Klaksvík
—  Municipality and town  —
Klaksvík
Klaksvík Location in the Faroe Islands
Coordinates: 62°13′26″N 6°34′43″W / 62.22389°N 6.57861°W / 62.22389; -6.57861Coordinates: 62°13′26″N 6°34′43″W / 62.22389°N 6.57861°W / 62.22389; -6.57861
State	Kingdom of Denmark
Constituent country	Faroe Islands
Island	Borðoy
Population (2006)
• Total	4,645
Time zone	GMT
• Summer (DST)	EST (UTC+1)
Postal code	FO 700
Website	http://www.klaksvik.fo/

Klaksvík (Danish: Klaksvig) is the second largest town of the Faroe Islands. The town is located on Borðoy, which is one of the northernmost islands (in Faroese: Norðoyar).

The first settlement at Klaksvík dates back to Viking times, but it was not before the 20th century that the district merged to form a large, modern Faroese town that became the cultural and commercial centre for the Northern Isles and the Faroe Islands as a whole.

Klaksvik is located between two inlets lying back to back. It has an important harbour with fishing industry and a modern fishing fleet. Originally, four farms were located where Klaksvik is now. In time, they grew into four villages, Vágur, Myrkjanoyri, Gerðar and Uppsalar, that finally merged to form the town of Klaksvík in 1938. What triggered the development of the town was the establishment of a centralized store for all the northern islands on the location.

The brewery Föroya Bjór in Klaksvík is a Faroese family brewery, founded in 1888. The ram has been the symbol of the brewery since the early beginning. Since August 2007, when Restorffs Bryggjarí went out of business, Föroya Bjór has been the only producer of beer and soft drinks in the Faroe Islands.

With the opening of the Leirvík sub sea tunnel, the Norðoyatunnilin in April 2006, Klaksvík is physically linked with the mainland of the Faroe Islands and can now be considered one of its key ports. Several developments are under way to exploit this symbiosis, including a new industrial park located by the tunnel entrance. Klaksvík is home to Summarfestivalurin, the largest music festival in the Faroe Islands.

The Christianschurch[link]

Christianskirkjan build 1963, is the first one in Scandinavia to be built in Old Norse style. The roof construction is the same as the one you would find in the Viking halls, and the same which has survived in the Faroese smoke rooms (kitchens) and in the Faroese village churches. This open roof construction has proved to be especially suitable for church buildings, as the acoustics in this church is better than in any other of a similar size. The church is dedicated to the memory of the sailors who lost their life during Second World War.

Twin towns[link]

• - Murmansk, Russia
• - Wick, Scotland
• - Sisimiut, Greenland
• - Kópavogur, Iceland
• - Trondheim, Norway
• - Norrköping, Sverige
• - Tampere, Finland
• - Grenaa, Denmark
• - Odense, Denmark

Images of Klaksvík[link]

Klaksvík in 1898

Klaksvík in the 21st century

Moon over Klaksvík   Klaksvík in winter   Harbour scene   Christianskirkja (Church of Klaksvík)

Háfjall (647 m) and Hálgafelli (503 m) rise steeply over Klaksvík.   Klaksvík city map.   Before the Norđoyatunnel was opened in 2006, there was a car ferry to Leirvík, Eysturoy.   A street in Klaksvík (Víkavegur)

See also[link]

• Klaksvíkar Ítróttarfelag (local football team)
• List of towns in the Faroe Islands

References[link]

The Tourist Information Centre

External links and source[link]

• Faroeislands.dk: Klaksvík Faroeislands.dk
• Tourist information
• Port of Klaksvik
• (Faroese & English) www.klaksvik.fo Klaksvík's web site

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Klaksvík

Look up Klaksvík in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

v t e Municipalities of the Faroe Islands Eiðis Eystur Fámjins Fuglafjarðar Fugloyar Hovs Húsa Húsavíkar Hvalbiar Hvannasunds Klaksvíkar Kunoy Kvívíkar Nes Porkeris Runavíkar Sands Sjóvar Skálavíkar Skopunar Skúvoyar Sørvágs Sumbiar Sunda Tórshavnar Tvøroyrar Vágar Vágs Vestmanna Viðareiðis

