The+Village+People

Annie Helffrich & Iris Gerzenshtein Mr. Burkhart Honors American History May, 16 2011
 * The Village People**

Jacques Morali, the producer and composer, and his partner Henri Belolo found Felipe dancing in his indian costume in a small village called Greenwich Village. That event brought the idea to form a group that represented different village icons from diverse American groups. On a Broadway show, those two found Victor Willis, the first cop, and he joined the group with Alex Briley, the soldier. After their find, they held auditions to look for three more members to add to the group. They were an instant phenomenom with their hits YMCA, Macho Man, In the Navy, Go West and more. After touring in 1986, the group took a short break. Some went off on their own. Later they regrouped, but in 1995 Eric Anzalone replaced Glenn Hughes as the biker. They continued on with their third decade with the disco era. They are now celebrating their 34th year as a group.
 * Background**


 * Who?**
 * Group members**-
 * Indian** (Felipe Rose 1954-present) - Felipe Rose, otherwise known as a "shadow walker", was always creative and very talented. His mother was a great supporter. When he was just sixteen, he had gotten a scholarship with the Ballet de Puerto Rico. He loved to dance, so he carried on with it. His aunt showed him his heritage and their dances as well. So when he was performing one of his dances at a night club, the composer Jacques Morali came up to him and wanted Felipe to join the band. He went off and learned a new dance for them.

arrange the vocal arrangement and harmonies that were sung in the group.
 * Soldier** (Alex Briley 1947-present) - Alex Briley was a son of a minister and grew up singing in church in his childhood. He continued on singing at the University of Hartford where he learned to sing in many styles. Victor Willis brought Alex to Jacques Morali to audition for The Village People because they had done a show together weeks before. He started to


 * Construction worker** (David Hodo 1957-present) - David Hodo, otherwise known as "Scar", made his living from doing Broadway shows. He later found the village people on his birthday which fell on 7-7-77. He knew that would be a special day. David is a talented composer that wrote original material for the group.


 * Cop** (Ray Simpson 1954-present) - Before replacing Victor Willis, the original cop, Ray did a lot of performing with his sister and brother-in-law. At first, when in The Village People, he was just doing backup singing. As soon as Willis left the group, he was promoted to be the cop from now on.


 * Cowboy** (Jeff Olson) - Jeff Olson was always interested in singing and acting. As little as third grade he was singing and performing in school plays. A few weeks before he heard about the auditions for The village People, he met the composer, Jacques Morali in France. Luckily when he went to the auditions, having heard about them from a friend, Morali was running the auditions. Later he found out he was the new cowboy, after replacing Randy Jones, for The Village People.


 * Biker** (Eric Anzalone 1965-present) - Born in Ohio. In his early years, he was interested in acting and singing. He was in Various stage productions around the world. After Glenn Hughes left the group, Eric was known as the new biker for The Village People.

The Village People started in 1977 and are still performing today. The group was originally meant for the the Disco's gay community. This was done by featuring gay characters. Their popularity brought them into the mainstream. They were mostly Disco Icons.
 * When?**

Worlds most famous arena. In 1979, This group took over Madison Square Garden for two nights in a row. It was one of Madison Square Gardens best shows. The YMCA work internationally and Nationally. This complex combines both health and an activity focus and working in creative arts. media type="custom" key="9487804" width="300" height="300" align="right"
 * Where?**
 * On their 20th anniversary, they held a concert at Madison Square Garden and Radio City Music Hall in New York.-
 * In 1999 they visited the London Central YMCA-


 * Main Albums**


 * ~ Year ||~ Album Title ||||~ Chart Positions ||~ Label ||
 * ^  ||^   ||~ US Top200 ||~ US R&B ||^   ||
 * 1977 || //Village People// || 54 || 36 || //Casablanca// ||
 * 1978 || //Cruisin'// || 3 || 5 ||^  ||
 * ^  || //Macho Man// || 24 || 31 ||^   ||
 * 1979 || //Go West// || 8 || 14 ||^  ||
 * ^  || <span style="border-collapse: separate; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">//Live and Sleazy// || <span style="border-collapse: separate; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">32 || <span style="border-collapse: separate; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">57 ||^   ||
 * <span style="border-collapse: separate; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">1980 || <span style="border-collapse: separate; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">//Can't Stop The Music// || <span style="border-collapse: separate; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">47 || <span style="border-collapse: separate; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">— ||^  ||
 * <span style="border-collapse: separate; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">1981 || <span style="border-collapse: separate; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">//Renaissance// || <span style="border-collapse: separate; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">138 || <span style="border-collapse: separate; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">— || <span style="border-collapse: separate; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">//RCA// ||
 * <span style="border-collapse: separate; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">1982 || <span style="border-collapse: separate; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">//Fox In The Box// || <span style="border-collapse: separate; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">— || <span style="border-collapse: separate; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">— ||^  ||
 * <span style="border-collapse: separate; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">1983 || <span style="border-collapse: separate; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">//In The Street// || <span style="border-collapse: separate; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">— || <span style="border-collapse: separate; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">— || <span style="border-collapse: separate; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">//Casablanca// ||
 * <span style="border-collapse: separate; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">1985 || <span style="border-collapse: separate; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">//Sex Over The Phone// || <span style="border-collapse: separate; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">— || <span style="border-collapse: separate; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">— || <span style="border-collapse: separate; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 19px;">//Powerworks// ||

