On July 26, 1989, Canadian singer Alannah Myles released Black Velvet, the second single from her debut album, Alannah Myles.
The song was written by Canadian songwriters David Tyson and Christopher Ward.
Ward was inspired to write it in 1987 while traveling on a bus full of Elvis Presley fans, headed to Memphis to attend a vigil marking the tenth anniversary of the artist's death. Elvis's voice was then considered "black velvet," a term that gave rise to the song's title.
Christopher Ward was Alannah Myles's boyfriend at the time, and after writing the song with David Tyson, he had her record a demo for Atlantic Records, securing a contract.
Black Velvet—released as Myles's debut single worldwide, despite being number two in her native country—reached number one in the US, Norway, and Switzerland, and number two in the UK, Austria, New Zealand, and Belgium. It also achieved excellent results in Australia, Canada, and other European countries.
This power ballad, blending blues and rock sounds, won its performer the Juno Award for Single of the Year in 1990 and the Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance in 1991. In 2005, it also received the Millionaire Award from ASCAP for having surpassed four million radio plays since its release.
The music video for Black Velvet was directed by Doug Freel and filmed in Ontario, partly in Buckhorn, on Alannah Myles's family ranch, and partly at a club in Kingston.
A new version of the song appears on an EP that Alannah Myles released in 2007 as a tribute to Elvis, 30 years after his death. It was also included on the 2008 album Black Velvet.
There is also a country version of the song, recorded by singer Robin Lee and released a few months after the original, also on Atlantic Records. Black Velvet is therefore well-known to fans of both genres.
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