Who Are the Village People Original Members? Pop Group Returns for Trump's Inauguration
The Village People are making headlines again after agreeing to perform at Donald Trump's second inauguration.
Published Jan. 14 2025, 3:06 p.m. ET
If you have ears and have been on earth in the past 30 years, you almost certainly know at least one song from '70s superstar group, The Village People. Not only did they cement forever the iconic dance we know as the "YMCA," but they dropped other mega-hits such as "In the Navy" and "Macho Man."
The group has folded new members in over the years as some of the originals retired. Who were the original members of the Village People? Here's what we know about the iconic group's history.
Who are the Village People original members?
The Village People first rose to prominence in 1977 and continued to take center stage for the following decade as they poured out hit song after hit song. They released a movie in 1980, and in 2020 "YMCA" was inducted into the U.S. Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry. One year later, the song was again honored by induction into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
While the look of the group is iconic and recognizable, with a police officer, a cowboy, a stylized Native American, a construction worker, a biker, and a sailor; fewer people know the names behind the costumes.
The original line-up was comprised of Victor Willis as a police officer; David Hodo as a construction worker; Glenn Hughes as a leather-clad biker; Alex Briley as a sailor; Felipe Rose as a stylized Native American; and Randy Jones as a cowboy.
It's interesting to note, however, that the iconic dance that everyone associates with "YMCA" wasn't originally created by the group, according to AZCentral. While The Village People were performing on American Bandstand during the show's first weekend of performances in 1979, members of the audience began forming the iconic letter symbols with their arms. Host Dick Clark pointed the dance out to Victor Willis, and the dance sensation was honed and rocketed the group and their adopted moves into the stratosphere.
Who are the current members of The Village People?
These days, the line-up is made up of OG Victor Willis as the police officer/admiral; Javier Perez as an American Indian; James Lee as a G.I.; J.J. Lipold as the leather-clad biker; James Kwong as the construction worker; and Nicholas Manewick as the cowboy.
Although the group has changed members throughout the years, they have never completely stopped performing. But they were rocketed back to prominence thanks to Donald Trump's use of their music at his presidential campaign rallies ahead of the 2024 Presidential election.
The Village People sent a cease and desist letter to Donald Trump in 2023.
One of Trump's favorite bands appears to be The Village People, as he heavily used their music, including "YMCA" and "Macho Man," during campaign rallies. The group sent a cease and desist letter in 2023, demanding he stop using their music in pursuit of his political purposes.
In 2020, the group penned a Facebook post that said Trump and his team had been "respectful in his use of our songs and has not crossed the line.” However, they weren't so magnanimous in 2023.
A cover group performed "Macho Man" during an event where Trump announced his intention to seek re-election. The Village People's representatives then immediately reached out and demanded he stop using their music, adding that the cover band's use of their imagery had not been approved.
Karen Willis, wife to Victor and the band's manager, wrote "Though my husband has tolerated your client’s use of his Village People music, we cannot allow such use by him to cause public confusion as to endorsement" (excerpt via The Hill).
The Village People announced they'd be performing at Trump's 2025 inauguration.
Given their history with Trump, people were confused when The Village People announced on social media in mid-January 2025 that they would be performing at Trump's inauguration. The Facebook post began, "We are announcing today that VILLAGE PEOPLE have accepted an invitation from President-Elect Trump's campaign to participate in inaugural activities, including at least one event with President-Elect Trump. 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."
The post continued, "Our song 'Y.M.C.A.' is a global anthem that hopefully helps bring the country together after a tumultuous and divided campaign where our preferred candidate lost."
Fans in the comments expressed a mixture of support and horror, with people on both sides of the political spectrum expressing their surprise. Nonetheless, the group's efforts to bring people together align with their past values and seem to be an exercise of the hope they have that unity can still be achieved, despite everything that has occurred.