VICTOR WILLIS (1951 - 2026)

Victor Willis, the lead vocalist and founding member of the queer-coded, disco act, Village People, has died on June 30th. He had struggled with drug addiction for many years after leaving the group and would have several run-ins with the law. He would undergo treatment in 2006 after an arrest and had remained sober since then. No details of his cause of death have been revealed. He was seventy-four, passing away one day before his birthday on July 1st.

Born in Dallas but raised in San Francisco, Willis was brought up in the church as his father was Baptist minister. He began singing gospel music before moving on to soul and jazz as he got older. Willis would get into theater and moved to New York where he landed roles on Broadway.

While there, Willis met French producers, Jacques Morali and Henri Belolo who were interested in him performing vocals on a disco record project they were working on called "Village People". The self-titled debut album was released in 1977 and the single, "San Francisco (You've Got Me)" became a popular hit internationally. This lead to listeners wanting to see this band perform live but there was not an actual "Village People" at this point. So the producers and Willis quickly assembled a group that featured Alex Briley, Felipe Rose and three other performers. Morali and Belolo got the inspiration for creating an image for the band based on male archetypes of the gay men living in New York City's Greenwich Village. With Willis as the lead voice of the band dressed as a cop (later a Naval Officer), Briley as a soldier and Rose as a Native American, they added permanent singers, Glenn Hughes (leatherman), Randy Jones (cowboy) and David Hodo (construction worker) to record their next album.

The follow-up album, "Macho Man" became an even bigger hit in 1978 with the title track crossing over from the dance floor to the mainstream, reaching number twenty-five on the US Billboard pop chart and another single, "Key West"  reaching the top five on the dance chart. Later in the same year, Village People released their third album, "Cruisin'" which featured the group's biggest hit, "Y.M.C.A." which reached number two on the pop chart and has gone on to become a popular anthem at parties and sporting events. Another album, "Go West" (with this song later covered by Pet Shop Boys in 1993) was released the following year with the single, "In The Navy" becoming another top-five smash hit.

After deciding to leave Village People in 1979 (right before the filming of the disastrous musical, "Can't Stop The Music"), Willis tried to distance himself from the group, refusing to perform the songs for many years. In May 2012, Willis would win a landmark ruling in the first case heard regarding the Copyright Act of 1976, which allows recording artists and writers to reclaim their master recordings and publishing rights initially given to record and publishing companies after thirty-five years, recapturing the copyrights of many of the popular songs he co-wrote for Village People. He would release "Solo Man" in 2015, a solo album he recorded back in 1979. Willis would return to performing with Village People in 2018 with a new line-up and recorded their first studio album in thirty-three years, "A Village People Christmas". 

Willis is survived by his wife, Karen Huff-Willis, a lawyer and entertainment executive, with the couple being married since 2007. He was previously married to the actress, Phylicia Ayers-Allen who he met during the Broadway run of "The Wiz" in 1978. The couple separated in 1982 and she would go on to marry the former NFL player and sportscaster, Ahmad Rashad three years later.

EARTH WIND AND FIRE

For his third non-fiction feature film, following his docs on the 1969 Harlem Cultural Music Festival and Sly Stone, Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson delivers "Earth, Wind & Fire (To Be Celestial vs That's the Weight of the World)" (streaming now on HBO Max) which examines the extraordinary career and enduring legacy of this legendary r&b band who went on to sell well over ninety million records throughout their career. While Earth Wind & Fire was made up of an unusually large number of members, the driving, creative force and spiritual leader of the group was really only one person: Maurice White.

Born in Memphis, TN, White endured emotional hardship as a small child when his mother moved to Chicago for a better opportunity following the passing of his father, leaving him behind to be raised by his grandmother. His mother would remarry and start another family and he wouldn't live with her until he was a teenager. This would leave White with a deep feeling of abandonment, some resentment and trust issues, affecting his personal and professional relationships later in his life.

