Benny Mardones, the singer and songwriter of the 1980s whose ballad “Into the Night” rose to the top 20 of Billboard’s Hot 100 list twice in 10 years, died this morning after a long struggle with Parkinson’s disease. He was 73 years old.
Mardones had been bedridden at an assisted living facility in Menifee, California, since April, unable to see his wife, Jane. Earlier this month, he finally went home with her and remained in hospice care. He died at 1:15 Pacific time this morning, with Jane by his side.
Frank Malfitano, who brought leading music artists to the popular Syracuse jazz festival for almost 35 years, was a lifelong friend. He presented Mardones at the Turning Stone Resort Casino on December 16, 2017, his latest show.
“No one thought ‘La Voz’ would ever be silenced,” Malfitano said Tuesday. “He is one of us. It is a big part of Syracuse. This is a great loss. “
Ruben Armand “Benny” Mardones was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and grew up in Maryland. After graduating from high school, he enlisted in the US Navy during the Vietnam War. Later he moved to New York City and wrote songs for other musicians. He finally sang his own lyrics and finally opened for Peter Frampton and Dave Mason.
Polydor signed a record deal with Mardones and began writing with Bobby Tepper. The third song from her first album with Polydor was “Into the Night”. The ballad peaked at number 11 on the Billboard in 1980.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aWhn0Hc8ps
It was that song, Malfitano said, that put Benny “The Voice” Mardones in the elite category of rock vocalists.
“I think the similarities are with people like Elvis and Roy Orbison, who had that operatic quality in their voice. Also, Freddie Mercury, ”said Malfitano. “There is something incredibly unique about Benny Mardones.”
Mardones’ next album failed. He stopped acting and got hooked on cocaine and alcohol. After spending 10 years bouncing between Los Angeles and New York City, Mardones moved to downtown New York, where he quit his drug habit. He ended up calling Syracuse his “hometown”.
“When I was addicted to drugs, Syracuse opened my arms to me,” he told syracuse.com. “He gave me back my life. The fans never wavered. Radio stations played my songs. “
He made friends here. Doug LaLone, co-owner of The Gem Diner, was among them.
Mardones would hold a trial at LaLone’s restaurant. Customers stopped by to chat as they ate their favorite dish, the pepperoni and cheese omelette, the potato croquettes, the extra Italian toast, and lots of bacon.
“The thing about Benny is that he was very loyal to his friends and fellow musicians,” said LaLone.
Mardones started acting again after moving here. He played for 15,000 people at Long Branch Park in 1983. Two years later, he sold four shows at the Landmark Theater in downtown Syracuse. It could also draw 24,000 fans to Weedsport Speedway.
Her hit song helped with that. “Into the Night” returned in 1989 after an Arizona radio station aired “Where Are They Now?” segment in Mardones. A Los Angeles radio station then added the tune to its regular playlist, and finally returned to number 20 on the charts.
Mardones de Malfitano’s favorite songs were “Way of the World”, “If I could Have My Way” and “How could you love me”.
“These ballads are sensational,” said Malfitano. “They make ‘Into The Night’ look like a nursery rhyme. Don’t get me wrong, I love that song. It is his greatest success. The world knows Benny from that song. But there are so many songs he recorded that are equally phenomenal. “
Mardones jumped from label to label later in his career, and did occasional concerts. He also kept writing songs. On January 25, 1998, Malfitano watched Super Bowl XXXII at Mardones’ home in Playa del Rey, a beachside community just outside of Los Angeles. Temptations performed the halftime show.
Not at Benny’s. Benny Mardones was the halftime show at Benny’s house, ”said Malfitano. “I had written a lot of songs that no one had ever heard before until then. He put on a show right in his living room. Let me tell you, they were amazing. It never stopped.
Three years later, Mardones was diagnosed with Parkinson’s, a degenerative disease that has caused major health complications. For 2017, it fell almost every day. Finally limited restricted his breathing and stunted his speech. More recently, he had battle pneumonia and relied on antibiotics to clean his lungs.
However, he continued to perform from time to time, including a pre-retirement concert in 2015 at The Palace Theater with Eddie Money. And then her last show came at Turning Stone, a Christmas show.
“Benny always knew how to act for the crowd,” said Malfitano. “He had some PT Barnum in him because every night you had the best show in the world. And that’s what we have … until the last song of his final show.”
Charlie Miller and Katrina Tulloch are journalists with syracuse.com and The Post-Standard. You can contact Charlie at [email protected]. Katrina is available in [email protected].
