Benny Mardones' self titled 1989 album contains a newly recorded version of "Into the Night," a ballad built around his soothing voice and a late-night piano sound, which reached number 11 on Billboard's Top 40 nine years prior. The newer single has a more seductive feel to it and actually reached number 20 on the charts in July of 1989. "Into the Night" is truly the strongest tune out of the album's ten-song assortment, which are all meek love songs backed by hollow guitar and keyboards. Songs like "I'll Be Good to You" and "How Could You Love Me" can be compared to Jack Wagner's "All I Need" or Glenn Frey's "The One You Love," but Mardones' efforts carry even less merit. Mardones' voice does come off as enchanting and smooth, carrying highs and beefing up the choruses with grace. All the ballads sound similar and could have been colored with some bulkier lyrics or even some tempo changes. ~ Mike DeGagne, All Music Guide
Benny Mardones (Arranger), Benny Mardones (Composer), Benny Mardones (Vocals), Benny Mardones (Vocals (Background)), Benny Mardones (Producer), Benny Mardones (Main Performer), Benny Mardones (Liner Notes), Bobby Martin (Organ), Bobby Martin (Organ (Hammond)), Bobby Martin (Saxophone), Michael Thompson (Guitar), Robert Tepper (Composer), Alex Acuña (Percussion), Dave Amato (Guitar), Dave Amato (Vocals (Background)), Dennis Belfield (Bass), Ron Bloom (Guitar), Joel Diamond (Executive Producer), Duane Evans (Guitar), Duane Evans (Piano), Duane Evans (Arranger), Duane Evans (Composer), Duane Evans (Keyboards), Duane Evans (Vocals (Background)), Duane Evans (Multi Instruments), Duane Evans (Producer), Gary Falcone (Vocals (Background)), Al Fritsch (Guitar), Al Fritsch (Vocals (Background)), Claude Gaudette (Keyboards), Hanspeter Huber (Mixing), Jeff Katz (Photography), Ron Krasinski (Drums), Michael Lloyd (Synthesizer), Michael Lloyd (Arranger), Michael Lloyd (Drums), Michael Lloyd (Programming), Michael Lloyd (Producer), Michael Lloyd (Mixing), Debbie Lytton (Production Coordination), Jeni Lytton (Production Coordination), Mark Mangold (Synthesizer), Mark Mangold (Arranger), Mark Mangold (Composer), Mark Mangold (Drums), Mark Mangold (Keyboards), Mark Mangold (Producer), Dan Nebenzal (Engineer), Dan Nebenzal (Mixing), Jeff Porcaro (Drums), John Peirce (Bass), John Pierce (Bass), Carmine Rubino (Engineer), Carmine Rubino (Mixing), John Valentino (Assistant Engineer), Toby Wright (Mixing Assistant), Marguerite Luciani (Coordination), Steve Hall (Mastering)
Representative Albums: "Never Run, Never Hide," "Angel," "Too Much to Lose"
Representative Songs: "Into the Night," "How Could You Love Me," "Baby Don't"
Biography
Singer/songwriter and Maryland native Benny Mardones made a huge splash with his '80s hit "Into the Night." The song made the Top Ten twice, a first for a solo artist. Originally from the 1980 album Never Run, Never Hide, the song was also included on his self-titled 1989 release. Though his subsequent releases like 1996's Most Requested Songs and 1999's Angel didn't have quite the same chart impact as his breakthrough single, Mardones earned a strong, devoted following for his raspy voice and down-to-earth songwriting.
Mardones reciprocated this affection, often visiting and performing for terminally ill fans. Indeed, his song "Bless a Brand New Angel" was written for a young fan who succumbed to cancer; this emotional, spiritual quality imbued Mardones's later work like Angel with a new resonance. In 2002, the singer issued Journey Through Time, a collective of new recordings of originals and covers that were important to him in his career, and intended to be a soundtrack to a film about his life. In 2006, after nearly a seven-year break from new material, Let's Hear It for Love was released on Warrior Records. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide
Benny Mardones (born November 9, 1946) 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.
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 born in Cleveland, Ohio, raised in Savage, Maryland, and, as of 2008, resides in Southern California. He has one son, Michael, who was born in 1985.