One thing that helped him get through his childhood trauma was music and he gravitated towards playing the drums. First starting out playing professionally with the jazz/soul band, the Pharaohs, White would join them as session players for Chess Records, backing many of the popular acts on the Chicago soul label. By 1966, White left this band and the label to join the Ramsey Lewis Trio to replace the drummer. During his time with this jazz group, they achieved great commercial success and awards while White was encouraged by Lewis to develop his stage presence. This was also when White first encountered the African thumb piano, kalimba and used it for a recording with the Ramsey Lewis Trio.

But White once again became restless, wanting to have more control over his music, and formed another group, The Salty Peppers with friends, Wade Flemons and Don Whitehead. They had some minor success in Chicago but soon decided to take their chances by heading to the west coast. Once there, White soon became intrigued by studying philosophies, metaphysics, mysticism and astrology with these concepts beginning to heavily influence his life and approach to creating music. Using his astrological sign, Sagittarius which has primary elemental qualities of fire and earth and air, White came up with the name of "Earth, Wind & Fire" and guided his band towards universal, genre-defying music that would inspire all listeners.

Briskly paced and visually electrifying, Thompson utilizes video footage, animated sequences and plenty of famous talking heads to reveal the importance and legacy of this group. We have founding members (who still perform with the band), Phillip Bailey, Ralph Johnson and White's brother, Verdine who share their experiences working with the mercurial White (who died in 2016 at the age of seventy-four) which managed to be both gratifying and complicated. Stevie Wonder, Lionel Ritchie, H.E.R., Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and even the Obamas all express on camera the importance and emotional impact that the music by Earth Wind & Fire had left on each of them.

"Earth, Wind & Fire (To Be Celestial vs That's the Weight of the World)" is the perfect tribute to this pioneering band, offering objective insight and historical information that reveals how they expanded and innovated their sound to attract a global audience, blazing a powerful trail for other artists to follow.

NEW SOUNDS

Katy Perry has dropped some new music with "Watch It Burn", a hard-driving pop-rock song that recaptures the singer's classic sound. This track details about finally releasing some long, bottled-up anger in order to reclaim personal power after years of holding it back. The music video for the song is a cinematic, high production clip where Perry goes through several dramatic, physical transformations:



Chlöe Bailey and legendary producer, Timbaland have teamed up for a joint mixtape called "Resurrection". This inspired pairing combines Bailey's incredible vocals with Timba's bounce beats and smooth production, creating a classic '90's vibe with a contemporary feel. A highlight from the album is the track, "Better Than She Can":



Sam Smith has new music on the way with his fifth studio album, "Hazel Eyes" due out in August. The record is deeply personal for the singer and very romantic in spirit with the first single, "My Guy", a love ballad which Smith no longer being coy about who he is singing about:



Muni Long has been away for a while but she recently revealed that she had a serious health issue last year, having to undergo a double lung transplant after being told she only had about a week to live due to complications with pneumonia. Thankfully, she has recovered with the singer/songwriter returning to music with a ballad, "Richest" which is about the true wealth in life is being in love:



"Baby, Can We?" is the latest single from Dawn Richard and it's a duet with fellow alt-soul artist, Durand Bernarr. Coasting along lyrics from Aretha Franklin‘s 1972 classic hit, "Day Dreaming", the former Danity Kane member captures the desire to flee from daily life with a potential lover on this track:



"She’s My Religion" is the latest single from Willow's upcoming eighth studio album, "The Thread" due out in July. This provocative song is about using love, spiritual growth, and a feminine spirit as a guide, rather than a formal, traditional religion:



And Jennifer Lopez teams up with the Brazilian musician and DJ, Alok for "Everything's Fine". There are two versions of this song with each offering a different perspective on the same emotional story. Exploring the stories people tell themselves in order to convince themselves to keep moving forward, one take is more intimate and beat driven called "AM" while the other is a clearly dance floor-oriented "PM" version.

