Victor Willis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Victor Willis
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| 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 on July 1, 1951, is an American singer and songwriter. He is famous for being a founding member and lead singer of the 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's father was a Baptist preacher, and Victor learned to sing in his father's church. He also trained in acting and dance. Later, he moved to New York and joined the respected Negro Ensemble Company. He appeared in many musicals and plays. This included the original Broadway show of The Wiz in 1976. He also performed in the Australian version of the show.
In the mid-1970s, Willis wrote and recorded several albums for smaller music companies. He was then introduced to Jacques Morali, a French disco producer. Morali was very impressed by Willis's voice. He told Willis he had a dream that Willis would sing on his album and it would become very popular.
Contents
Victor Willis's Music Journey
Starting the Village People
Willis agreed to sing lead and background vocals for a new idea group called Village People. At first, this group didn't really exist. The 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 huge success in the growing disco music scene.
After the album's success, Dick Clark invited the group to perform on his show American Bandstand. Morali and Willis then needed to create a "real" group around Willis for live shows. They put an advertisement in music papers looking for "macho" singers who could dance and had a mustache.
Willis soon began writing songs for the group and other artists. These songs were produced and co-written with Morali. The Village People quickly became very popular. They had many major hit songs. These included "Macho Man", "Y.M.C.A.", "In the Navy", and "Go West".
Leaving and Returning
In 1980, the Village People were preparing for a movie called Can't Stop the Music. Willis left the group during this time. He did not appear in the movie. However, he wrote the words for two of the film's songs, "Magic Night" and "Milkshake". Can't Stop the Music was not a big success in Hollywood. After Willis left, the Village People did not have another hit song for a while.
To try and bring back their success, Morali convinced Willis to return to the group in 1982. They recorded the album Fox on the Box. This album was released a year later in the United States as In the Street. In 1983, Willis left the group again.
In 2013, Willis was featured on the TV One series Unsung. This was a special two-hour show about the disco era. On June 28, 2016, Willis appeared on the show To Tell the Truth. He sang "Y.M.C.A." as the show's credits rolled.
Solo Music Work
After leaving the Village People, Willis chose not to record new music for a time. He also refused to perform any of his Village People hit songs. In 2010, he appeared at several Major League Baseball stadiums. There, he sang "The Star-Spangled Banner". He also led the crowd in the traditional Y.M.C.A. sing-along during the 7th-inning break.
In 1979, Willis recorded a solo album. This album was not released for over 35 years. The album, Solo Man, finally came out in August 2015.
Back with Village People
In 2017, Willis and Henri Belolo, who was Morali's business partner and co-owner of the group, reached an agreement. Willis returned to his role as the lead singer of Village People. They began recording new music and touring around the world.
In 2018, Willis shared plans for new Village People projects. These included a new studio album and a Christmas music video. They also planned to re-release the group's 1979 concert. This concert was originally part of the album Live & Sleazy. In November 2022, a third song, "Magic Christmas", was released from the group's Magical Christmas album. It reached number 23 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. This was the highest chart entry for any Village People song.
Victor Willis's Life Outside Music
From 1978 to 1982, Willis was married to Phylicia Ayers-Allen. He met her while working on The Wiz. She later became famous as Clair Huxtable on The Cosby Show. Willis also wrote the lyrics and arranged the vocals for her disco album, Josephine Superstar. The Village People sang backup vocals on this album. On November 17, 2007, Willis married Karen Huff. She is a lawyer and works in entertainment. Her last name became Huff-Willis.
Song Ownership Rights
In 2012, a court in the United States made an important decision. It ruled that Victor Willis could get back his ownership rights to some songs. This was allowed under the Copyright Act of 1976. This meant that Willis could end his agreements with Scorpio Music and Can't Stop Productions. The court said that a co-writer of a song can get their rights back.
Because of this, Willis gained a 33% share of songs like "Go West", "Y.M.C.A.", "In the Navy", and other songs he wrote for Village People and other artists. In 2015, a jury decided that Morali and Willis were the only writers of 13 songs. The name Henri Belolo was removed from these songs. This gave Willis a 50% ownership of those songs.
Music and Political Events
On June 9, 2020, Willis asked President Donald Trump not to use Village People music at his rallies. He specifically mentioned "Macho Man" and "Y.M.C.A." However, on September 11 of that year, it was reported that Willis was okay with the use of "Y.M.C.A." at campaign rallies.
On October 24, Saturday Night Live performed a funny skit about the group's reaction to Donald Trump using their music. On October 30, Willis made it clear that he and the group were against Trump using their music at his rallies. On November 7, supporters of President-elect Joe Biden in Philadelphia celebrated his victory. They danced in the streets and sang "Y.M.C.A."
In January 2025, it was announced that Willis and the Village People would perform at an event for Turning Point USA. This was to celebrate Trump's second inauguration. On January 19, 2025, Village People performed "Y.M.C.A." at Trump's pre-inauguration rally. This event was called the "Make America Great Again Victory Rally" and took place at the Capital One Arena. This was the most well-known of three performances during the inauguration week.
See also
In Spanish: Victor Willis para niños
