Benny Mardones


Ruben Armand "Benny" Mardones was an American pop/rock singer and songwriter who was best known for his hit single "Into [the Night (Benny Mardones song)|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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Early life and career

Ruben Armand Mardones was born 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's band was called 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 No. 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 him being dropped by his label Polydor Records. Though he eventually overcame his addiction, Mardones produced no other hits during his career.
In a TV interview on KTLA, Mardones recalled how the song was inspired by a conversation between him and co-author Robert Tepper, after seeing a 16-year-old neighbour take Mardones's dog for a walk. In the real life scene, there was no romantic link.
"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 then followed suit. Curb Records signed Mardones and he re-recorded the song as "Into the Night '89"; it became a hit once more, peaking at No. 20 on the Billboard Hot 100. The track appeared on his self-titled release that year.

Personal life and death

On October 4, 2011, Mardones married his third wife, Jane Braemer, who was originally from Denmark. Together, they resided in Menifee, California. Mardones had a son, Michael, from a previous marriage.
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 led to repeated falls and hip injuries. He died at age 73 from complications of the disease on June 29, 2020.

Discography

Studio albums

Live albums

  • 2007: Turning Stone Live 2006
  • 2008: Extended Versions
  • 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''