Miscellaneous
 * The YMCA was considered the national anthem for the gay community.
 * The group rode the disco wave in 1970s
 * Origin in New York City
 * Best known for Their outfits and performing in Gay Bars
 * Most famous song is the YMCA
 * Rumor has it that the YMCA sued The Village People because it was against their trademark.
 * Had their own movie called Can't Stop The Music in 1980
 * YMCA was the #2 on the U.S. charts in 1979 and it reached #1 in U.K.

<span style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: .5in; mso-pagination: widow-orphan lines-together; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.5in;">“About Us.” //Central YMCA Est. 1844//. Central YMCA, n.d. Web. 19 May 2011. <http://www.centralymca.org.uk/‌about-us>. <span style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: .5in; mso-pagination: widow-orphan lines-together; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.5in;">“About Victor Willis .” //Victor Willis World//. Harlem West Entertainment., 2008. Web. 17 May 2011. <http://www.victorwillisworld.com/‌about_victor.htm>. <span style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: .5in; mso-pagination: widow-orphan lines-together; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.5in;">Carreon, Ricardo. “Disco Ball.” //Flickr//. Yahoo! Inc., 2011. Web. 17 May 2011. <http://www.flickr.com/‌photos/‌carreon/‌1006874428/>. <span style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: .5in; mso-pagination: widow-orphan lines-together; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.5in;">“Felipe Rose.” //Felipe Rose//. ladyfairydust, 2001. Web. 17 May 2011. <http://www.feliperose.com/>. <span style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: .5in; mso-pagination: widow-orphan lines-together; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.5in;">“Fun Facts.” Editorial. //2008 YMCA Long Course National Swimming Championship//. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2011. <http://www.ymcaswimminganddiving.org/‌2008LC/‌Fun%20Facts%20-%20Village%20People.pdf>. <span style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: .5in; mso-pagination: widow-orphan lines-together; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.5in;">“Notes & Quotes: Ivanka, Village People, Taylor Swift.” //StarPulse//. Starpulse.com™, n.d. Web. 19 May 2011. <http://www.starpulse.com/‌news/‌index.php/‌2008/‌05/‌25/‌title_48>. <span style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: .5in; mso-pagination: widow-orphan lines-together; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.5in;">“ 100 Best Madison Square Garden Shows: Final 10.” //MSG//. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2011. <http://www.msg.com/‌photos/‌100-best-madison-square-garden-shows-final-10/‌the-village-people-1.31305>. <span style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: .5in; mso-pagination: widow-orphan lines-together; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.5in;">“ Rock History: YOUR ROCK & ROLL MEMORIES.” //Streaming Oldies//. PHP-Nuke, 2011. Web. 18 May 2011. <http://www.streamingoldies.com/‌modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=958>. <span style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: .5in; mso-pagination: widow-orphan lines-together; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.5in;">Village People. “History.” //Village People-The Official Site//. Can’t Stop Productions, Inc., n.d. Web. 17 May 2011. <http://www.officialvillagepeople.com/‌history.php>. <span style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: .5in; mso-pagination: widow-orphan lines-together; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.5in;">- - -. “Photos.” //Village People//. Can’t Stop Productions, Inc., n.d. Web. 18 May 2011. <http://www.officialvillagepeople.com/‌photos.php>. <span style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: .5in; mso-pagination: widow-orphan lines-together; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.5in;">“Village People.” //Wikipedia//. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 14 Mar. 2011. Web. 17 May 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/‌wiki/‌Village_People>. <span style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: .5in; mso-pagination: widow-orphan lines-together; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.5in;">“Village People Costumes.” //Scarepros Halloween//. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2011. <http://www.scarepros.com/‌village_people_costumes.html>. <span style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: .5in; mso-pagination: widow-orphan lines-together; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.5in;">“Village People - VS - Turbonegro.” //Village People - VS - Turbonegro//. N.p., 2008. Web. 18 May 2011. <http://www.freewebs.com/‌ginomettilasteaua/‌villagepeopleis.htm>. <span style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: .5in; mso-pagination: widow-orphan lines-together; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.5in;">Vince. “The Village People In Postal 3!?!?!” //Team Teabag//. N.p., 10 July 2008. Web. 19 May 2011. <http://www.teamteabag.com/‌2008/‌07/‌10/‌the-village-people-in-postal-3/>. <span style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: .5in; mso-pagination: widow-orphan lines-together; text-autospace: none; text-indent: -.5in;">“A weekend with the (Bohemian) Village People.” //GIRL IN CZECHLAND//. N.p., 24 May 2010. Web. 17 May 2011. <http://girlinczechland.wordpress.com/‌2010/‌05/‌24/‌a-weekend-with-the-bohemian-village-people/>.
 * Works Cites**