Once Upon a Time in the Top Spot: Alannah Myles, “Black Velvet”

26 years ago today, Canadian singer Alannah Myles found herself atop the Billboard Hot 100 with the first U.S. single from her debut album. It’s not a bad way to kick off a career, that’s for sure, but nor is it the easiest thing to follow up, either.

In April 1989, Myles released “Love Is,” which was her first single in Canada. Everywhere else, however, it ended up being her follow-up to “Black Velvet,” which was released in July ’89 in Canada and December ’89 in the US. Written by Christopher Ward – then Myles’s boyfriend – and David Tyson, “Black Velvet” was inspired by Ward’s experience riding on a bus full of Elvis Presley fans to Graceland for a vigil to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Presley’s death.

In a turn of events which didn’t exactly thrill Myles, Atlantic Records decided to have country singer Robin Lee recorded a version of the song as well, with Lee’s version pushed to country radio while Myles’s version was pushed to rock and pop radio. Myles did at least have the advantage of seeing hers released first, but it kind of killed any chance of having her own version cross over to the other chart when Lee’s version became a hit.

Funnily enough, Myles only made it to #10 in Canada with “Black Velvet,” although she did eventually end up scoring a #1 hit in her homeland with “Song Instead of a Kiss,” from her sophomore album, Rockinghorse. The same, however, could not be said for Myles’s fortunes in America: although “Love Is” did end up cracking the Top 40 when it followed “Black Velvet,” it only made it to #36, and Myles never had another single so much as chart.

Still, “Black Velvet” remains one of the memorable songs of its time, earning Myles both a Grammy Award in 1991 for Best Female Rock Performance and an ASCAP Millionaire Award in 2000 for over five million radio airplays.