KC & The Sunshine Band, Village People, Sister Sledge and Marcia Hines are bringing the funk to the Hunter Valley for the first A Day On The Green event of the year.  

All artists will perform with full bands and the Australian tour sees the welcome return of the original lead singer and “cop”, Victor Willis, to Village People after a 25-year absence. 

“The biggest initial break in my career was in Australia in 1976 when I starred as the Tin Man in the Australian version of The Wiz,” Willis said.

“So really, it all started for me there. Therefore, it’s fitting that I kick off my return as the lead singer in Australia because the people there loved me first.” 

KC & The Sunshine Band was formed in Miami, Florida, in 1973 by Harry Wayne Casey and ruled the charts in the 1970s with four number one hits in a row – Get Down Tonight, That’s The Way (I Like it), (Shake Shake Shake) Shake Your Booty and I’m Your Boogie Man.

The hits kept coming with Keep It Comin’ Love, Boogie Shoes, Please Don’t Go and Give It Up.

The band’s mix of funk, disco and R’n’B has resonated with fans for four decades. The Grammy Award-winners have sold more than 100 million records and were honoured with a star on the prestigious Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Also celebrating 40 years in show business, Village People have sold more than 100 million records and ingrained themselves into pop culture history with some of the biggest hits and most memorable characters of all time. Created by French music producer and composer Jacques Morali in 1977, the Village People topped the charts with Can’t Stop The Music, Y.M.C.A, In The Navy and Macho Man.

In 1979 Sister Sledge teamed with Chic’s Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards and released the iconic album We Are Family. The album’s first single, He’s The Greatest Dancer, shook up dancefloors around the world, while the follow-up title track skyrocketed the group into disco royalty. Other hits include Lost In Music, Thinking Of You and Frankie. 

As for Australia’s “Queen of Pop” Marcia Hines, she was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2007 and received the Order of Australia in 2009. Arriving in Australia as a 16-year-old from Boston in 1970 to star in the stage musical Hair, she now has three decades of hits to her name including You, From The Inside, I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself and Music Is My Life. 

This summer season marks the 17th year of A Day On The Green.