Victor Willis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Victor Willis
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Victor Edward Willis |
| Born | July 1, 1951 Dallas, Texas, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1977–present |
Victor Edward Willis (born July 1, 1951) is an American singer and songwriter. He is famous for being a founding member and lead singer of the popular disco group Village People. He helped write many of their biggest hit songs. When performing with the group, he often dressed up as a policeman or a naval officer.
Victor grew up singing in his father's church. He also trained in acting and dance. Later, he moved to New York and joined a famous acting group called the Negro Ensemble Company. He performed in many plays and musicals. This included the original Broadway show The Wiz in 1976.
In the mid-1970s, Victor recorded several albums. He then met a French disco producer named Jacques Morali. Morali was very impressed by Victor's voice. He told Victor he had a dream that Victor would sing on his album and it would become very popular.
Contents
Career Highlights
Starting Village People
Victor Willis agreed to sing for a new music idea called Village People. At first, it was just a concept, not a real group. Their first album, Village People, came out in July 1977. It included popular songs like "San Francisco (You've Got Me)" and "In Hollywood (Everybody is a Star)". The album became a big hit in the growing disco music scene.
Soon, a TV show host named Dick Clark invited the group to perform on American Bandstand. Because of this, Morali and Willis needed to create a "real" group to perform live. They put an ad in music papers looking for "macho" singers who could dance and had a mustache.
Victor quickly started writing songs for the group. He worked with Morali, and their songs became very successful. The Village People, with Victor as the lead, quickly became famous. They had many major hits such as "Macho Man", "Y.M.C.A.", "In the Navy", and "Go West".
In 1980, Victor left the group while they were making a movie called Can't Stop the Music. Even though he wasn't in the movie, he wrote lyrics for two of its songs. The movie did not do well. After Victor left, Village People did not have any more big hits. To try and bring back their success, Morali convinced Victor to return in 1982 for an album. Victor left the group again in 1983.
Years later, in 2013, Victor appeared on a TV show called Unsung. In 2016, he was a contestant on To Tell the Truth and sang "Y.M.C.A." as the show ended.
Solo Music Journey
After leaving Village People, Victor did not want to record new music or perform his old hits. But in 2010, he sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" at several baseball stadiums. He also led the crowd in the traditional Y.M.C.A. sing-along during the 7th-inning stretch.
In 1979, Victor recorded a solo album. However, it was not released for over 35 years! The album, called Solo Man, finally came out in August 2015.
Returning to Village People
In 2017, Victor Willis and Henri Belolo, who co-owned the group, reached an agreement. Victor returned as the lead singer of Village People. They started recording new music and touring around the world again.
In 2018, Victor announced new projects for Village People. These included a new album and a Christmas music video. In November 2022, a new Christmas song, "Magic Christmas", became a hit. It was the highest-charting song for Village People in a long time.
On June 9, 2020, Victor Willis asked President Donald Trump not to use Village People songs at his rallies. This included "Macho Man" and "Y.M.C.A." Later, on September 11, it was reported that Victor was okay with Trump using "Y.M.C.A." at his rallies. However, on October 30, Victor made it clear that he and the group were against Trump using their music at his rallies.
On November 7, 2020, supporters of President-elect Joe Biden celebrated his victory in Pennsylvania. They danced and sang "Y.M.C.A." in the streets. In January 2025, it was announced that Victor and the Village People would perform at a special event for Trump's second inauguration. On January 19, 2025, Village People performed "Y.M.C.A." at a large rally before Trump's inauguration.
Song Ownership
In 2012, a court in the United States made an important decision. It ruled that Victor Willis could get back the rights to his songs. This meant he could take back ownership from the companies that had them. Because of this, Victor gained a 33% share of songs like "Go West", "Y.M.C.A.", and "In the Navy".
In 2015, a jury decided that Victor Willis and Jacques Morali were the only writers of 13 songs. The name of Henri Belolo was removed from these songs. This gave Victor a 50% ownership of those songs.
Personal Life
From 1978 to 1982, Victor was married to Phylicia Ayers-Allen. She is now known as Phylicia Rashad. She later became famous for playing Clair Huxtable on The Cosby Show. Victor also wrote lyrics for her album, Josephine Superstar. On November 17, 2007, Victor married for a second time to Karen, who is a lawyer.
See also
In Spanish: Victor Willis para niños