CLIVE DAVIS (1932 - 2026)

Clive Davis, the legendary music executive who had an amazing ear for discerning talent, has passed away on June 22nd at the age of ninety-four. The five-time Grammy Award winner and inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame had been hospitalized with respiratory problems late last month but had been released. Davis was largely responsible for signing and nurturing the careers of some of the greatest artists in popular music which includes Bruce Springsteen, Pink Floyd, Sly and the Family Stone, Janis Joplin, Barry Manilow, Santana, Chicago, Earth, Wind & Fire, Aerosmith, Billy Joel and Whitney Houston to name just a few.

Born in Brooklyn, NY on April 4, 1932, Davis began his professional career as a lawyer working for a small firm. He was hired as an assistant counsel for a subsidiary of CBS Records, Columbia Records and later became general counsel. Despite not having much knowledge about music or the business, Davis soon worked his way into the industry going from from general manager of the label to president by 1966. While Columbia Records had been best known for releasing jazz, theatrical soundtracks and pop standards, Davis was interested in moving more heavily into rock and roll. One of the first artists he signed was the folk-rock musician, Donovan. During the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967, Davis was advised to attend and was mesmerized by the live performance of Janis Joplin with Big Brother and the Holding Company, signing the band immediately. Other acts that Davis would go on to sign during his time at Columbia included Laura Nyro, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Loggins and Messina, and Santana.

But in 1973, Davis was abruptly fired from CBS Records. It had been rumored that the reason was that he allegedly used company funds to bankroll his son's bar mitzvah. However an article in Rolling Stone magazine claimed he was actually let go due to him supplying drugs to musicians and being a part of an alleged payola scandal, all of which Davis had vehemently denied.

After regrouping, Davis founded Arista Records in 1974. He set about signing well-known artists to his label that either he previously worked directly with at Columbia or had greatly admired their artistry, performers like Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick, the Grateful Dead, Patti Smith, Lou Reed and Carly Simon, with him working to revitalize their recording careers and achieving great success. And Davis developed new talent, helping to establish Alicia Keys, Kenny G, Taylor Dayne, Ace of Base, Air Supply, and most notably, Whitney Houston, who he signed at nineteen and worked extensively towards making her a global pop music superstar. Davis also helped found LaFace Records with L.A. Reid and Babyface as well as Sean "Puffy" Combs' Bad Boy Records.

In 2000, Davis left Arista to start J Records, an independent label that received financial backing from Bertelsmann Music Group. Four years later, BMG merged with Sony Music Entertainment to form Sony BMG with Davis named chief creative officer. He was made chief creative officer of Sony Music Entertainment in 2018 and had remained in the position until his death.

YOU SEEM PRETTY SAD FOR A GIRL SO IN LOVE

For her third studio album, "You Seem Pretty Sad For a Girl So In Love", Olivia Rodrigo has taken the thrashing beats of 90's grunge rock and filtered it through contemporary Gen Z angst. This riveting collection, which Rodrigo continues her creative collaboration with producer, Dan Nigro, displays a maturity and artistic evolution for the twenty-three year old performer. Experimenting with other sounds ranging from indie pop to New Romantic-era rock, the album feels fresh as the singer shares her intimate thoughts on love and heartbreak that is spun through a wide range of classic rock. Rodrigo even teams up with Robert Smith of the '80's goth band, the Cure (who she is a huge fan) on the love ballad, "What's Wrong With Me".

What I truly admire the most about Rodrigo and her new album is how she's bopping wildly to her own beat, blissfully unconcerned about pop music trends or chart placement. Too few musicians today are planning for maintaining their careers and simply chasing what is hot at the moment. "You Seem Pretty Sad For a Girl So In Love" proves that Rodrigo is a true artist and working towards being around for the long haul.

