Glenn Hughes
July 18, 1950 – March 4, 2001
Glenn Hughes (not to be confused with Glenn Hughes of Black Sabbath and Deep Purple) was an original vocalist in one of disco music’s most famous and most lasting institutions, the Village People. He was primarily known for his leather biker outfits and awesome handlebar mustache which made him a pop culture icon well beyond the group. And although straight himself, Hughes was cast in a gay leather archetype, thereby becoming a face of that subculture. Around 1976, Hughes responded to producer, Jacques Morali an ad looking for “macho” types for a new disco vocal group. Immediately hired and taught to dance, he became bass voice that can be heard in such disco staples as “In The Navy,” “Y.M.C.A.,” and “Macho Man.” Those songs, along with numerous television appearances and their starring roles in the film, Can’t Stop The Music, helped the Village People become icons of the disco era, and be affectionately parodied ever since. Hughes left the group in 1996 and formed a successful cabaret act. He also managed the Village People in later years. On March 4, 2001, Glenn Hughes died of lung cancer at the age of 50.
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