Jeff Olson, the Cowboy, was born in New York City, but his family moved to West Islip, a Long Island suburb when he was six months old.  As early as third grade he showed an interest in music and acting, participating in school plays and regularly singing with the school chorus.  He developed a reputation for organizing his school bus buddies to sing along to pop songs on the way to grammar school, much to the dismay of the bus drivers.  In high school Jeff continued his interest in music with his involvement in numerous "garage bands."  Bands that never seemed to do much more than rehearse.  After graduation Jeff moved to Mitchell, South Dakota to begin his college career at Dakota Wesleyan University.  There he studied biology, history, and music.  During his sophomore year he once again became involved in a band that would eventually become known as STEPCHILD.  As lead singer and percussionist, they toured the upper Midwest working as their own booking agent, management, roadies, sound engineer and wardrobe personnel. After 3 years STEPCHILD ultimately disbanded and Jeff chose to relocate to the San Francisco/Bay area in California and pursue a music career.  While in California he was also chosen to co-star in the film LA Crackdown.  Jeff was then recruited by a fashion agent in San Francisco.  After several years as a California model, his agency sent him to New York and then to an affiliated agency in Paris.  

Jeff enjoyed his life in Paris and it wasn't long before Paris felt as familiar as his own native New York.  Strangely, one night out with friends at a local restaurant frequented by models and industry people, Jeff was introduced to a certain Frenchman who was known as a successful music producer for such big name groups as The Richie Family and Village People.  It was a disappointingly brief meeting for Jeff who never kept a musical career very far from his thoughts. As the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays approached in the autumn of 1980, he made plans to return to the States to spend time with family.

Back in New York that fall, he received a call from a friend telling him of an audition notice that appeared in one of the trade papers seeking a singer/dancer for a pop group.  Things happened very fast that fall. He hadn't been back from France for more than two weeks before he found himself auditioning for the famous French music producer he had met just weeks prior, Mr. Jacques Morali.  The very same day he was told that he had been selected and that he was now the cowboy of the group known as Village People.

During the late 1980's Mr. Olson owned and operated a sports bar in the Los Angeles area.  Currently, he is a Connecticut resident and a member of the Board of Directors of Sixuvus Ltd. (the Village People corporation).