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Henri Belolo: Village People founder dies aged 82



The founder of the Village People Henri Belolo has died aged 82.

Scorpio Music, the French record label founded by Belolo, said the producer died on Saturday.

Belolo, who also worked as a producer, co-wrote their classic hits YMCA, Macho Man and In The Navy.

He was born in Casablanca, Morocco, on November 27 1936, and began his music career representing Barclay Records and Atlantic before moving to Paris at the end of the 60s.

Henri Belolo has died aged 82 (Scorpio Music via the personal archives of Belolo)

Joining Polydor, he produced albums for legendary French artists such as Serge Reggiani, Georges Moustaki and Jeanne Moreau.

In 1970, Henri Belolo declined the presidency of Polydor, creating instead Carabine Music, one of the very first successful independent labels in France.

Three years later, he moved to the USA where he met fellow Moroccan producer Jacques Morali. They teamed up to produce hits for the Ritchie Family, including Brazil, Best Disco In Town and Give Me A Break. In 1976, Belolo founded Scorpio Music.

The duo then founded the six-member band Village People, with lead singer Victor Willis. The group’s self-titled debut album was released in 1977.

Discussing how the group was founded, he told Parisian Today: “We were walking around [Greenwich] Village and we saw an Indian playing bells on the street. 

David Hodo, Randy Jones, Alex Briley, Ray Simpson, Felipe Rose and Glenn Hughes are pictured in 1980

“Intrigued, we followed him to a bar where he was a waiter, and sang a disco number every 20 minutes. Among the customers was a guy with a cowboy hat. That was the trigger: To create a group with all the stereotypes of the American male.”

Belolo, who was straight, said he formed the group, in part, as a way to champion gay rights. “I really did it as a provocative, subversive way of telling you: this is the way it is,” he said in 2004. “I did not like that American mentality of bigotry and hypocrisy, and I didn’t see why these people would be treated like this. Like black people, as well – I did not like the way they were treated.”

In 1978, the group released two albums, Macho Man and Cruisin’ – which featured the international hit YMCA, co-written by Belolo. It peaked at number two on the US Billboard chart.

A year later, Village People released the album Go West, which included In The Navy, another song co-written by Belolo that peaked at number three on the chart.

During the 80s, Belolo and Morali introduced Break Dancing to Europe with Break Machine’s Street Dance.

In the 90s, Belolo contributed to the growth of house music and the club culture in France and across Europe with numerous successful acts such as 2unlimited, Eiffel 65, Gala, Haddaway.

Belolo’s son, Anthony, took over the role as president of Scorpio Music in 2010. Six years later, Belolo was made a knight of the French Legion of Honour.

Tributes have been paid to Belolo by members of the music industry.

French DJ and producer, Willy Willam, wrote on Twitter: “Sad to hear that Henri Belolo pass away. All thoughts to the family. 

“I was so honoured to meet him and now I’m blessed to be in the Scorpio Music Family, we continue to do what Henry Belolo did in the past : A Little French Team can Hit the world, he & we did it.”

The band confirmed the news on their Facebook page, writing: “In loving memory of Henri Belolo (1936-2019).”

In a statement, Scorpio Music, which shared two black and white images of Belolo from his personal archives, said: “It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing on Saturday the 3rd of August 2019, of Henri Belolo, founder of Scorpio Music and pioneer of dance music.

“Throughout the span of a 60 year career, Henri Belolo reached the pinnacle of success in music, as a producer, a writer, and a business man. Henri will live on in our hearts and minds forever.”



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