Ray Simpson

{{short description|American singer}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2014}}

{{for|the soldier|Ray Simpson (soldier)}}

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Ray Simpson

| image = Ray Simpson (2006).jpg

| landscape =

| caption = Simpson in 2006

| background = solo_singer

| birth_name =

| alias =

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|mf=yes|1954|01|15}}

| birth_place = The Bronx, New York City, New York, United States

| death_place =

| instrument = Vocals

| genre = {{hlist|R&B|disco|funk}}

| occupation = {{hlist|Singer|songwriter}}

| years_active = 1979–present

| label =

| associated_acts = Village People

| website =

}}

Ray Simpson (born January 15, 1954) is an American singer best known as a former lead singer and "Cop" of the disco super-group Village People, having been in that role for over 30 years. In August 1979, he replaced original lead singer, Victor Willis as the Cop, a role he would fill until 1982, and again from 1987 until Willis' return in 2017. Simpson had been performing backup singing for Village People in its first years, which is why he was recruited (on very short notice) to join the group when Willis left.

Simpson was featured in the Village People film, Can't Stop the Music, released in 1980.{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1980/06/20/archives/cant-stop-the-music.html|title='CAN'T STOP THE MUSIC'|work=The New York Times|authorlink=Janet Maslin|author=Maslin, Janet|date=June 20, 1980}}

Born and raised in The Bronx, he is a graduate of City College of New York, majoring in English and minoring in music.

His sister, Valerie Simpson, was part of the husband-and-wife songwriting-production team and recording artists Ashford & Simpson. The duo worked with many Motown artists, most successfully with Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell and then Diana Ross, and with several non-Motown artists, like Chaka Khan and The Brothers Johnson. They also found success as recording artists, notably with their songs "Found A Cure" (1979) and "Solid" (1984). Ray Simpson spent many years performing with the duo. Prior to joining Village People, Simpson also released a solo recording album titled Tiger Love.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/t/village-people/|title=Village People|magazine=Rolling Stone|accessdate=7 August 2019}}