The Village People have their sights set on two of America’s most prestigious musical awards: a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction and a Kennedy Center Honor.
The band’s official Facebook page shared a post on Monday, with a link to a 2023 Far Out article about how Rolling Stones’ 1978 hit song ‘Miss You’ was inspired by the iconic disco group.
‘For those who doubt Village People’s broad influence on other artists.. “Rolling Stones song influenced by Village People,”‘ the post read.
‘Clearly the group has had a major influence on other artists thus satisfying the prerequisite for inclusion. You hear that, “Rock & Roll Hall of Fame?” You hear that, “Kennedy Center Honors?”‘
The group, which gained popularity in the 1970s, and are known for their upbeat music and flamboyant costumes, have had a string of hits including Y.M.C.A., Macho Man, In the Navy, San Francisco, Go West and Can’t Stop the Music.
Y.M.C.A. recently found renewed popularity, thanks in part to the band’s performance of the song at President Donald Trump’s pre-inauguration rally in Washington, D.C. last month.
The Village People have their sights set on two of America’s most prestigious musical awards: a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction and a Kennedy Center Honor; pictured in 1978
The band’s official Facebook page shared a post on Monday, writing, ‘Clearly the group has had a major influence on other artists thus satisfying the prerequisite for inclusion. You hear that, “Rock & Roll Hall of Fame?” You hear that, “Kennedy Center Honors?”‘
The band’s post quickly garnered over a thousand likes from fans.
With nearly half a billion streams on Spotify and counting streams from other platforms like Apple, Y.M.C.A. is rapidly approaching the billion-stream mark.
The song has also achieved the distinction of being inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and chosen for preservation in the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame considers various factors for induction, including legacy, name recognition, influence, musical quality, how it influenced other musicians and how well the music has aged.
The process for a band to get inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is a multi-step process that involves nominations, voting, and then the induction ceremony.
Ballots are sent to a voting body of over 1,000 artists, historians, and members of the music industry.
Meanwhile the Kennedy Center Honors are annual awards given in recognition of lifetime contributions to American culture through the performing arts.
The band may have a good shot at it, since President Trump revealed earlier this week that he is firing the Board of Directors and naming himself the chairman.
The post shared a link to a 2023 article about how Rolling Stones’ 1978 hit song ‘Miss You’ was inspired by the iconic disco group; Keith Richards and Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones seen in 2003
Their song Y.M.C.A., recently found renewed popularity, thanks in part to their performance at President Donald Trump’s pre-inauguration rally in Washington, D.C. last month
The group, which gained popularity in the 1970s, and are known for their upbeat music and flamboyant costumes, have had a string of hits including Y.M.C.A., Macho Man, In the Navy, San Francisco, Go West and Can’t Stop the Music
With nearly half a billion streams on Spotify and counting streams from other platforms like Apple, Y.M.C.A. is rapidly approaching the billion-stream mark
Village People Then: Its most famous lineup, Randy Jones, David Hodo, Felipe Rose, Victor Willis, Glenn Hughes and Alex Briley
Trump performed his signature fist-pumping dance move while flanked by the Village People at a campaign-style rally as he took a victory lap one day before he was sworn in for a second term.
The popular 70s disco group, whose 1978 song YMCA has been a staple at Trump rallies for years appeared with him at Trump’s ‘Make America Great Again Victory Rally’ at the Capital One Arena.
The anthem closed out nearly all of Trump’s campaign rallies. Trump appeared thrilled with the performance as he swayed on stage, bopped his head and sang along as they performed in front of cheering crowds.
He shook the hands of several band members before and after the show – something of a turnaround in relations after the band send him a cease and desist in 2023 for him stop using their music after ‘Macho Man’ was played at a Mar-a-Lago event.
The band was originally formed by French producers Jacques Morali and Henri Belolo and lead singer Victor Willis.
The original seven members were Willis, Felipe Rose, Alex Briley, Lee Mouton, Mark Mussler, David Forrest, and Peter Whitehead.
The current members are Willis, Javier Perez, James Lee, J. J. Lippold, James Kwong, and Nicholas Manelick.
Willis, best known for portraying the cop in the iconic disco group’s original lineup, remains at odds with his original bandmates following their decades-old clash that saw him gain ownership and control of the group’s name and royalties.
In January the 73-year-old singer announced Village People had accepted an invitation from the Trump campaign to perform at inaugural celebrations after objecting to the incoming president’s use of the music at campaign events in the past.
Willis was the only founding member to participate as former bandmate Felipe – the ‘Native American’ – revealed there is still bad blood among members of the group’s most popular lineup.
Trump has been known to be a huge fan of Village People hit song Y.M.C.A., to which he’s often seen dancing at his political rallies
Announcing the group’s decision to perform at the inauguration in a Facebook post, Willis said: ‘We know this won’t make some of you happy to hear, however we believe that music is to be performed without regard to politics’
Willis is the only founding member in the current Village People lineup. He famously demanded the Trump campaign quit using the group’s music at political events but has since changed his tune
Willis, whose years-long legal battle saw him gain ownership and control of the group’s name, has continued performing with a rotating cast of performers as the Village People over the years
‘What makes you think I’m going to be f**king there? I have nothing to do with the group,’ Rose, 70, told DailyMail.com, citing his 2017 departure.
‘I was in the group for 38 years and then Victor Willis came roaring back with his wife and sued the s**t out of everyone,’ he added.
‘The others decided to fight but I told them “you don’t own it”. I got caught up in the middle of the lawsuit.
‘I have no control over what he (Willis) does with the new group,’ Rose said.
The comments offer a glimpse into the long-running beef among other surviving members of the band from its most famous lineup – Rose, Briley (the soldier), Hodo (the construction worker), Randy Jones (the cowboy), and Ray Simpson, who replaced Willis as the cop in 1979.
The sixth original member, Glenn Hughes, the leatherman, died in 2001.
Willis is the only original member in the current group.
The frontman had famously demanded that the Trump campaign stop using Village People’s songs at political rallies in a cease-and-desist letter in 2023, but has softened his stance in recent months.
