986: American Dreams (with the Hurricanes)
- 1989: Benny Mardones
- 1993: The Lost Tapes
- 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 (with the Hurricanes)
Live Albums
These albums were recorded during his live performances:
- 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 (EPs)
EPs are shorter than full albums:
- 1980: Live Sides
- 1985: Unauthorized
- 2013: The Lost Tapes
Singles
These are individual songs released by Benny Mardones:
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions |
Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US |
US AC |
AUS | CAN | NZ | |||
| 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
