Pick a Day

Producer Henri Belolo is born in Morocco. He works with many disco acts, and with his partner Jacques Morali, creates The Village People.

Alexander Briley (The sailor from The Village People) is born in Harlem, New York City.

David Hodo (Village People construction worker) is born in Palo Alto, California.

Glenn Hughes (leather guy in The Village People) is born in New York City.

Victor Willis, original lead singer for The Village People, is born in Dallas, Texas. He leaves the group in the mid-'80s but returns in 2017 when he gains control of the name, replacing the existing members with a new lineup. Willis, who plays the policeman, is the only group member with co-writing credits on their songs, including "Y.M.C.A." and "Macho Man."

Felipe Rose (The Indian from The Village People) is born in New York City. An original member, he's with the group until 2017, when Victor Willis (the cop) assumes control and brings in a new lineup.

The Village People play their first concert, performing at 2001 Odyssey in New York City, the setting for Saturday Night Fever.

The disco film Thank God It's Friday, starring Donna Summer and Village People, premieres in Los Angeles.

The Canada Jam festival goes down in the Great White North (Bowmanville, Ontario), with The Doobie Brothers, The Village People, Triumph, and Kansas on the bill.

The YMCA files a lawsuit against The Village People for their hit single "Y.M.C.A.," claiming the song is defaming to the organization. The suit is not only dropped, but the Y.M.C.A. adopts the song as their nonofficial commercial jingle after seeing the huge popularity boost the it brings them. Later, the US Navy recruits The Village People to boost recruitment with the song "In The Navy."

The Village People appear on American Bandstand, where the crowd does the soon-to-be famous arm movements spelling out "Y.M.C.A." Host Dick Clark makes sure they learn those moves, and they do.More

"Y.M.C.A." by The Village People goes to #2 in America, where it stays for three weeks, unable to overtake fellow disco stalwarts "Le Freak" and "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" In many other territories, including Australia, Canada and the UK, the song goes to #1.

The Village People become the first disco act to play Madison Square Garden.

The BCM Summer Dance Festival kicks off at the Tempodrom in Berlin. The 3-day festival brings together a number of American acts, including the up-and-coming hip-hop groups Stetsasonic, EPMD and UTFO, along with disco mainstays The Village People and R&B legend Bobby Womack.More

Producer Jacques Morali, who created The Village People, dies of AIDS at age 44.

Glenn Hughes, the biker in The Village People, dies of lung cancer at age 50.

The Village People get a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame at 6529 Hollywood Blvd.

At halftime of the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas, 40,148 fans perform the "Y.M.C.A." dance while the Village People perform, establishing a Guinness World Record. It is the most memorable part of the game, which Oregon State wins 3-0 over Pittsburgh.

After winning a landmark lawsuit, The Village People lead singer Victor Willis regains the copyright to 33 songs he co-wrote for the band. Willis is the first songwriter to go public with his case, which deals with a 1978 law that reverts copyrights to songs back to their original owners 35 years after. Like many songwriters, Willis had signed away the rights to his songs.

Henri Belolo, who co-founded The Village People and co-wrote many of their hits, dies at 82.

President Donald Trump joins The Village People on stage when they headline the Liberty Ball, part of his inauguration festivities (their song "Y.M.C.A." was a staple at his rallies). Billy Ray Cyrus, Nelly and Jason Aldean also take the stage; other acts performing at inauguration events include Kid Rock, Rascal Flatts, Gavin DeGraw, Parker McCollum and Carrie Underwood, who sings "America the Beautiful" without a backing track at the swearing-in ceremony when there's a technical glitch.

The Village People lead singer Victor Willis (the cop) dies from a "short but aggressive illness" at 74. He left the group in the '80s but returned in 2017 after winning a copyright dispute over his songwriting royalties.