Village People Biography

Village People was created in 1977 by a French musical composer who had written a number of dance tunes and was seeking an outlet to have them performed. Victor Willis signed on as the group’s lead singer, and after recruiting additional founding members Felipe Rose, Mark Mussler, Lee Mouton, Dave Forrest, and Peter Whitehead, the band forged forward.

With a trademark collection of various personas inspired by gay fantasy roles, Village People quickly exceeded everyone’s expectation and began to score hit after hit. Their first foray into the spotlight was in 1978 with the hits “Macho Man” and “Y.M.C.A,” and then later when “In the Navy” was used by the actual United States Navy as the theme song for its advertising campaign, Village People found themselves nearly a household name. Village People’s popularity was at its highest in 1979, when they toured with Bob Hope and appeared more than once on the Merv Griffin Show. After appearing on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine a few years later, Willis left Village People and the band started a slow decline in popularity.

An attempt to reboot Village People by swapping out the stereotypical costumes for more traditional attire keep the group afloat for a few more years, but ultimately Village People took a hiatus at the end of the decade. Before that time, however, Village People released ten albums: Village People (1977), Macho Man (1978), Cruisin’ (1978), Go West (1979), Live and Sleazy (1979), Can’t Stop the Music (1980), Renaissance (1981), Fox on the Box (1982), In the Street (1983), and Sex Over the Phone (1985.)

Village People reunited with a new lineup of David Hodo, Glenn Hughes, Randy Jones, Felipe Rose, Ray Simpson, and Alex Briley in 1987. The new lineup took Village People into the 1990’s and the new millennium, and although some members have departed or been lost since then, the group has continued to perform and record. In 2006, Village People performed for the MDA Telethon, and in 2008 they performed at Yankee Stadium for the All-Star Game. Village People received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2008, in recognition of their contributions to American music and pop culture.