Benny Mardones

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.

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.

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.

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. [http://teenink.com/Past/2005/February/18725.html]

ee also

* 1980s One-hit wonders in the United States

External links

* [http://www.bennymardones.com Artist's own site]
* [http://www.myspace.com/bennymardones Official MySpace site]
* [http://www.warriorrecords.com/benny Record Label site]
* [http://www.famousinterview.ca/interviews/benny_mardones.htm Interview with Benny Mardones]
* [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:3uzyxd0bjola~T1 All Music Guide]
* [http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/mardones_benny/artist.jhtml VH1]