Ex-Village People singer wins lawsuit

LOS ANGELES — When it comes to compiling a list of the great songwriters of the past 50 years, Victor Willis’ name likely wouldn’t merit more than an asterisk.

Far better known as the police officer in the novelty disco act the Village People, Willis is also remembered for a number of drug-related troubles in the early 2000s that nearly upended his post-Village People days.

Yet there he was this week, being mentioned in the same breath as Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen, after he won a court battle to claim at least a third of the copyrights for such songs as “Macho Man,” “Y.M.C.A.” and “In the Navy” that he co-wrote for his old group.