History of Village People in Timeline

Village People is an American disco group created by Jacques Morali and Henri Belolo, initially targeting a gay audience. The group's name references Greenwich Village and their image consists of members dressed as symbolic American masculine and gay-fantasy figures. Victor Willis was the lead singer and the only remaining original member as of January 2020. They are known for their costumed personas and suggestive lyrics.

1977: Morali and Belolo Move to New York and Hire Victor Willis

In 1977, French producers Jacques Morali and Henri Belolo moved to New York City to break into the American market. After hearing a demo tape by Victor Willis, Morali hired him to sing lead vocals on the debut album Village People.

1977: Rose Covers Odyssey dance hit

Original Village People member Felipe Rose released "Going Back to My Roots", a cover of the 1977 Odyssey dance hit, in 2018.

1978: Christgau reviews Cruisin'

In 1978, Robert Christgau warmed to Village People's music after listening to the album Cruisin'.

1978: Willis takes over writing duties

In 1978, Victor Willis assumed the songwriting duties for the Village People, taking over from Phil Hurtt and Peter Whitehead after the first album. He would go on to write the group's biggest hits.

April 19, 1979: Village People Featured on Rolling Stone Cover

On April 19, 1979, the Village People were featured on the cover of Rolling Stone, Vol. 289, marking a peak in their contemporary fame.

August 1979: Victor Willis Leaves; Ray Simpson Joins

In August 1979, Victor Willis departed from the Village People during the production of the movie Can't Stop The Music and was replaced by Ray Simpson, brother of Valerie Simpson.

1979: Victor Willis Records Solo Man

In 1979, Victor Willis recorded Solo Man, an album featuring the Village People band, which was later released in 2015.

1979: Navy Supports "In the Navy" Music Video

In 1979, the United States Navy collaborated with Village People on the music video for "In the Navy", providing access to the San Diego Navy base, the USS Reasoner, aircraft, and crew to support the filming.

June 1980: Release of 'Can't Stop the Music' Film

In June 1980, the film Can't Stop the Music, starring Steve Guttenberg and Caitlyn Jenner, was released. Despite a club hit with the title song, the movie was a box office failure and received two Razzies for Worst Picture and Worst Screenplay at the 1st Golden Raspberry Awards.

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November 22, 1980: Village People Appear on The Love Boat

On November 22, 1980, the Village People made an appearance on The Love Boat (season four, episode seven).

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1981: Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies published

In 1981, Village Voice critic Robert Christgau reflected on Village People's music in his book Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies, noting that he gives up resisting music this silly.

1981: Rebranding with 'Renaissance' Album

In 1981, amidst the rising popularity of new wave music, Village People rebranded themselves with a New Romantic look and released the album Renaissance, which received minor attention but produced the hit single "5 O'clock in the Morning" in Italy.

1981: Willis Rejoins for 'Fox on the Box'

In late 1981, Victor Willis briefly rejoined the Village People for the writing and recording of the album Fox on the Box.

1982: Hodo and Simpson Depart

In 1982, David Hodo and Ray Simpson both left the Village People, with Mark Lee and Miles Jaye respectively replacing them.

1983: Release of 'In the Street' Album in the US

In 1983, the album Fox on the Box, previously released in Europe and Japan in 1982, was released in the United States under the title In the Street.

1984: Village People Sing Background Vocals on Lorna Luft disco version

In 1984, the group sang background vocals on a disco version of "Where The Boys Are" by Lorna Luft.

1985: Release of 'Sex Over the Phone' Album

In 1985, Village People released the dance/Hi-NRG album Sex Over the Phone, which had moderate success in sales and club play. The title track was banned by the BBC.

1985: Village People blacklisted in Soviet Union

In 1985, the Village People were included on a secret blacklist of artists and songs distributed by the Soviet Communist Party's youth wing, deeming their music "violent" and ideologically harmful.

1987: Band Returns and Forms Sixuvus Ltd

In 1987, Randy Jones, David Hodo, Felipe Rose, Glenn Hughes, Alex Briley, and Ray Simpson returned, forming Sixuvus Ltd to manage the group's affairs and license the name Village People.

1987: Sixuvus Ltd Managed Village People Affairs

Since 1987, Sixuvus Ltd managed the affairs of the Village People until their license was terminated in 2017 after Victor Willis and Can't Stop Productions settled their differences.

September 22, 1991: Performance at New South Wales Rugby League Grand Final

On September 22, 1991, Village People performed before 41,815 people in Sydney, Australia, as part of the pre-game entertainment for the New South Wales Rugby League Grand Final.

November 15, 1991: Jacques Morali Dies

On November 15, 1991, Village People founder Jacques Morali died of complications related to AIDS in Paris.

1995: Eric Anzalone Joins and Appears in Down Periscope

In 1995, Eric Anzalone replaced Glenn Hughes as the Leatherman/Biker and made his music video debut with Kelsey Grammer and other cast members during the end-credits of the film Down Periscope, performing "In The Navy" with Ray Simpson.