This Faroe Islands location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Village People
from left: Randy Jones, Glenn Hughes, Felipe Rose, Victor Willis, David "Scar" Hodo, Alex Briley in 1978
Background information
Origin	New York City, United States
Genres	Disco
Years active	1977 – Present
Labels	Casablanca Records Black Scorpio RCA Polygram
Website	www.OfficialVillagePeople.com
Members
Felipe Rose Alex Briley David "Scar" Hodo G. Jeff Olson Eric Anzalone Ray Simpson
Past members
Victor Willis Randy Jones Glenn Hughes Ray Stephens Mark Lee Miles Jaye

Village People is a concept disco group that formed in the United States in 1977, well known for their on-stage costumes depicting American cultural stereotypes, as well as their catchy tunes and suggestive lyrics.

Originally created to target disco's gay audience by featuring popular gay fantasy personas,^[1] the band's popularity quickly brought them into the mainstream. Village People scored a number of disco and dance hits, including their trademark "Macho Man", "Go West", the classic club medley of "San Francisco (You've Got Me) / In Hollywood (Everybody is a Star)", "In the Navy", "Can't Stop the Music", and their biggest hit, "Y.M.C.A.".

They have sold upwards of 100 million records world-wide.^[2]

History[link]

1977–1979[link]

The group was the creation of Jacques Morali, a French musical composer. He had written a few dance tunes when he was given a demo tape recorded by singer/actor Victor Willis. Morali approached Willis and told him, "I had a dream that you sang lead on my album and it went very, very big". Willis agreed to sing on the first album, Village People.^[3]

It was a success, and demand for live appearances soon followed. Morali and his business partner, Henri Belolo (under the collaboration Can't Stop Productions) hastily built a group of dancers around Willis to perform in clubs and on Dick Clark's American Bandstand. As Village People's popularity grew, Morali, Belolo and Willis saw the need for a permanent "group." They took out an ad in a music trade magazine which read: "Macho Types Wanted: Must Dance And Have A Moustache."^[3]

Morali met the first recruit, Felipe Rose (Native American), on the streets of Greenwich Village. Rose was a bartender who wore jingle bells on his boots. He was invited to take part in the sessions for the first album. Alex Briley (who started as an athlete, but eventually took on the soldier persona) was Willis' friend. The others, Mark Mussler (construction worker), Dave Forrest (cowboy), Lee Mouton (leatherman) and Peter Whitehead (one of the group's early songwriters) appeared on American Bandstand and in the video for the group's first hit, "San Francisco (You Got Me)". They were later replaced by David Hodo, Randy Jones and Glenn Hughes, who all had more experience as actors/singers/dancers. Hughes had first been spotted as a toll collector at the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel.^[3]

Because Morali could not speak English, songwriters Phil Hurtt and Peter Whitehead were brought in to write the lyrics for the first album. However, Willis wrote the lyrics to the group's biggest hits, including "Y.M.C.A.", "Macho Man," "Go West" and "In the Navy," and for other Can't Stop Productions acts such as Ritchie Family and Patrick Juvet.^[4] Likewise, Gypsy Lane (the Village People band) and their conductor, Horace Ott, provided much of the musical arrangements for Morali, who did not play any instruments.^[5]

The band's name refers to New York City's Greenwich Village, at the time known for its large gay population.^[6] Morali and Belolo decided to create a group of stereotypes based on the gay men of Greenwich Village, who often dressed in fantasy attire.

"Macho Man" brought them mainstream attention, and their 1978 recording "Y.M.C.A." became one of the most popular hits of the 1970s.

In 1979, the United States Navy decided to use "In the Navy" in a television and radio recruiting campaign. Belolo offered them the rights for free if the Navy would help them film the music video. The Navy provided them access to the San Diego Navy base, where the USS Reasoner (FF-1063), several aircraft, and the crew of the ship would be used. The Navy canceled the campaign after a short time.^[7]

The group's fame peaked in 1979, when Village People made several appearances on The Merv Griffin Show and traveled with Bob Hope to entertain U.S. troops. They were also featured on the cover of Rolling Stone, Vol. 289, April 19, 1979. Willis left the group at the end of an international tour in 1979, and a decline in popularity followed.

