15 Facts About Victor Willis

Victor Edward Willis was born on July 1,1951 and is an American singer, songwriter and a founding member of the disco group Village People.

Victor Willis performed as their lead singer and was co-songwriter for all of their most successful singles.

The son of a Baptist preacher, Willis developed his singing skills in his father's church.

Victor Willis appeared in many musicals and plays, including the original Broadway production of The Wiz in 1976 and subsequently, the Australian production.

Victor Willis had written and recorded several albums in the mid-1970s for independent labels and was eventually introduced to French disco producer Jacques Morali.

Morali, who dubbed him the "young man with the big voice", approached Victor Willis and said, "I had a dream that you sang lead vocals on my album and it went very, very big".

Victor Willis agreed to sing lead and background vocals under the guise of Village People, an at-that-point non-existent concept group.

Victor Willis was writing songs produced by and co-written with Morali for the group and other artists, which met with success.

In 1980, as preparations for a Village People feature film Can't Stop the Music were underway, Victor Willis left the group.

In 2013, Victor Willis appeared on the TV One series Unsung in their two-hour special retrospective on the disco era.

In 1979, Victor Willis recorded a solo album which remained unreleased for over 35 years.

Victor Willis struggled with drugs for many years after leaving Village People and had several run-ins with the law.

From 1978 until 1982, Victor Willis was married to Phylicia Ayers-Allen, whom he met during the run of The Wiz, and who later played Clair Huxtable on The Cosby Show.

Victor Willis wrote the lyrics and arranged the vocals for her disco concept album, Josephine Superstar, which featured the Village People on backing vocals.

On November 17,2007, Victor Willis married a second time to Karen, a lawyer and entertainment executive.