Benny Mardones

Born: 1951 in Cleveland, OH

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.

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