Benny Mardones, commonly referred to as “The Voice” because of his incredible vocal range, held his annual Christmas show on December 14th at the Turning Stone Showroom to a full crowd despite the blizzard conditions outside. Dedicated fans traveled from all over the northeast to see him perform with his band, The Hurricanes and they were not disappointed.
Benny’s best known for his album Never Run Never Hide in which songs such “Into the Night”, “She’s So French”, “Mighta Been Love”, and “American Bandstand” are a few of the songs most recall. However Benny was well known within the industry for his writing long before Never Run Never Hide. His amazing ability to put down on paper the emotions of so many is once again on the horizon. In 2014 fans who supported Benny through his Kickstarter Campaign will be the first to receive his new album Timeless. Fans that attended this show were treated to a few of the new songs as well as many of his most popular numbers.
Central New York has become Benny’s home away home for numerous years due to the support the area has always given him throughout his career. During highs and lows in his career and personal life, Benny has always remained in the hearts of those here in Central New York. Over the course of the last three years, I have had the opportunity to photograph and meet with Benny and speak to him.
One thing always resonates with me as I cover his shows and that is the fact that he is one of the most supportive individuals to others I have met in the industry. Each year he plays in the area because CNY was always there for him. I see him constantly giving back to the area and supporting individuals in the military, new artists that are up and coming from the area, a number of charitable causes, and foremost those fans that stayed with him in his darkest days. He is truly an amazing musician and individual as he continues to play and perform despite personal illnesses and limitations he now suffers from. He is truly and inspiration to those that know him, and for those that don’t know, he is one of musics greats and truly “Timeless.”
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