1980–1985[link]

Ray Simpson, brother of Valerie Simpson (of Ashford & Simpson), replaced Willis for the group's highly anticipated 1980 feature film Can't Stop the Music, directed by Nancy Walker, written by Allan Carr and Bronte Woodard, music and lyrics by Jacques Morali (although Willis penned the lyrics to Milkshake and Magic Night) and starring Steve Guttenberg, Valerie Perrine, Jean-Claude Billmaer, Bruce Jenner, and Village People. By the time it was released, however, disco had waned and the movie won the Worst Picture and Worst Screenplay prizes at the 1980 Golden Raspberry Awards in March 1981 and was nominated in almost all the other categories. Despite that, the song Can't Stop the Music became a Club Play chart hit and moderate radio hit. However, it too (Can't Stop the Music, the song) was nominated for Worst Original Song by the 1981 Razzies, and flopped by Village People standard in that it never obtained gold status as a single or album.^[8] The soundtrack also featured the talents of "David London", who under his real name Dennis "Fergie" Frederiksen went on to become the future lead singer of Toto and one of the main contributors to the Village People's next album. The movie itself has since become a cult favorite, developing a worldwide fan base.

The group was one of the featured guests on a November 22, 1980 episode of Love Boat, (7th episode of season 4), entitled "Secretary to the Stars/Julie's Decision/The Horse Lover/Gopher and Isaac Buy a Horse". At the end of 1980, cowboy Randy Jones left the group and was replaced by Jeff Olson.

In 1981, with the popularity of disco having faded and New Wave music on the rise, Village People replaced its on-stage costumes with a new look inspired by the New Romantic movement, and released the New Wave album Renaissance. It only attracted minor, mostly negative attention and produced no hits.

Victor Willis returned to the group briefly in late 1981 for the album Fox on the Box, which was released in 1982 only in Europe but did have limited release in the United States in 1983 under the title In the Street. Miles Jaye had briefly taken over for Ray Simpson as lead singer by 1983 and contributed an extra track to In the Street. Mark Lee replaced David Hodo in 1982.

Their last album containing new material, the 1985 dance/Hi-NRG release Sex Over the Phone, was not a huge commercial success, but it fared better in sales and club play than their Renaissance album. The title track, when released as a single, was banned by the BBC because of its content - credit card dirty phone calls.^[9] In recent years, "Sex Over the Phone" has become a cult classic. Recently, an Associated Press declared "Sex Over the Phone" to be the "'Citizen Kane' of music videos." The Sex album featured yet another new lead singer, Ray Stephens (of The Great Space Coaster fame). Py Douglas came in to sub for Stephens for some of the group's live appearances in 1985.

In 1985, the group took a hiatus but reunited in 1987 with the line-up of Randy Jones, David Hodo, Felipe Rose, Glenn Hughes, Alex Briley and Ray Simpson.

Since 1988 the group has managed itself under the name Sixuvus Ltd. ^[10]

1990s to present[link]

Village People receive their star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame September 12, 2008. L to R (front row: David Hodo, Felipe Rose, Jeff Olson / back row: Ray Simpson, Alex Briley, Eric Anzalone.

