While rock 'n' roll dignitaries bow down to the temples of Depeche Mode and the Clash this summer with star-studded tribute albums, the dance world is paying musical homage to its own icon: "Billy." |

Top shelf dance artists including Boy George will honor Billy -- the anatomically correct, homosexual take-off of Mattel's "Ken" doll -- with an album titled Out and About With Billy due to premiere June 2. Proceeds from the 10-track compilation will benefit LIFEbeat, the music industry's nonprofit organization for AIDS awareness and fundraising.

Out and About With Billy will feature a never-before-released track from Culture Club's frontman titled "When Will You Learn" that Finetune Recordings CEO and founder Vinny Vero described as "a classic Boy George track." "Lyrically it is definitely relationship oriented," he said. "The vocals sound very different, but it's definitely him."

Vero told JAMTV that organizing the 75-minute album was a "labor of love" which required him to exploit his music industry connections. "I contacted all the people I knew and, surprisingly, they all said, 'Yeah!'"

Dance deacons who jumped on board the debut disc include the Baltimore diva Ultra Nate, the Italian house team Black Box and Blackout. Clubbing contributions from those artists and more will debut next Tuesday during LIFEbeat's celebrity auction in New York.

The benefit event, titled "Billy Opens His Closet For LIFEbeat," will showcase a world-class wardrobe designed for "Billy" by 60 top name designers like Calvin Klein, Perry Ellis and Liz Claiborne. The organization opened online bidding for the outfits May 19 at www.billyworld.com, and will officially close the auction on May 31.

Though retail stores have carried $50 Billy dolls for more than a year, online bidding began at $99 for the blonde hunks dressed to kill. Currently, the fundraising front runner is Jean Paul Gaultier's "Billy," which is dressed in a long sweeping black drape that resembles a somber outfit worn by Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan. That doll is going for $1,125, while Betsey Johnson's furry purple cape has topped at $350 and Alexander McQueen's bedroom cowboy outfit is listed at $125.

The huge hype surrounding Billy's coming out disc and party has already prompted Vero to consider producing a follow-up album. The Grammy-nominated entrepreneur responsible for the '80s compilation Living in Oblivion, Vero is toying with the idea of making a tribute to Billy's love interest, Carlos, whom he met in Miami.

Billy originally came out in 1994 at an AIDS benefit in London and first hit the American market via Totem International of New York. The 13-inch, non-designer versions come in a choice of four outfits: Sailor Billy, Cowboy Billy, San Francisco Billy and Master Billy, complete with black leather and chains. (Anni Layne)