The Village People: Through The Years With The Music Stars!

You've likely sung along to "YMCA" and "Macho Man" before, but do you know the legendary band behind these hits? 'The Village People', famous for these tunes along with "In the Navy," "San Francisco," and "Can't Stop the Music," have been on the music scene for over 40 years, known for their theatrical outfits and upbeat songs. While the group has faded from the spotlight, Victor Willis, the sole original member, recently objected to "Macho Man" being played at President Donald Trump's rallies, as it was once an anthem for the LGBT community upon its 1978 release.

The Village People were back in the spotlight, releasing new music like their first Christmas single, "Happiest Time of the Year," in December 2019. Surprisingly, it reached number 20 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary charts, marking their first Top 20 hit in 40 years. Victor Willis, the band's sole original member, was handpicked by French composer/producer Jacques Morali to join the group, where he assumed the role of "The Policeman". Today, Willis leads the group, guiding them in a new direction.

The original Village People lineup had Victor Willis, James Kwong, Chad Freeman, Jeffrey James Lippold, and James Lee. Over time, the group saw many changes with members like Mark Mussler, Dave Forrest, and others joining and leaving. While they were active in the '90s, their popularity declined by 2000.

Nonetheless, they continued to perform worldwide and released singles like "Gunbalanya" (2000) and "Loveship 2001" (2001) under the name Amazing Veepers.

In 1978, Randy Jones, David Hodo, and Glenn Hughes joined the band. Bill Whitefield became the Construction Worker in 2013 after filling in for Hodo. There was also a drug case involving Willis.

In 2017, Victor Willis won a lawsuit giving him rights to The Village People name and a share of their song copyrights. The next year, he came back as the band's leader with new backup singers. Felipe Rose, the group's second Native American member, started a solo career and won an award for his song "Going Back to My Roots."

Before their appearance at the Streamys Awards, GI/Sailor Sonny Earl and Leatherman Josh Cartier were replaced by JJ Lippold and James Lee in The Village People lineup. The group then released 'A Village People Christmas,' their first studio album in 33 years. Henri Belolo, the co-founder of The Village People, passed away in August 2019 at the age of 82. In November 2019, the band re-released their holiday album as 'Magical Christmas' with two additional songs.

Despite numerous fan requests urging the band to prevent the president from using their songs, The Village People allowed Trump to play them at events. The group addressed the issue in a public Facebook post, acknowledging the requests to stop or forbid President Donald Trump from using their songs, particularly "YMCA" and "Macho Man." However, they noted that the president's usage of their music was legal since it was not being used to promote anything specific.

In June 2020, amid escalating protests following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Victor Willis, the sole original member remaining in the group, took to Facebook to oppose the usage of his songs.

He specifically requested Trump to cease using any of his music at rallies, particularly "YMCA" and "Macho Man." Willis stated that he could no longer ignore the matter.