Jellybean

Before the DJ became the superstar producer, there was John ‘Jellybean’ Benitez. A fixture behind the decks at New York City clubs like Studio 54 and the Fun House, he translated the raw energy of the post-disco floor into pure radio gold. That’s his drum machine programming kicking off Madonna’s “Holiday,” his touch on essential remixes for Whitney Houston and Paul McCartney. Even his own hit, the kinetic street-funk of 1984’s “Sidewalk Talk,” was a clubhouse affair, penned by a pre-fame Madonna and sung by Catherine Buchanan. Benitez didn’t just make records; he built the bridge from the DJ booth to the top of the charts.