RANDOM SIGHTS + SOUNDS

After spending her time emoting musically on the big screen and dazzling audiences with her performance in the two-part film musical, "Wicked", Ariana Grande is returning to her pop music career. "Hate That I Made You Love Me" is the lead single off of her upcoming eighth studio album, "Petal" which is due out at the end of July. Teaming once again with frequent collaborators, Ilya Salmanzadeh, and Max Martin, the song is a bit of a departure for Grande with this synth-pop ballad having a subtle, minimalist vibe. "Hate That I Made You Love Me" deals with her complicated relationship with fame and the public scrutiny that comes with it, especially commentary regarding her appearance and body. The humorous video for the song, directed by Christian Breslauer and features actor, Justin Long, plays like a short film that involves a man who has apparently murdered his wife (played by Grande) and buried her body while he is continuously being haunted by her. Grande has also begun her long awaited Eternal Sunshine Tour on June 6th which will take her through the US and Canada before concluding in September with a ten-date stop at the O2 Arena in England.



June is the month where we celebrate Pride and here is a collection of LGBTQ+ artists who have new music out: for his upcoming sixth studio album, "Adam", Adam Lambert digs into the sounds of '90's electronic and alternative rock with the first single, "Eat U Alive"; free from her label, pop diva, Kim Petras is now independently releasing her music and the latest song is "Brutalist"; the queer Nashville-based country group, the Cowgays (made-up of solo artists, Brooke Eden, Chris Housman, and Adam Mac) have released a campy tune, "Good Hoedown"; the English synth-pop act, La Roux has dropped a new track, "Cabin Fever" from their upcoming album, "Old Flames"; Frankie Grande is currently appearing in the Broadway production of "Titanique" and has delivered a fast-paced "Pride anthem" of the number he does in the show, "I Drove All Night"; David Archuleta has dropped his latest dance-pop tune, "Love For Free" and the electroclash performer, Slayyter has the single, "Dance..." from her second studio album, "Worst Girl in America".

And with her next album, "Confessions II" due out on July 3rd, Madonna is moving into overdrive to promote this dance music collection. First she was involved with doing some playfully sexy promo on the gay networking app, Grindr and then did a mini concert in the middle of Times Square in NYC. Now, the Queen of Pop has released "Confessions II – The Film". This fourteen minute visual album directed by TORSO features the first six tracks from the upcoming album. The short film made its premiere on June 5th at the Tribeca Festival and was released three days later on YouTube. Filled with wild imagery and many notable famous faces, this dazzling musical film is an impressive reminder of what a powerful and enduring force she is as a visual stylist and performer.

PEABO BRYSON (1951- 2026)

Peabo Bryson, the smooth voiced, soul crooner who would win two Grammy Awards for his work on popular theme songs for two Disney animated features, has sadly passed away on June 2nd. The singer had a heart attack seven years ago but made a full recovery but recently had suffered from a stroke on May 31st and died from complications. He was seventy-five.

Born Robert Peapo Bryson in Greenville, SC, on April 13th, he began his career singing background vocals for a local band at the age of fourteen. Taking on his middle name as his stage moniker and changing the pronunciation to "Peabo", Bryson went to work with other bands before an opportunity lead him to Bang Records in Atlanta and was encouraged to move from the background and into the foreground as a performer. This lead to his debut album on Bang, "Peabo" in 1977 and this recording would capture the attention of a major label, Capitol Records who would sign him.

The song that first helped launch him as a performer was "Feel The Fire" which he wrote from his first album on Capitol, "Reaching for the Sky". This love ballad was later covered by Stephanie Mills in 1979 for her debut studio album, "What Cha Gonna Do with My Lovin'". Bryson would have more hit songs that included "If Ever You're in My Arms Again" (his first top-ten pop single), "Tonight, I Celebrate My Love", a duet with Roberta Flack, "Without You", a duet with Regina Belle for the soundtrack of the 1987 comedy, "Leonard Part 6" and "Can You Stop the Rain" which reached number one on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in 1991.

In 1991, Bryson was teamed with Celine Dion, a rising vocalist from Canada at the time, to perform a pop recording of the title track for the Disney animated film, "Beauty and the Beast". This ballad would also go on to win the Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Original Song. Bryson would later be approached to record a pop music version of "A Whole New World" for the 1992 animated movie, "Aladdin" and would join forces again with Belle to duet on the love ballad. More major awards would be won for this song and Bryson and Belle would reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for this recording.