Village People is a cult band from the USA whose musicians have made an undeniable contribution to the development of such a genre as disco. The composition of the group changed several times. However, this did not prevent the Village People team from remaining favorites for several decades.
The history of the creation and composition of the Village People group
The Village People group is associated with the Greenwich Village (New York) quarter. A significant number of representatives of the so-called sexual minorities lived in this area.
Considerable attention should be paid to the images of the group members. Five members of the team tried on the image of a policeman, a builder, a cowboy, a builder, a biker and a marine.
To feel the history of the creation of the team, you need to remember 1977. At this time, Jacques Morali and Henri Belolo (popular French producers) decided to create a musical project. They wanted to conquer the American market.
The producers received a demo of singer Victor Willis. Without thinking twice, they offered to sign the singer a contract. Soon he prepared musical accompaniment.
Phil Hurt and Peter Whitehead worked on the tracks for the debut LP. However, the main hits that became the group's calling cards belonged to the authorship of Victor Willis.
The Village People collaborated with the Gypsy Lane Orchestra, directed by Horace Ott. The debut album was a real "breakthrough" in the disco style. Fans wanted to see their idols live. Morali took up the organization of concerts.
During this period of time, new members joined the team. It's about Philip Rose. Following him came Alex Briley. The first got the image of an Indian, and the second - a military uniform. Mark Massler, Dave Forrest, Lee Mouton soon joined the group. The musicians had to wear builder, cowboy and biker costumes.
It was in this composition that the team appeared before the fans. Their flamboyant output did not go unnoticed, as costumed performances only became popular. During this period of time, they shot a video clip for the song San Francisco.
Morali quickly realized that his project was very interesting for the public. He wanted to find permanent members for the group. Morali wanted to select for his project real machos who know how to move well. Soon the team was joined by:
- Glenn Hughes;
- David Hodo;
- Randy Jones.
In this composition, the musicians went to the photo shoot. A sexy photo graced the cover of the finished Macho Man record. Thanks to the composition of the same name, included in the collection, the musicians gained nationwide popularity.
Music by the Village People
In the late 1970s, the band toured North America. The musicians gave concerts for military personnel. The popularity of the band members increased after their photos graced the cover of the prestigious Rolling Stone magazine.
The song In the Navy was used for a recruiting campaign. Interestingly, the video clip was filmed at the San Diego base. The musicians were even allowed to use the ship's equipment. The bright work provided a significant increase in fans.
Then Victor Willis told the "fans" that he was leaving the project. The musician began work on the project Discoland: Where the Music Neverends. As it turned out, Victor was difficult to replace, but soon a new member, Ray Simpson, took his place. Both singers took part in the recording of the new Live & Sleazy LP.
This period is interesting because the popularity of disco began to decline rapidly. The producers had to make a decision in which direction the subordinates should work in order not to lose the audience.
Team Style
In the early 1980s, Morali and Belolo refined the band's style. At the same time, the group's discography was replenished with a new album. It's about the Renaissance record. The collection was coldly received by both fans and music critics. Then Jeff Olson joined the team, who got the image of a cowboy.
Victor Willis was asked to join the band to record a new record. In 1982, the musicians presented the Foxon the Box album. The disc was presented to European and Chinese fans of the band. In the United States of America, the album was released under the name In the Street. At the same time, two members left the team at once - David Hodo and Ray Simpson. The musicians were replaced by Mark Lee and Miles Jay.
In the mid-1980s, the band presented another album. It was called Sex Over the Phone. The producers made a big bet on him. But, unfortunately, from a commercial point of view, the LP turned out to be a complete "failure".
The producers decided to put the band on hold. For two years, the group disappeared from the sight of fans. The musicians did not tour and did not record new tracks. In 1987, the team returned to the stage with the following line-up:
- Randy Jones;
- David Hodo;
- Philip Rose;
- Glenn Hughes;
- Ray Simpson;
- Alex Briley.
A year later, the soloists of the group organized an enterprise called Sixuvus Ltd, which had a license and managed the affairs of the group.
Return of popularity
Popularity "returned" to the team in the early 1990s. In 1991, the musicians performed in Sydney. Some time later, they were invited to perform a medley of the top tracks of their repertoire at the MTV Movie Awards. A few months later, it became known that Village People producer Jacques Morali had died of AIDS.
In the mid-1990s, the group, with the participation of the German football team, presented an anthem for the World Cup. We are talking about the composition Far Away in America. During this period of time, the team left Glenn Hughes. His place was taken by Eric Anzalon. The band toured, appeared on popular shows and recorded new songs.e
Group in the 2000s
In the 2000s, the Village People collective released a number of interesting works. We are talking about the singles Gunbalanya and Loveship. A year later, team member Glenn Hughes died of cancer. The band began collaborating with Cher as part of the Farewell Tour.
In 2007 Victor organized a number of solo concerts. He won a high-profile legal battle in 2012. The singer managed to regain the rights to record the band's first tracks.
In 2013, a presentation of a new single took place. We are talking about the track Let's Go Back to the Dance Floor. In the same year, Gene Newman took the place of the cowboy, and Bill Whitefield was the builder. The latter replaced the musician Hodo.
From that moment on, the rights to use the YMCA belonged only to Victor. He managed to release the Solo Man disc recorded with the band. Despite this, the band members still continued to use material from their debut LP. They toured and were frequent performers in music shows.
In 2017, Victor, who until that moment had been involved in financial and legal issues, finally returned to the team. Interestingly, it was he who became the owner of the rights and licenses for the name of the team and the images of the characters. From that moment on, guest musicians and other compositions did not have the right to perform under the creative pseudonym Village People.
A year later, a presentation of a new studio album took place. We are talking about the record A Village People Christmas. The collection was re-released in 2018. The updated LP includes two new tracks.
And in 2019, the composition Happiest Time of the Year took the 20th position in the Billboard Adult Contemporary. The band's tracks are still very popular.
The Village People at present
In 2020, the band's lead singer Willis made a special appeal to Donald Trump. Viktor urged not to use the band's compositions at political rallies. The President of America often danced to the YMCA song
In the same year, he collaborated with Dorian Electra. The musicians released a joint track My Agenda. The musicians dedicated the track to LGBT issues.