1996: "In the Navy" featured in 'Down Periscope'

In 1996, the song "In the Navy" by Village People was featured in the comedy film Down Periscope.

1999: "America" Added to In The Street Remaster

In 1999, the song "America" was added as an extra track to the remaster of the album In the Street.

2000: Release of "Gunbalanya"

In 2000, Village People, under the name "Amazing Veepers", released the single "Gunbalanya", recorded with indigenous Australian people.

March 4, 2001: Glenn Hughes Dies

On March 4, 2001, Leatherman/Biker Glenn Hughes died of lung cancer in New York City.

April 2005: Village People Opens for Cher's Farewell Tour

Until April 2005, Village People performed as the opening act for Cher on her Farewell Tour.

August 3, 2007: Victor Willis' First Concert in 28 Years

On August 3, 2007, Victor Willis gave his first live concert in 28 years in Las Vegas.

September 12, 2008: Village People Receive Hollywood Walk of Fame Star

On September 12, 2008, Village People received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

May 2012: Willis Wins Copyright Case

In May 2012, Victor Willis won a landmark ruling regarding the Copyright Act of 1976, allowing him to reclaim copyrights to songs like "Y.M.C.A." and "In the Navy."

August 2013: Release of "Let's Go Back to the Dance Floor"

In August 2013, Village People released a new song, "Let's Go Back to the Dance Floor", written by Harry W. Casey of K.C. and the Sunshine Band.

October 2013: Bill Whitefield Joins as Construction Worker

In October 2013, Bill Whitefield officially joined the Village People as the Construction Worker.

2015: Victor Willis Releases Solo Man

In 2015, Victor Willis released Solo Man, an album he recorded in 1979 featuring the Village People band.

2016: Television Appearances and Commercials

In 2016, Village People made television appearances, such as performing "Y.M.C.A." at a Chicago Bulls game, and appeared in commercials for LetGo and YOPA.

2017: Willis and Can't Stop Productions Settle Differences

In 2017, after legal disputes, Victor Willis and Can't Stop Productions settled, granting Willis the license to the Village People name and characters and terminating Sixuvus Ltd's license.

2017: Sixuvus Ltd.'s License Ends

In 2017, the license for Sixuvus Ltd to use the name Village People and its characters expired.

November 2018: Release of 'A Village People Christmas' Album

In November 2018, Village People released A Village People Christmas, their first studio album in 33 years.

2018: Release of 'A Village People Christmas'

In 2018, Village People released A Village People Christmas, their first album of new material since 1985.

2018: Trademark Ruling and Rose's Solo Career

In 2018, the US District Court ruled that only Victor Willis's group could use the Village People trademark. Original member Felipe Rose launched his solo career and won an award for "Going Back to My Roots".

August 3, 2019: Henri Belolo Dies

On August 3, 2019, Village People co-creator Henri Belolo passed away at the age of 82.

November 4, 2019: Re-release of Christmas Album

On November 4, 2019, the group's Christmas album was re-released as Magical Christmas and included two additional tracks.

December 21, 2019: Release of Christmas Single

On December 21, 2019, Village People released their first Christmas single, "Happiest Time of the Year".

January 2020: Victor Willis is the Only Original Member

As of January 2020, Victor Willis was the only original member of the Village People still in the group.

March 2020: "Y.M.C.A." Added to National Recording Registry

In March 2020, the Library of Congress added the song "Y.M.C.A." to the National Recording Registry, recognizing it as an "American phenomenon" and preserving it for its cultural, historical, and aesthetic significance.

April 21, 2020: Village People release new single, "If You Believe"

On April 21, 2020, Village People released a new single, "If You Believe", which reached No. 25 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart, marking the group's first Top 25 hit in 40 years.

April 2021: Death of Mark Lee

In April 2021, Mark Lee, who was a former "construction worker" for the Village People between 1982 and 1985, passed away.

November 2022: Release of "Magic Christmas"

In November 2022, Village People released a third single, "Magic Christmas", from their Magical Christmas album. The song entered the Billboard a/c chart at No. 23, marking the highest chart entry for any Village People single.

2024: Willis alleges YMCA not a gay anthem

At the end of 2024, Village People band member Victor Willis alleged that the group's hit song "YMCA" was not a gay anthem and threatened to sue anyone who disagreed.

2024: Village People featured in PBS series

In 2024, the importance of Village People to the history of disco music is explored in Episode 3 of the PBS series Disco: Soundtrack of a Revolution.

January 19, 2025: Village People perform at Trump's pre-inauguration rally

On January 19, 2025, the Village People performed their song "Y.M.C.A." at Donald Trump's pre-inauguration rally, titled "Make America Great Again Victory Rally", held at the Capital One Arena.