• November 15, 1991: Village People founder Jacques Morali dies from AIDS in Paris, France.
• 1993: the group makes a guest appearance on the hit show Married With Children in the episode "Take My Wife, Please".
• 1994: Village People join the German national football team to sing its official World Cup '94 theme Far Away in America.
• 1994: Cowboy Randy Jones sings Greg Brady's part on a punk cover of The Brady Bunch classic Time to Change.
• 1995: Eric Anzalone replaces Glenn Hughes as the Leatherman/Biker.
• 1996: Village People appears with Kelsey Grammer, Rob Schneider, and other cast members during the end-credits sequence of the film Down Periscope.
• 2000: The group releases new material under the name Amazing Veepers.
• 2001: Felipe Rose appears as himself on the game show To Tell the Truth.
• March 4, 2001: original member Glenn Hughes (Leatherman) dies from lung cancer in New York City.^[11]
• 2004: Village People perform as the opening act for Cher on her Farewell Tour until it ends in April 2005. It was a highly successful tour for both artists.
• May 7, 2004: Original Cowboy Randy Jones marries Will Grega, his boyfriend of 20 years.^[12]
• Summer 2004: Village People perform at Lincoln Center Out Of Doors.
• September 4, 2006: Village People perform on Jerry Lewis' MDA Telethon.
• August 31, 2007: Victor Willis gives his first live concert in 28 years in Las Vegas.
• October 23, 2007: Village People perform on the NBC game show The Singing Bee.
• November 17, 2007: Victor Willis weds long-time love, Karen, a lawyer and executive.
• July 15, 2008: At the Major League Baseball All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium, Village People perform "Y.M.C.A." with the Yankees grounds crew during the 7th inning stretch.
• September 12, 2008: Village People receive star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
• September 3, 2010: Village People perform at the American Music Festival in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
• May 8, 2012, Victor Willis won a landmark ruling in the first case regarding the 1976 Copyright Act which allows recording artists and writers to reclaim their master recordings and publishing rights initially granted to record companies and publishers after 35 years.^[13]

Cultural references[link]

Star Wars characters, a Jawa, Greedo, Chewbacca and an Imperial Stormtrooper, take on the iconic roles of the Village People and lead the crowd in the "Y.M.C.A." dance at a Disney weekend event in 2007.

Due to their easily recognizable characters, the group have frequently been imitated or parodied in films, television series, video games and music. Numerous covers and homages of their songs have been recorded. The stereotypical masculine characters, particularly the leather-clad biker character with a horseshoe moustache, have also become a widespread pop culture icons associated with male gay culture and YMCA has become something of an anthem of the LGBT community.

The song "In the Navy" was featured in an episode of The Muppet Show and The Simpsons.

In the film Wayne's World 2, Wayne and his friends disguise themselves in order to spy on Wayne's girlfriend; Wayne dresses as a construction worker, Garth as a cop, Neil as a leather-clad biker and Terry as a sailor. They are then chased and end up on the stage of a men's club where their coincidental resemblance to the Village People becomes apparent to the DJ, who immediately puts on YMCA.

A 1993 episode of Married with Children had Peg disguising herself as the Indian, along with Kelly as the sailor, Bud as the construction worker and Jefferson as the biker in order to appease angry Halloween party guests of Marcy's, and a joke being they could only lip synch to one song, YMCA, as that was the sole Village People album Marcy owned. When the real Village People appear at the party, they start their concert with YMCA, causing the enraged women who were sick of the song to pelt them with toilet paper.

In 1995, a parody of the Village People was seen on the CGI show ReBoot with the group the Small Town Binomes singing "BSnP", a parody of YMCA They were seen in the ReBoot episode "Talent Night" and each individual was modeled after a singer from the Village People using the show's common Binome characters. Their song "BSnP" was a jab at ABC network's Broadcast Standards and Practices organization, which frequently edited content from the show which they deemed not suitable for its younger viewers (lyrics included "Oh, it's fun to play in a non-violent way").

Discography[link]

Main albums[link]

Compilations and other albums[link]

• Live: Seoul Song Festival (1984)
• Greatest Hits (1988)
• Greatest Hits '89 Remixes (1989)
• The Best of Village People (1994)
• The Very Best Of (1998)
• 20th Century Masters, The Millennium Collection ... The Best of Village People (2001)

Singles[link]

Lineup[link]

Temporary "People"[link]

• Peter Whitehead, who co-wrote the songs on the group's first record, briefly performed with the group in 1977.
• Py Douglas briefly replaced Ray Stephens in some television appearances during the group's 1985 European tour.
• Alec Timerman stood in for Alex Briley on occasion between 2001 and 2003.
• Bill Whitefield replaced David Hodo at some concerts in 2002 and 2003 and 2012.
• Richard Montoya also replaced Hodo on some 2008 dates.
• Angel Morales occasionally filled in for Felipe Rose between 2008 and 2009.

See also[link]

• List of number-one dance hits (United States)
• List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart
• List of artists who reached number one in Ireland

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Village People

• Official website of the Village People
• Village People at Rolling Stone