Village People

Village People
Village People
	Village People in 1978. From left: Randy Jones, Glenn Hughes, Felipe Rose, Victor Willis, David Hodo, Alex Briley
Background information
Origin	Greenwich Village, New York City, US
Genres	Disco; soul; funk; rock; R&B;
Years active	1977–present
Labels	RCA Victor; Casablanca; Mercury; Phonogram; Polydor; Ariola; Polygram; Black Scorpio; RCA Ariola; BMG Ariola; BMG; Universal; Sony;
Members	Victor Willis; James Kwong; Jeffrey James Lippold; James Lee;
Past members	Dave Forrest; Lee Mouton; Mark Mussler; Peter Whitehead; Miles Jaye; Ray Stephens; Mark Lee; Randy Jones; Glenn Hughes; G. Jeff Olson; David Hodo; Felipe Rose; Alex Briley; Ray Simpson; Eric Anzalone; Bill Whitefield; Jim Newman; Sonny Earl; Angel Morales; Chad Freeman;
Website	villagepeople.com

Village People are 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^[1] 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.^[2] The characters were a symbolic group of American masculinity^[3] and macho gay-fantasy personas.^[4] To date, Willis is the only original member still remaining with the group.^[5]

The group quickly became popular and moved into the mainstream, scoring several disco and dance hits internationally, including the hit singles "Macho Man," "In the Navy," "Go West," and "Y.M.C.A.," which was their biggest hit. In March 2020, the Library of Congress described "Y.M.C.A." as "an American phenomenon,"^[6] and added the song to the National Recording Registry, which preserves audio recordings considered to be "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."^[7]

^ "Village People Co-Founder, Songwriter Henri Belolo, Dies". www.nytimes.com. August 7, 2019. Archived from the original on August 8, 2019. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
^ "Review: Gay Sex in the 70s". KDHX. 2000.
^ Rabb, John (June 24, 1979). "Macho Comes to Music". Washington Post.
^ "Spin Magazine Online: Y.M.C.A. (An Oral History)". Spin.com. May 27, 2008. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
^ "Remember The Village People? Here's Where They Are Today". Distractify.com. January 11, 2020. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
^ "National Recording Registry Class Produces Ultimate 'Stay at Home' Playlist". Library of Congress – National Recording Registry. March 25, 2020. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
^ "The Village People's YMCA is preserved for posterity". BBC News. March 25, 2020. Retrieved March 25, 2020.

[1] "Village People Co-Founder, Songwriter Henri Belolo, Dies". www.nytimes.com. August 7, 2019. Archived from the original on August 8, 2019. Retrieved January 15, 2022.

[2] "Review: Gay Sex in the 70s". KDHX. 2000.

[3] Rabb, John (June 24, 1979). "Macho Comes to Music". Washington Post.

[4] "Spin Magazine Online: Y.M.C.A. (An Oral History)". Spin.com. May 27, 2008. Retrieved August 19, 2011.

[5] "Remember The Village People? Here's Where They Are Today". Distractify.com. January 11, 2020. Retrieved October 17, 2021.

[NRR-Mar2020-6] "National Recording Registry Class Produces Ultimate 'Stay at Home' Playlist". Library of Congress – National Recording Registry. March 25, 2020. Retrieved March 25, 2020.

[BBC-Mar2020-7] "The Village People's YMCA is preserved for posterity". BBC News. March 25, 2020. Retrieved March 25, 2020.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]