Victor Willis

Victor Edward Willis (born on 1 July 1951 in Dallas, Texas) is a singer, songwriter, actor; and the original lead singer of the disco group Village People. He was the "Cop" and "Naval Officer." And only straight member of the original group. 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 version of "The Wiz."

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 and "In Hollywood."

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. But after he left, the hits stopped. 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 has declined offers to record and perform live shows, essentially declining to sing any of his Village People hits and in doing so becoming an enigma in the eyes of millions of Village People fans and source of worldwide fascination and attention as the press continues to follow his every step, and missteps, since leaving the Village People. 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.

The star recently stated he may return to the stage in 2007 after the release of a book based on his life and days as lead singer of the Village People. Reportedly, the book also deals with the excesses of the disco era.

Tidbits: He is the former husband of “Phylicia Ayers-Willis” (1978-1984) better known as Clair Huxtable, from the "Cosby Show (Phylicia Rashad)." He obtained a record deal for his then wife resulting in an album titled, “Josephine Superstar.” The lyrics were written by Victor Willis.

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

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