Benny Mardones
His haunting power ballad 'Into the Night' became a radio phenomenon, charting in the Top 20 in two different decades.
1946–2020 (age 74)·American singer and songwriter·Birthday: November 9·Baby Boomers
Biography
Benny Mardones co-wrote and sang 'Into the Night,' a 1980 single that climbed to No. 11 before vanishing. Nine years later, persistent radio requests in Syracuse, New York, sparked a nationwide re-release, sending the same song back up the charts. Mardones became a two-hit wonder with one track. Born in Cleveland and raised in a blue-collar Maryland household, he worked construction and sang in local bands before landing a record deal. His raspy, urgent voice carried palpable ache, telling a story of desperate love with an unforgettable melodic hook. He never replicated that singular success, battling thyroid disease and other health issues. Yet he maintained a loyal fanbase, performing until his death in 2020 at age 73. Mardones remains the voice of a specific, yearning romanticism, defined entirely by one song that refused to fade.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Benny was born in 1946, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Benny Was Born
The biggest hits of 1946
#1 Movie
The Best Years of Our Lives
Best Picture
The Best Years of Our Lives
Benny's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1946Born
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1951Started school
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1959Became a teenager
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1962Could drive
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1964Could vote
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1967Turned 21
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1976Turned 30
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1986Turned 40
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 50
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 60
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 70
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2020Died at 74
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
Key Achievements
- His single 'Into the Night' reached No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1980.
- Achieved the rare distinction of having the same song, 'Into the Night,' re-enter the Billboard Top 20 in 1989, peaking at No. 20.
- Co-wrote 'Into the Night,' which has endured as a staple on classic rock and soft rock radio formats.
Did You Know?
He was nicknamed 'The Voice of The Bronx' despite being born in Cleveland, Ohio.
The music video for 'Into the Night' was filmed in the desert near Las Vegas.
He performed the national anthem at Game 5 of the 1990 NBA Finals for the Detroit Pistons.
“I'm not a rock star. I'm a singer who had a hit record.”
