"Black Velvet" was written by the Canadian songwriters Christopher Ward and David Tyson and recorded by the Canadian singer-songwriter Alannah Myles. It was released in Canada in July 1989 as the second single from Myles's debut album, Alannah Myles, issued that year by Atlantic Records. The song reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States and also topped the charts in Norway, Sweden and Switzerland. At the Grammy Awards of 1991 it won Best Female Rock Vocal Performance, and at the Juno Awards of 1990 it was named Single of the Year. Other artists have recorded it since, among them Robin Lee, whose version appeared in 1990.
