Village People

The Village People formed in New York City, United States in 1977 and are often considered the brainchild of French dance producer/songwriter, Jacques Morali. Morali started his music career directing orchestras in Paris, but became enveloped by the 70s dance scene. During this time he organized and nurtured dance groups such as the Richie Family, but did not hit mainstream success until he founded the Village People.

Morali purportedly conjured the idea of the Village People in a dream and stemming from this idea enlisted singer/actor Victor Willis as the group’s leading man. He then acquired a compelling lineup of dancers to accompany Willis and sent the band out to play various clubs in New York. In addition to Willis the core group consisted of Felipe Rose (Native American persona), Alex Briley (soldier persona), Mark Mussler (construction worker persona), Dave Forrest (cowboy persona and Lee Mouton (leatherman persona).

Though the Village People’s sound referenced acts like the Bee Gees and the 5th Dimension, their style was incomparable. Named after New York’s Greenwich Village (a location recognized for its gay community) the group was one of the first to flash homosexual personas in the face of the mainstream. Their vision was so tenacious and their sound so instantly catchy that they became one of the biggest pop surprises to arise from the late 70s. The Village People’s self-titled studio debut came out in full colors in 1977 and though it only clocked in at 22 minutes in length it was a hit success, featuring the chart climbing single “San Francisco (You’ve Got Me)”.

Their 1st album was written primarily by Phil Hurtt and Peter Whitehead; however, Willis would later assume the role as principal songwriter for the group’s proceeding releases. “Macho Man” and “Cruisin’” were both released in 1978 and included some of the band’s biggest hits: “Macho Man”, “I Am What I Am”, “Key West”, “Hot Cop”, and “Y.M.C.A.”. “Macho Man” went triple platinum in Canada and Platinum in the US while “Cruisin’” went Platinum 4 times over in Canada, Gold in Germany, and Platinum in the US. The single Y.M.C.A. hit no. 2 on the US charts and no.1 in the UK and has since sold over 10 million copies, making it one of only a few singles to have done so. The song has been crystalized as a gay anthem, but has nevertheless extended beyond gay culture into the mainstream.

Their next album “Go West” was also a hit in the US as it was also overseas. It sported the paramount single “In the Navy” as well as the title track which was later revived by the Pet Shop Boys for their 1993 masterpiece “Very”. The Village People” concluded the 70s with their 5th studio album “Live and Sleazy”. This release was comprised of both live and studio recordings and proved to be a major success in Canada and the US.

The group’s popularity started to taper off in the 80s (this in large part was stimulated by Willis’ departure); however, their albums “Can’t Stop the Music” and “Renaissance” managed to make it into the US Billboard Album charts.

The Village People abandoned their disco sound on “Renaissance” and adopted a new wave approach. This unfortunately alienated many of their fans and likewise received mix reviews from critics. Victor Willis re-entered the group in time for the Village People’s release of “Fox on the Box/In the Street”, but was later replaced by Ray Stephens for their 1985 album “Sex Over the Phone”. The Village People went on hiatus after this release, but reformed for several concerts in 1987. Though the group has not released any new material under the name Village People, they have toured throughout the 90s and 2000s.

Boney M. formed in 1976 and though the group was based out of Bon, West Germany none of it’s core members were natives of the country. Liz Mitchell and Marcia Barrett were both born in Jamaica, Maizie Williams was originally from Montserrat, West Indies and Bobby Farrell was from Aruba. Though these singers did not start performing together until 1976 this project was already underway in 1974.

During this year Farian had already come up with the group’s name (which he derived from a popular TV series) and had recorded it’s 1st single “Baby do You Want to Bump”. The track caught on in the Netherlands and Belgium and this spurt of popularity cited Farian to compile a group of singers and dancers to front his work. For the group’s first incarnation he recruited singers Maizie Williams, Sheyla Bonnick, and a dancer known simply as Mike. The group expanded to include Claudja Barry and Bobby Farrell. The group finally reached a degree of stabilization when Maricia Barrett and Liz Mitchell joined.

In 1976 the group released their studio debut album “Take the Heat off Me”. Although the group had coalesced into a stable line up, Barrett and Mitchell were essentially the only performers to appear on the album alongside Farian (who contributed the majority of the male vocalizations). The album was an obvious nod to the disco genre and included two original singles “Daddy Cool” and “Baby Do You Want to Bump” as well as the Bob Marley cover “No Woman, No Cry”. Though the album just barley missed the cut on the US Billboard Album charts, it was a huge success in many European countries, topping both Sweden and Finland’s album chart, landing at No. 6 on Austria’s album chart and No. 2 on Norway’s.

The band’s sophomore album, “Love for Sale” was released 1 year later. It was a commercial hit, going on to achieve Gold certification in the UK and featuring two hit singles “Ma Baker” and “Belfast”, which peaked at No.1 on the German Singles chart. Prior to this release the band had been rigorously performing at local disco’s and nightclubs, but after the release of “Love for Sale” they were able to embark on their first headlining tour.

In 1978 the group released what is considered to be their best album, “Nightflight to Venus”. This release was their first to take No.1 on the UK album charts. Though the album continued to draw inspiration from R&B, Dance and Disco music, some of the tracks chosen for this album were stylistic variations from these genres, such as the cover of Neil Young’s classic folk tune “Heart of Gold” and the Country standard “King of the Road”. The group’s biggest hit was a Wiest Indies Children’s traditional “Brown Girl in the Ring”.

Their 4th album “Ocean’s of Fantasy” saw release in September 1979. It was their second album to reach No.1 in the UK. This album featured the two singles “Gotta Go Home”/”El Lute” and “I’m Born Again”/”Bahama Mama”.

Boney M’s hype started to fade in the 80s. They released a successful greatest hits compilation in 1980, but a comparatively weak 5th studio album “Boonoonoonoos”. This release was followed by the departure of Bobby Farrell. Later that year the band put out a Christmas album and in 1984 released “Ten Thousand Lightyears”, their first album without Farrell’s promotional support. Farrell returned in 1984 in time for the release of two moderately successful singles “Kalimba de Luna” and “Happy Song”. The group’s 8th and final studio album “Eye Dance” was issued in October 1985; however, Farian had noticeably lost interest in the group at this point and the resulting album was panned by critics and also did poorly on the market.

Boney M’s “Greatest Hits of All Times - Remix ’88” came out in 1988; however, the band was basically defunct at the time. Several different incarnations emerged and imploded throughout the 90s and 2000s, with the longest lived being Maizie William’s line up who embarked on an Australian tour in 2014.