In 1977, French music producer Jacques Morali, who had moved to New York from Paris, was immersing himself in the city's club scene when inspiration struck during a visit to Greenwich Village. After observing the diverse costumes and personas adopted by men in the neighborhood and clubs, he had a vision for what would become one of disco's most iconic groups. While working with his business partner Henri Belolo, Morali first encountered Victor Willis when Willis was performing in a show.
Captivated by Willis's powerful baritone voice and commanding stage presence, Morali actually had a dream one night… "a dream where you sang lead vocals on my album and it went very, very big." After revealing his dream, Willis agreed to join his new band.
Drawing inspiration from the colorful characters he'd seen in Greenwich Village's gay bars, Morali placed an ad in a trade magazine that famously read "Macho Types Wanted: Must Dance And Have A Moustache." This led to the recruitment of the original Village People lineup, featuring personas that would become legendary: Victor Willis as the police officer/naval officer, Randy Jones as the cowboy, Felipe Rose as the Native American, Glenn Hughes as the leather-clad biker, David Hodo as the construction worker, and Alex Briley as the G.I. Each member was chosen not just for their performing abilities but also for how well they embodied these hyper-masculine archetypes. The group's name was a direct reference to Greenwich Village, the neighborhood that had inspired their creation. Within months of forming, Village People began recording their first album. This will be important in a moment – From the outset, the intellectual property rights (including song copyrights) were owned by two companies set up by Henri Belolo: Can't Stop Productions and Scorpio Music.
(Photo by Andrew Chin/Getty Images)
First Album
The Village People's self-titled debut album was released in July 1977 on Casablanca Records. Produced by Jacques Morali, this first album established their signature sound that blended disco rhythms with catchy melodies and Victor Willis's distinctive baritone vocals. The album featured eight tracks, including their breakthrough hit "San Francisco (You've Got Me)" and other songs like "In Hollywood (Everybody is a Star)" and "Village People."
The album's production was notable for its rich orchestration and driving disco beats, characteristics that would become hallmarks of the Village People sound. The music was recorded with a full complement of studio musicians, creating lush arrangements that went beyond typical disco fare. While the album didn't achieve the massive commercial success of their later releases, it laid the groundwork for their future hits and helped establish their unique musical identity.
Perhaps most importantly, this debut album introduced the group's concept to the world, with the members appearing in their now-iconic costumes on the album cover. The record received positive reviews in the disco community, particularly in clubs, where DJs embraced tracks like "Fire Island" and "San Francisco." While it wasn't an immediate mainstream hit, the album created enough buzz to secure the group's record deal and set the stage for their subsequent breakthrough success.
Macho Man
The Village People's breakthrough came in 1978 with their second and third albums, which were both released that year. "Macho Man," their second album, was released in February 1978 and marked their first major commercial success. The title track became their first hit single, reaching #25 on the Billboard Hot 100 and becoming an instant disco classic. The song's playful celebration of masculinity and its infectious chorus made it a crossover hit that appealed to both gay and straight audiences.
Y.M.C.A.
The Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) started building single-room occupancy facilities in the 1880s to house rural men who had moved to big cities looking for work. Over time, YMCAs had transitioned to more commonly housing homeless men and at-risk youth who had run away.
One day in the studio in 1978, Jacques Morali asked Victor Willis, "What exactly is the YMCA?" For whatever reason, Jacques thought there was some songwriting magic in this explanation and concept. Taking a queue from Jacques, Victor set out to write a song about the YMCA.
Victor Willis wrote the lyrics to the now-iconic song in just six hours. He penned the final, final version in just 10 minutes at the end of those six hours.
"Y.M.C.A." was the lead single on the Village People's third album, "Cruisin'," which was released in September 1978. The catchy lyrics and quirky music video catapulted the group to superstardom. "Y.M.C.A." reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped charts worldwide. The song's simple dance moves, where participants spell out the letters with their arms, became a global sensation and remains a popular party dance to this day.
The Village People would go on to have additional hits with songs like "Go West" and "In the Navy," but Victor left the group in 1980. He briefly returned to the group in 1982 but left again in 1983. After his initial departure, the group never had another hit song.
He was married to "The Cosby Show" star Phylicia Rashad from 1978 to 1982. He was arrested several times.
Jacques Morali died in 1991.
After leaving the Village People, Victor struggled with drugs for many years and stayed far away from the spotlight. After a 2006 arrest, he was ordered into rehab. In 2007, he made his first public statement to the press in 25 years:
"The nightmare of drug abuse is being lifted from my life … now that the haze of drugs are gone, I'm thinking and seeing clearer now than I have in years … I'm looking forward to living the second part of my life drug-free."
Y.M.C.A. Lawsuit
There was another bright spot on the horizon for Victor Willis. Through these dark years, he did not own or benefit meaningfully from the ongoing success of any of the songs he created. In fact, prior to the lawsuit that we're about to describe, Victor was earning $30-40,000 per year in TOTAL royalties thanks to all of the hit songs he wrote for the Village People.
Something critical happened in 2011 – 35 years had passed since 1976.
Why was that critical? In 1976, Congress passed an aptly named law called the "Copyright Act of 1976." It was the first update to copyright laws in the US since 1909. One of the more interesting provisions in the updated law was something called "Termination Rights." This provision allowed writers to terminate any previously set copyright assignments after 35 years had passed. For Victor Willis all of the songs he wrote for the Village People were owned by two companies owned by Henri Belolo: Can't Stop Productions and Scorpio Music.
Termination Rights could only be applied to works produced after 1978 (that's not a typo; it's 1978, not 1976), and the right holder had to give the current owner two years' notice before the 35 years were up so they had time to prepare.
In 2011, Victor asserted his Termination Rights against Can't Stop Productions and Scorpio Music. Those companies weren't going down without a fight. A four-year legal battle ensued. Lawyers representing Can't Stop and Scorpio attempted to block the change by claiming Victor was a "work for hire" employee and therefore had no rights to reclaim.
In March 2015, a jury sided in Victor Willis' favor. With that ruling, Victor gained control of his share of the copyright to "Y.M.C.A" and every other song he wrote for the Village People after 1978. In total, he regained control of 33 songs. He did not regain control of "Macho Man" because it was written before 1978. Because he did co-write the songs with Jacques Morali, Victor's ownership share was reinstated at 50%.
Y.M.C.A. Royalties
Thanks entirely to that 2015 Victory, not only does Victor Willis now make what he has described as "millions of dollars a year" in royalties every year, but he also owns half the rights to the Village People's catalog, an asset on its own that could be worth tens of millions of dollars if it ever came to market. Where he used to make $30-40,000 per year TOTAL, he now makes over $1 million per year just from "Y.M.C.A" royalties alone!
In 2017, Victor and Henri Belolo (who died in 2019) seemingly buried the hatchet. Victor agreed to return to the Village People… but with a catch! He negotiated a deal that made him the exclusive licensee of the group. From that point on, the Village People began recording and touring internationally.
