Song:Black Velvet
Album:The Ultimate Hits of the 90s
Black Velvet was the only really big hit for Canadian singer Alannah Myles in 1990. She was more successful in Canada but she even faded out there by the mid-90s. It's likely most fans will only remember Black Velvet. There's nothing wrong with her so why did she fade? She was born Alannah Byles Dec. 25, 1958 the daughter of Canadian broadcast pioneer William Douglas Byles. The key event in Alannah's musical career was meeting producer Christopher Ward. Fans in Canada will know him as a VJ in the early days of MuchMusic. But Ward was always a musician first and recorded a couple of albums in the late 70s. He left MuchMusic and moved to Los Angeles to be a full time songwriter and producer. Ward and partner David Tyson produced Alannah's 1989 debut album Alannah Myles on Warner Bros. Canada. When the album and Black Velvet became a hit in Canada, Atlantic Records picked it up in the US. The album reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 200 and was certified Platinum. Black Velvet topped the Billboard Hot 100. Ward and Tyson wrote Black Velvet as an Elvis Presley tribute. So the song did great but the follow up Love Is did OK in Canada but didn't catch on in the US. By 1995, Alannah Myles recorded three albums for Atlantic. The third album did so poorly that they dropped her. You can get Black Velvet on this Collectables various artists comp. But she was still under contract to Atlantic and couldn't record for anyone else. Ark 21 Records owner Miles Copeland got her out of that contract and she recorded for him in 1998. Alannah Myles recorded a CD last year but I think it's fair to say that she has been long forgotten by most music fans except for Black Velvet. Maybe she doesn't even know what happened but I think her music may not have been consistent enough for her to have long term success. Here's the video for Black Velvet by Alannah Myles.
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