Victor Willis

Last updated

Victor Willis
Victor Willis.jpg
Background information
Birth nameVictor Edward Willis
Born (1951-07-01) July 1, 1951 (age 73)
Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • actor
Years active1977–present
Labels
Website villagepeople.com

Victor Edward Willis (born July 1, 1951) is an American singer, songwriter and the founding member of the disco group Village People. He performed as their lead singer and was co-songwriter for all of their most successful singles. In the group, he performed costumed as a policeman or a naval officer.

Contents

The son of a Baptist preacher, Willis developed his singing skills in his father's church. With training in acting and dance, he went to New York and joined the prestigious Negro Ensemble Company. He appeared in many musicals and plays, including the original Broadway production of The Wiz in 1976 and subsequently, the Australian production.

Willis also had written and recorded several albums in the mid-1970s for independent labels and was eventually introduced to French disco producer Jacques Morali. Morali, who dubbed him the "young man with the big voice", approached Willis and said, "I had a dream that you sang lead vocals on my album and it went very, very big". [1]

Career

Village People

Willis agreed to sing lead and background vocals under the guise of Village People, an at-that-point non-existent concept group. The album Village People was released in July 1977, including the hits "San Francisco (You've Got Me)" and "In Hollywood (Everybody is a Star)", and became a huge hit in the burgeoning disco market. After an offer from Dick Clark for the group to perform on American Bandstand , Morali and Willis were pressed to develop a "real" group around Willis to perform live. They did so by placing an ad in music trade papers for "macho" singers who "could also dance" and "must have a mustache". [1]

Willis was soon writing songs produced by and co-written with Morali for the group and other artists, which met with success. The Village People quickly rose to the top of the charts with Willis at the helm, scoring numerous major hits such as "Macho Man", "Y.M.C.A.", "In the Navy", and "Go West".

In 1980, as preparations for a Village People feature film Can't Stop the Music were underway, Willis left the group. Although he does not appear in the movie, he wrote the lyrics for two of the film's songs, "Magic Night" and "Milkshake". Can't Stop the Music is listed among Hollywood's bigger movie flops. [2] After Willis departed, Village People never had another hit. In an attempt to "recapture the magic", Morali convinced him to return to the group in 1982 for the album Fox on the Box . The album was released a year later in the United States as In the Street. In 1983, Willis left the group again.

In 2013, Willis appeared on the TV One series Unsung in their two-hour special retrospective on the disco era. [3] On June 28, 2016, Willis appeared as a contestant on the show To Tell the Truth , and sang "Y.M.C.A." as the credits rolled.

Solo career

Willis performing in 2008 Victor Willis in concert 2008.jpg
Willis performing in 2008

After leaving Village People, Willis declined offers to record and consistently refused to perform any of his Village People hits. In 2010, he appeared at several Major League Baseball stadiums, performing "The Star-Spangled Banner" and leading the crowd for the traditional Y.M.C.A. 7th-inning stretch break.

In 1979, Willis recorded a solo album which remained unreleased for over 35 years. The album, Solo Man, was finally released in August 2015. [4]

Return to Village People

In 2017, Willis and Henri Belolo, Morali's business partner and co-owner of the group, reached an out-of-court settlement whereby Willis resumed his role as lead singer of Village People, [5] [6] and they resumed recording and touring internationally. In 2018, Willis announced via social media plans for upcoming Village People projects including a new studio album, a Christmas music video, and a re-issue of the group's 1979 concert originally released as the "live" portion of the album Live & Sleazy.

In 2012, the United States District Court for the Southern District of California ruled that under the provisions of the Copyright Act of 1976, Willis could terminate his copyright transfers to Scorpio Music and Can't Stop Productions, because "a joint author who separately transfers his copyright interest may unilaterally terminate the grant." [7] Willis subsequently held a 33% share of "Go West", "Y.M.C.A.", "In the Navy", and other songs written for Village People and other acts. [8]

In 2015, a jury determined that the sole writers of 13 songs were Morali and Willis, and the name Henri Belolo was removed, giving Willis a 50% ownership of those songs. [9]

Personal life

Willis struggled with drugs for many years after leaving Village People and had several run-ins with the law. Following an arrest in 2006, he was given probation and ordered into rehab at the Betty Ford Clinic. [10] In 2007, following treatment, Willis made his first statement to the press in more than 25 years, saying, "The nightmare of drug abuse is being lifted from my life ... now that the haze of drugs are gone, I'm thinking and seeing clearer now than I have in years ... I'm looking forward to living the second part of my life drug-free."

