Victor Willis

Victor Edward Willis (born on July 1 1951 in Dallas, Texas) is a singer, songwriter, actor; and original lead singer of the disco group Village People. He was also the original straight member of the group. His persona was the "Cop" and "Naval Officer." His powerful R&B vocals defined the sound of the Village People and remains one of the most recognizable voices from the disco era. The son of a Baptist preacher, his singing skills were developed in the church. In 1976 he was cast in the original Broadway production of ""The Wiz" and subsequently, the Australian production.

It was during one of his performances that disco producers, Jacques Morali and Henri Belolo, discovered the young man with the "big voice." Morali and Belolo were so impressed they developed a group concept around his vocals. The group which would eventually be called "Village People", was formed well after Jacques Morali had already taken Victor Willis into the studio and fully recorded the would-be-group's first album with use of professional background singers (not Village People members). The first album contained the hits "San Francisco", "Hollywood (Everybody Is A Star)", "Fire Island" and "Village People."

The group quickly rose to the top with Victor at the helm scoring hit after hit such as "Y.M.C.A,” "In The Navy", and "Go West", etc. Willis also wrote lyrics to all the group's major hits. In the middle of preparations for the disco movie bomb Can't Stop The Music, Victor Willis hastily exited the group. After he left however, the hits hastily stopped too. In an attempt to "recapture the magic", Morali and Belolo convinced Victor to return to the group for the 1982 album Fox On The Box. In 1984, Victor Willis left the group for good. Can't Stop The Music remains one of the biggest Hollywood movie flops of all times.

Reportedly, Willis recently admitted that his struggles with substance abuse was at the core of his problems with the law which have included numerous arrests related to drug abuse. In his first statement to the press in over 25 years, he said "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."

Since exiting the Village People, Victor Willis had declined offers to record and perform live shows, and has never sung any of his Village People hits. He had become an enigma in the eyes of millions of Village People fans and a source of worldwide fascination and attention as the press continued to follow his every step, and missteps, since leaving the disco group.

According to recent reports, though he's not publicly performed in years, the reclusive star remains the “wealthiest of all the Village People members due to lucrative royalties he still receives” from his writing credits to hits like "Y.M.C.A.", "In The Navy", and numerous other hits.

On September 5, 2006, Willis was ordered released from custody and into the Betty Ford Center. He was given 3 years probation and ordered to abstain from further use of drugs, to which he agreed. The sentence was part of a plea bargain deal struck in July of 2006. This officially resolved all of Victor's legal troubles, as long as he does not violate the terms of his probation. And with legal troubles behind him, there's a clear path for his most anticipated return to the stage...

After an absence of 28 years, Willis' long-anticipated return to the concert stage was launched in Summer 2007. The "Victor Willis Dance Tour" began preliminary performances as it gears up for a full-scale international tour, to coincide with the release of Willis' autobiography, in 2008.

Trivia

He is the former husband (1978-1980) of Phylicia Ayers-Allen, better known as Phylicia Rashad, who played Clair Huxtable on the The Cosby Show. He obtained a record deal for his then wife resulting in an album titled, Josephine Superstar. The lyrics were written by Victor Willis, including "Saint Louis", a long beloved disco classic in the spirit of "San Francisco".

He wrote "Milk Shake", and "Magic Night", from the Hollywood motion picture bomb, Can’t Stop The Music.

Victor Willis wrote songs for both The Ritchie Family and European disco star Patrick Juvet for whom he wrote, "I Love America," "Swiss Kiss," "Lady Night," and "Viva California," to name a few.

References

External links

Official Victor Willis Website