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FORMER VILLAGE PEOPLE SINGER SUING FOR 1.5 MILLION
Victor Willis is suing the firm representing his former band the Village People for $1.5 million in song royalties he claims are unpaid. The 59 year-old La Jolla resident is suing Can't Stop Productions, which handles the rights to those songs.
Willis co-wrote Village People hits like “In the Navy,” “YMCA,” and “Macho Man,” earning millions each year in royalties. The disco group was essentially founded in 1978 by French music producer Jacques Morali, who cast former Broadway star Willis to front the band as singer and songwriter.
The singer launched a comeback of sorts in 2007 with his first concert performances in over a decade and a planned autobiography. The surgery caused several dates of his Victor Willis Dance Tour to be canceled in Europe, the U.S., and Canada.
In July 2008, he underwent surgery at a local hospital, reportedly to remove nodules from his vocal cords. The surgery caused several dates of his Victor Willis Dance Tour to be canceled in Europe, the U.S., and Canada.
Willis has claimed the Village People fired him in 1980 for being the lone heterosexual member.
“Victor Willis wrote about the YMCA and having fun there,” his publicist said in a 2007 press release, “but the type of fun he was talking about was straight fun. When he says, ‘Hang out with all the boys’…he’s talking about the boys, the fellas, but it’s one of those ambiguous songs that was taken that way because of the gay association with Village People.”
Willis briefly reunited with the People between 1982 and 1984. He spent the next 20-plus years refusing to perform Village People songs or do interviews. During this period, he racked up eight criminal convictions and was featured on a 2005 episode of America’s Most Wanted.
While serving time in prison, he became engaged to a San Diego woman named Karen, with whom he shared a home in La Jolla for a time. In March 2007, she told police that Willis had assaulted and choked her, but city attorneys declined to press charges.
Willis has also claimed to be seeking the master recordings for an unreleased solo album he recorded after leaving the Village People. He was once married to Cosby Show vet Phylicia Rashad, who later wed (and divorced) sportscaster Ahmad Rashad.
As of 2011, Willis lives in La Jolla and turns up frequently at La Mesa’s Guitar Center and downtown’s East Village Tavern and Bowl. His wife Karen runs his website.
Here's the Reader's Famous Former Neighbors 'toon featuring Willis -- http://www.sandiegoreader.com/photos/galleries/famous-former-neighbors/3197/
FORMER VILLAGE PEOPLE SINGER SUING FOR 1.5 MILLION
Victor Willis is suing the firm representing his former band the Village People for $1.5 million in song royalties he claims are unpaid. The 59 year-old La Jolla resident is suing Can't Stop Productions, which handles the rights to those songs.
Willis co-wrote Village People hits like “In the Navy,” “YMCA,” and “Macho Man,” earning millions each year in royalties. The disco group was essentially founded in 1978 by French music producer Jacques Morali, who cast former Broadway star Willis to front the band as singer and songwriter.
The singer launched a comeback of sorts in 2007 with his first concert performances in over a decade and a planned autobiography. The surgery caused several dates of his Victor Willis Dance Tour to be canceled in Europe, the U.S., and Canada.
In July 2008, he underwent surgery at a local hospital, reportedly to remove nodules from his vocal cords. The surgery caused several dates of his Victor Willis Dance Tour to be canceled in Europe, the U.S., and Canada.
Willis has claimed the Village People fired him in 1980 for being the lone heterosexual member.
“Victor Willis wrote about the YMCA and having fun there,” his publicist said in a 2007 press release, “but the type of fun he was talking about was straight fun. When he says, ‘Hang out with all the boys’…he’s talking about the boys, the fellas, but it’s one of those ambiguous songs that was taken that way because of the gay association with Village People.”
Willis briefly reunited with the People between 1982 and 1984. He spent the next 20-plus years refusing to perform Village People songs or do interviews. During this period, he racked up eight criminal convictions and was featured on a 2005 episode of America’s Most Wanted.
While serving time in prison, he became engaged to a San Diego woman named Karen, with whom he shared a home in La Jolla for a time. In March 2007, she told police that Willis had assaulted and choked her, but city attorneys declined to press charges.
Willis has also claimed to be seeking the master recordings for an unreleased solo album he recorded after leaving the Village People. He was once married to Cosby Show vet Phylicia Rashad, who later wed (and divorced) sportscaster Ahmad Rashad.
As of 2011, Willis lives in La Jolla and turns up frequently at La Mesa’s Guitar Center and downtown’s East Village Tavern and Bowl. His wife Karen runs his website.
Here's the Reader's Famous Former Neighbors 'toon featuring Willis -- http://www.sandiegoreader.com/photos/galleries/famous-former-neighbors/3197/