From 1978 until 1982, Willis was married to Phylicia Ayers-Allen (now Phylicia Rashad), whom he met during the run of The Wiz, and who later played Clair Huxtable on The Cosby Show . [11] He also wrote the lyrics for her album, Josephine Superstar. On November 17, 2007, Willis married a second time to Karen, a lawyer and entertainment executive.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Y.M.C.A. (song)</span> 1978 single by Village People

"Y.M.C.A." is a song by American disco group Village People, written by Jacques Morali and singer Victor Willis and released in October 1978 by Casablanca Records as the only single from their third studio album, Cruisin' (1978). A medley with "Hot Cop" reached No. 2 on the US Billboard Dance Music/Club Play Singles chart, while the song reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1979, placing behind both "Le Freak" by Chic and "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" by Rod Stewart. After U.S. President Elect Donald Trump played the song in 2024, 46 years after its release, "Y.M.C.A." spent 3 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales chart and peaked at No. 15 on the TikTok Billboard Top 50. Outside the US, "Y.M.C.A." reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart around the same time, becoming the group's biggest hit. It has sold 12 million copies worldwide.

Henri Belolo was a French music producer and songwriter active during the disco era.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacques Morali</span> French musician (1947–1991)

Jacques Morali was a French disco and dance music record producer and songwriter, known for creating acts like The Ritchie Family and Village People.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Felipe Rose</span> American musician

Felipe Ortiz Rose is an American musician who was an original member of the disco group the Village People. While in the group, he performed as "The Indian", usually wearing a costume consisting of an imitation, "bespangled war bonnet", loincloth, and theatrical face paint. Rose was a member of the group from 1977 until 2017, when the name of the group was turned over to the original lead singer, Victor Willis. Rose subsequently launched a solo career and released the single "Going Back to My Roots" in 2018.

The Ritchie Family are an American vocal group based in Philadelphia that achieved several hits during the disco era. They have reunited and continue to perform. Their latest single "Whatcha Got" was released in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">In the Navy</span> 1979 single by Village People

"In the Navy" is a song by American disco group Village People. It was released as the first single from their fourth studio album, Go West (1979). It was a number one hit in Canada, Flanders, Japan and the Netherlands, while reaching number two in Ireland, Norway and the UK. In 1994, a remix charted at number 36 in the UK. "In the Navy" was the last top 10 hit for the group in the United States, peaking at number three.

<i>Cant Stop the Music</i> 1980 film

Can't Stop the Music is a 1980 American musical comedy film directed by Nancy Walker in her only directed featured film. Written by Allan Carr and Bronté Woodard, the film is a pseudo-biography of the 1970s disco group the Village People loosely based on the actual story of how the group formed. The film also stars Valerie Perrine, Caitlyn Jenner in her film debut, Steve Guttenberg, Paul Sand, Tammy Grimes, June Havoc, Barbara Rush, Altovise Davis, Marilyn Sokol and The Ritchie Family in their only film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Macho Man (song)</span> 1978 single by Village People

"Macho Man" is a song by American disco group Village People, released as the second single and title song of their album Macho Man (1978). The song entered the Billboard Hot 100 on June 24, 1978 before picking up more airplay that August. It became the Village People's first charting hit in the United States, peaking on the Hot 100 at number 25 on the week of September 2.

<i>Macho Man</i> (album) 1978 studio album by Village People

Macho Man is the second studio album by Village People, released on February 27, 1978. The album gained success due to its hit singles, "Macho Man" and "Key West". Rolling Stone said of the album, "It seems certain to become the first out-and-out disco album without John Travolta on its cover ever to be certified platinum".

<i>Village People</i> (album) 1977 studio album by Village People

Village People is the debut album by Village People, released on July 18, 1977. Its hit song "San Francisco " reached the top 50 in the UK, peaking at #45. In Germany, the album was released as San Francisco .

