Alexander Briley, born April 12, 1951, is a Harlem disco singer who was the original “G.I.” in the disco recording act Village People.
Early life and education
Briley was the son of a Christian minister. Raised in Harlem and later in Mount Vernon, New York, Briley sang in church from an early age and studied voice at the University of Hartford. Briley had two brothers, Timothy and Jonathan.
Career
Briley was introduced to producer/composer Jacques Morali by Village People member Victor Willis.
He originally performed in jeans and a T-shirt, but he took the role of a soldier for the album Cruisin’ in 1978 and appeared as a sailor when the group recorded In the Navy in 1979 (who initially appeared in nondescript costumes before switching to G.I. uniforms representing all branches of the United States military).
He was on the Tim Conway Show in 1980 in Atlantic City.
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.
n 1994, the Village People joined the German national soccer team to sing its official World Cup ’94 theme, “Far Away in America.”
Starting in 2004, Village People performed as the opening act for Cher in her Farewell Tour until it ended in April 2005.
From July 18th to July 20th, 2004, Village People performed in Berlin for three shows as an opening act for the German punk band Die Ärzte.
On May 8, 2012, Victor Willis won 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 granted to record companies and publishers after 35 years.
In April 2013, Village People recorded “Let’s Go Back To The Dance Floor” – a song written by Harry Wayne Casey (KC & The Sunshine Band) and produced by DJ Julian Marsh.
In March 2020, the US Library of Congress described the last as “an American phenomenon” and added the song to the National Recording Registry, which preserves audio recordings considered to be “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant”.
Personal life
Jonathan Briley
Briley’s younger brother, Jonathan (1958–2001), worked as an audio engineer at Windows on the World on the 106th floor of the North Tower of the World Trade Center and perished in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
In 2005, Jonathan was speculated by several people to be The Falling Man – the figure depicted in an iconic photo of a man falling to his death from the North Tower.
He was one of an estimated 100–200 people who died on 9/11 either by jumping from, falling from, or being pushed out of the upper stories of the Twin Towers.
Photo credit: 1) Village People in 1978. From left: Randy Jones, Glenn Hughes, Felipe Rose, Victor Willis, David Hodo, Alex Briley (green uniform). 2) Foggy Melson Music. 3. Source.
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