Black Velvet singer Alannah Myles’ health battle that left her unable to ‘go anywhere’

While Alannah Myles has had an incredible career, many only recognise the 67-year-old singer thanks to her 1989 smash hit, Black Velvet.

The song topped the charts in four countries, and while in her native Canada she has had numerous hits, the runaway success of the track has had many in the United States viewing her as a one-hit wonder.

However, for two decades, the singer has had a hidden health battle, as she has been living with ankylosing spondylitis, an inflammatory disease that can cause some of the spinal vertebrae to fuse together over time. The singer believes she developed the condition following a chiropractic injury.

Speaking to City News in 2023, she admitted that the condition made it difficult to carry out everyday tasks, including sitting down and performing.

“Now I have issues with being able to sit,” Alannah told the publication. “That’s why when you see me in concert, you see me on a chair. I’m sitting upright. It’s painful for me to sit down, so I can’t really go anywhere.“

The Love Is singer continued: “I can’t sit in a wheelchair. I can’t go to a concert, party, or even medical visits without a padded stretcher. I have no life now as a result of not being able to get myself up independently which makes it only worse… I can get up to walk, but I need help doing it.”

According to the NHS, ankylosing spondylitis has no cure, although symptoms can be managed through exercise, physiotherapy and medication. It’s recommended that daily stretching can help with the condition.

Black Velvet’s success

Alannah recorded her smash hit song in 1989, with the soft rock anthem being the second single on her debut album. The song was written by Christopher Ward and David Tyson, with the former becoming Alannah’s romantic partner for many years before they split.

© Getty Images

Although it failed to top the charts in Canada, the song rose to the top in the United States, Sweden, Switzerland and Norway, being a top-10 hit in 16 different countries. Black Velvet also earned the singer a Grammy Award and a Juno Award.

Reflecting on the song’s success in 2023 with Billboard Canada, songwriter Christopher Ward said: “It changed my life. I’d been writing songs for almost twenty years, and suddenly, music publishers in New York and L.A. were calling and I was being asked to write with songwriters, artists and producers whose work I knew and admired. It was overwhelming, but truthfully, I felt ready.”