<i>Cruisin</i> (Village People album) 1978 studio album by Village People

Cruisin' is the third studio album by the American disco group Village People, released on September 25, 1978. Its title is a double entendre, referring to either simply driving around or gay cruising. The album features the hits "Hot Cop" and "Y.M.C.A.", which peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100.

<i>Renaissance</i> (Village People album) 1981 studio album by Village People

Renaissance is the seventh studio album by American disco group Village People, released in 1981 by RCA Records. The album marked a departure for the group, with a more new wave-influenced sound and less of an emphasis on disco.

<i>Cant Stop the Music</i> (album) 1980 studio album / soundtrack by Village People

Can't Stop the Music is the sixth studio album and first soundtrack by Village People, for their movie Can't Stop the Music, released in 1980. Though the movie was a commercial failure, the album was more well received, reaching No. 9 on the UK Albums Chart, #47 on the Billboard 200 in the US, and #1 in Australia. The album was reissued on CD in 1999.

<i>Live and Sleazy</i> 1979 live album / Studio album by Village People

Live and Sleazy is the first live album and fifth studio album by the Village People and features a mixture of live and studio recordings. It was released as a double LP. The album featured numerous lead singers: original cop Victor Willis on the entire "Live" disk; on the "Sleazy" disk, construction worker David Hodo on track 1, Ray Simpson on tracks 2, 3, and 5, and G.I. Alex Briley on track 4. Horace Ott is credited as the arranger and conductor of the string and horn sections. The musicians were credited as Bittersweet.

<i>Fox on the Box</i> 1982 album by Village People

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Francisco (You've Got Me)</span> 1977 Village People song

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Am What I Am (Village People song)</span> 1978 single by Village People

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Village People</span> American disco group

Village People is an American disco group known for its on-stage costumes and suggestive lyrics in their music. The group was originally formed by French producers Jacques Morali, Henri Belolo and lead singer Victor Willis following the release of the debut album Village People, which targeted disco's large gay audience. The group's name refers to Manhattan's Greenwich Village, with its reputation as a gay village. The characters were a symbolic group of American masculinity and macho gay-fantasy personas. To date, Willis is the only original member still remaining with the group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hot Cop</span> 1978 single by Village People

"Hot Cop" is a song by the American disco group Village People recorded for their third studio album Cruisin' (1978). It was written by Jacques Morali and Village People lead singer Victor Willis. It served as Willis' theme song with the Village People. Although not released as a single, it was a disco hit. A medley with "Y.M.C.A." reached number 2 on Billboard's Hot Disco Singles chart.

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References

  1. 1 2 Village People, Rolling Stone Magazine Vol. 289, April 19, 1979
  2. ↑ "Greatest Box-Office Bombs, Disasters and Flops". Filmsite.org. Retrieved July 12, 2013.
  3. ↑ "Disco greats team up for TV documentary". Tv.msn.com. Retrieved July 12, 2013.
  4. ↑ "Victor Willis on life & music, post-Village People". San Diego Union-Tribune . August 2, 2015. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
  5. ↑ "Fresh from out-of-court settlement, Victor Willis set to rejoin Village People". San Diego Union-Tribune . May 31, 2017. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
  6. ↑ STEWART, ALLISON (September 12, 2019). "The Village People wars have ended, and Victor Willis is back, doing the policeman thing at Riot Fest". Chicago Tribune .
  7. ↑ Gardner, Eriq (May 8, 2012). "Village People Songwriter Victor Willis Wins Case Over Termination of 'Y.M.C.A.' Rights". The Hollywood Reporter .
  8. ↑ Rohter, Larry (September 10, 2013). "Copyright Victory, 35 Years Later" . The New York Times .
  9. ↑ "Jury Decides Village People 'Y.M.C.A.' Songwriter Has 50 Percent Song Share". The Hollywood Reporter . March 5, 2015.
  10. ↑ "Ex-Village People 'cop' gets probation". USA Today. September 6, 2006. Retrieved July 12, 2013.
  11. ↑ "Original Village People cop takes old job back as former members fight for use of band name". Nydailynews.com. March 14, 2018. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
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