Jacques Morali
Jacques Morali | |
|---|---|
Neuilly-sur-Seine, France | |
| Genres | Disco, dance, funk, R&B |
| Occupation(s) | Songwriter, record producer |
| Labels | Casablanca |
Jacques Morali (4 July 1947 – 15 November 1991[1]) was a French disco and dance music record producer and songwriter, known for creating acts like The Ritchie Family and Village People.
Early life
Morali was born in Casablanca, French Morocco. He may have had Jewish ancestry.[2]
Career
Beginning in France
Morali made his start in the music business at the end of the 1960s, writing music for orchestras in Paris, for the Crazy Horse, for himself as a solo artist (he played in 1967 show "Elle aime, elle n'aime pas" and released a single of the same title) but also for performers like Peter Fersen. Viva Zapata (Venus VS-71451), one of his first French productions, was sung by "Clint Farwood" - a pseudonym for a member of King Harvest. In the early 1970s, Morali met French music producer Henri Belolo. But he thought quickly that his success in France was not as great as expected and decided to try his luck in North America. Through meeting José Eber, Elizabeth Taylor and Cher's hairdresser,[3] he became familiar with Philadelphia International Records. At the time, Morali proposed several projects to Belolo without convincing him.
International
In 1975, Morali told Belolo about his intention to adapt the Brazilian song "Brazil" from a musical starring
Mainstream
While in New York, Morali attended a costume ball at "Les Mouches", a gay disco in Greenwich Village. As he gazed around the room, he was impressed by all the "macho male stereotypes" portrayed by the party guests. The idea came to him to put together a group of singers and dancers, each one playing a different gay fantasy figure. At first, Belolo was not involved in this project, but when he saw that Morali had succeeded in signing a licensing deal with Casablanca Records (one of the more famous disco labels), Belolo decided to become his close sidekick on the project. The Village People's songs include "San Francisco (You've Got Me)" (1977), "YMCA" (1978), "Macho Man" (1978), "In the Navy" (1979), "Go West" (1980) and "Sex Over the Phone" (1985) and they became one of the more successful acts of the disco era with their flamboyant concept albums.
Jacques Morali's music was characterized by simple arrangements, a unique sense of
In the late 1970s, he had a sexual relationship with singer/actor/adult film star Wade Nichols/Dennis Parker.
Death
Morali contracted
References
- ^ a b "The Estate Project". Artistswithaids.org. 1991-11-15. Archived from the original on 2013-07-26. Retrieved 2013-12-05.
- ^ Talevski, Nick. Rock Obituaries - Knocking On Heaven's Door. Omnibus Press. p. 441.
- ^ "José Eber interview for "Unscripted"". Archived from the original on September 27, 2009. Retrieved September 23, 2009.
External links
- Jacques Morali at IMDb
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