Jellybean Benitez

John Jellybean Benitez was one of the most influential DJs and producers of the 1980s. Inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame in 2005, the Nuyorican Benitez is best known for producing and remixing Madonna’s early hits: Everybody, Borderline and Lucky Star.

Before catapulting Madonna to fame, Benitez was already a hot DJ, spinning at classic New York dance clubs like Studio 54 and Funhouse. He would eventually remix some of the biggest acts of the '80s, including Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney and Whitney Houston as well as contribute music to such blockbuster movies as Back to the Future, Top Gun, Flashdance and Footloose.

Benitez' style combines Italo Disco with electro pop, a fusion that later laid the foundations for Latin House music. The "Jellybean sound" is making a comeback with producers like Metro Area and artists like Tracey Thorn and Sally Shapiro who harken back to simpler melodic sounds.

Benitez himself never left: he's still DJing for ginormous fees around the world.