Village People



French composer-producer Jacques Morali came to The United States as the winner of a 20th Century Fox slogan contest. While in New York, he attended a costume ball at Les Mouches, a gay disco in Greenwich Village. As he gazed around the room, he was impressed by all the macho male stereotypes portrayed by the party guests. The idea came to him: Why not put together a group of singers and dancers, each one playing a different gay fantasy figure? Felipe Rose, a professional dancer, came that night as an American Indian. He was cast as the first image. Next came singer Alexander Briley as the uniformed GI/sailor. Victor Willis, who had been in such Broadway musicals as The Wiz and The River Niger, rounded out the trio as lead singer and lyricist. His role was as the naval commander and part-time policeman. As all had been recruited from Greenwich Village, Morali decided to call them Village People. (an e-mail from the band's management reminded us that there is no "the" in the group's name)

Their first LP was released in 1977 and aimed directly at the gay market. Soon after it hit, auditions were held for three more members. TV actor Randy Jones was hired as a cowboy. Glen Hughes, a former Brooklyn Battery Tunnel toll collector, came in as a leather clad biker (a role he played in real life as well). Last was David Hodo, the muscular construction worker in mirrored shades. A great lover of bizarre stunts, his passion for roller skating while eating fire had landed him on the TV show What's My Line?.

The title cut from their second album, "Macho Man", was a US #25 hit in the Summer of 1978, and the album itself went Platinum. Then in the Fall of that year, they released their third album, "Cruisin'". From that LP came their biggest single, "YMCA". "We were always very positive about our energy and what we did," said Randy Jones. "We never sang about broken hearts, lost love or shattered dreams. We always dealt with positive things, and a very positive place is the YMCA. They have provided food, shelter and spiritual encouragement for a lot of people for more than a century. They provide excellent physical programs for young and old, and its a very positive institution. That's why we decided to sing about it." At first, YMCA officials were alarmed by the song. They didn't know who Village People were or what they represented. They weren't sure if the tune was a tribute, a rip off, or a slap in the face. "We understood their point of view," Jones explained, "and we talked about it before we cut the song. YMCA is a trademark, and a trademark must be protected. If they allowed one person or one group to violate their rights, that would make YMCA public domain, and there'd be YMCA toothbrushes, t-shirts, towels... everything. David and I tried to communicate this to our producers, but couldn't get through. Then, when YMCA became a hit, there was a legal decision that those letters are the property of The Young Men's Christian Association. By that time, though, The Y was thinking of our song as a free commercial, so everything was cool." According to Rolling Stone magazine, "YMCA" sold more than twelve million copies, worldwide. It spent a full half-year on the charts, peaking in February 1979.

Village People had one other major hit, "In The Navy", which reached #3 in the Spring of 1979. Then in the Fall, lead singer Willis, dissatisfied with their direction, quit the group by mutual agreement. This happened days before shooting was to begin on their first motion picture, Can't Stop the Music. Ray Simpson was brought in to replace Willis, but somehow things just weren't the same. Released in June of 1980, the film, which featured "YMCA", was a box office disaster. In 1981, Village People reorganized and renounced their Disco roots. Full page ads in the music trades displayed their new look and future sound as Bowie-type rockers. By this time though, the group had been branded as a novelty act and were quickly forgotten by the record buying public. They split up in 1986 to explore solo careers, but re-united in 1988 and continued to tour.

Village People celebrated their 20th anniversary with an American tour that included New York's Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, and LA's Greek Theatre. They completed a unique documentary, sharing music and culture with Australia's aborigines entitled Village People Go North, Down Under. Both VH-1 and MTV have featured Village People on their programs. Jacques Morali died on November 15th 1991 of AIDS related causes and Glenn Hughes, the moustachioed, leather-clad biker, died of lung cancer in March of 2001. Hughes was buried in his biker outfit. A new incarnation of Village People continued to perform, touring with Cher for seven months in 2004 and 2005. When she began her brief retirement, the group set out on their own trek across the United States.

Victor Willis was in the news again in January, 2006, after a brief brush with the law. Fortunately for Village People fans, Victor rebounded and by 2007 was again touring to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of his initial recordings with Village People. July 15th, 2008 saw the group perform "YMCA" during the 7th inning stretch at Major League Baseball's All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium. That September, they received a star on The Hollywood Walk Of Fame. On August 16th, 2011, Victor Willis filed notices of copyright termination under the 1976 copyright act, which allows recording artists and writers to reclaim their master recordings and publishing rights initially granted to record companies and publishers after thirty-five years. In early March, 2015, Willis prevailed in reclaiming 50 percent of the copyright to many of the group's songs, including "YMCA".

After a successful tour of the UK and Japan in 2011, Village People were slated for shows in the US, Canada, South Africa, Denmark and New Zealand in 2012. They continued to tour and still had several shows on their tour schedule across the US for the Spring and Summer of 2015. Into 2017, the band was booked in Australia, England, Ireland and America. Later that same year, after several years of litigation, Victor Willis finally obtained the rights to the name Village People and the characters in the group. He returned as the lead vocalist with a different set of background singers.

In 2018, the U.S. District Court ruled that the only group allowed to be called Village People was the one that featured Victor Willis. Felipe Rose (the original Native American) then launched a solo career and issued the single "Going Back To My Roots" (a cover of the 1977 Odyssey hit) which went on to win the Best Dance Record Award at the 2018 Native American Music Awards. That November, Village People digitally released their first studio album in thirty-three years, "A Village People Christmas". Victor Willis also announced plans to release his live portion of the 1979 "Live And Sleezy" album as a stand alone LP titled "Village People Live At The Greek Theatre". In December, 2019, the group's Christmas single, "Happiest Time of the Year" reached #20 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, becoming their first Top 20 hit in forty years. On New Year's Eve, Village People performed live on Fox TV's New Year's Eve with Steve Harvey, and helped break the world record for the number of people dancing to "YMCA".

Plans were announced for a 40th Anniversary compilation album to be released in the Summer of 2020, with the promise of some new material. Another honor was bestowed on the band on March 25th of that year when "YMCA" was added to the National Recording Registry by the United States Library Of Congress. Victor Willis was back in the news the following June when he used a Facebook post to tell U.S. President Donald Trump to stop using two of the group's most famous songs, "YMCA" and "Macho Man" at his rallies.

For more, be sure to read Gary James' interview with David Hodo