John Benitez

John Benitez
Background information
Born	November 7, 1957 New York, NY, USA
Occupation	Musician, Songwriter, DJ, Remixer, Producer
Instruments	Drums, guitar
Genres	Freestyle, pop, dance, house, R&B
Years active	1980s-present
Associated acts	Madonna The Pointer Sisters Michael Jackson Whitney Houston Duran Duran
Musician / Record Producer

John Benitez, better known as "Jellybean Benitez" (born November 7, 1957) is an American drummer, guitarist, songwriter, DJ, remixer and music producer of Puerto Rican descent. Benitez has produced and remixed for artists such as Madonna, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, the Pointer Sisters and Duran Duran.

Biography

Benitez's mother moved from Puerto Rico in the early 1950s to the South Bronx section of New York. She raised three children as a single mother, Benitez being the second child. Born in New York City, he grew up enjoying listening to music, usually playing his sister's record collection. His sister, Debbie, nicknamed him Jellybean as his initials are J.B.. He attended De Witt Clinton and John F. Kennedy High Schools but dropped out before graduating.

When he relocated to Manhattan in 1975, Benitez was exposed to disco nightclubs, which sparked his interest in DJing. He was soon performing at a nightclub called Experiment 4 and in 1980 Benitez enrolled and attended Bronx Community College, where he studied Marketing and Sales Promotions. Benitez was soon an in-demand DJ, which led to work at Electric Circus and Studio 54. In 1981, he was hired as the resident DJ of the club, Funhouse connected with Peter Presta. Benitez also hosted a weekend dance radio show at WKTU.

Benitez started to remix singles, such as Rocker’s Revenge’s "Walking on Sunshine," and Afrika Bambaataa's "Planet Rock." Stephen Bray of the group Breakfast Club went to Benitez for a remix. This led to Benitez being introduced to Bray's band mate at the time, Madonna. A romantic relationship developed between the two that lasted about two years. Benitez became involved with remixing on Madonna's self-titled debut album in 1983, including the singles "Everybody", "Borderline", and "Lucky Star." He also produced "Holiday."

Benitez went on to produce Whitney Houston's Top ten hit "Love Will Save the Day" from her sophomore album Whitney, and eventually remixed songs for such artists as Hall & Oates, George Benson, Billy Joel, The Pointer Sisters, Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney. He also remixed Duran Duran's "White Lines" (available on Remixed) and "Too Much Information" (available on Sinmix Vinyl: SIN-1675 and Strange Behaviour).

Benitez owns Jellybean Productions, JB Recording and JB Publishing. In 1995, he founded the now-defunct H.O.L.A. recording label (House Of Latin Artists) which develops hip hop and R&B music by bilingual artists and releases the recordings in both English and Spanish. On September 19, 2005, Benitez was inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame for his achievements as a DJ and producer.

A selection of Production and Remixing credits

• "Planet Rock" - Afrika Bambaataa
• "Flashdance... What a Feeling" - Irene Cara
• "Sidewalk Talk" - Jellybean featuring Catherine Buchanan and Madonna
• "Who Found Who" - Jellybean featuring Elisa Fiorillo
• "Holiday" - Madonna
• "Borderline" - Madonna (remixer)
• "Lucky Star" - Madonna (remixer)
• "Everybody" - Madonna (remixer)
• "Crazy for You" - Madonna
• "Gambler" - Madonna
• "Too Much Information" - Duran Duran (remixer)
• "White Lines" - Duran Duran (remixer)
• "Love Will Save the Day" - Whitney Houston
• "Pack Jam" - The Jonzun Crew
• "Living in a Box" - Living in a Box
• "Feel the Spin" - Debbie Harry
• "What's It Gonna Be" - Jellybean featuring Niki Harris
• "The Mexican" - Jellybean featuring Babe Ruth's (Janita Haan)
• "The Lover That You Are" - Pulse featuring Antoinette Roberson
• "If It's Meant to Last" - Sheena Easton
• "Promises, Promises" - Naked Eyes (Jellybean 7' Mix) (with Madonna)
• "Emotion" Barbra Streisand (12" single mix)