VH1 Divas

VH1 debuted the first annual VH1 Divas concert in 1998. VH1 Divas Live was created to support the channel's Save The Music Foundation and subsequent concerts in the series have also benefited that foundation. The VH1 Divas concerts were a follow-up to the channel's annual VH1 Honors benefit concert that ran from 1994 to 1997, airing annually from 1998 to 2004. [1] After a five-year hiatus, the series returned in 2009 with a younger-skewed revamp. In 2010 the concert saluted the troops and in 2011 it celebrated soul music, doubling the previous year's ratings. After a dance music-focused 2012 edition aired live from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on December 16, 2012, the show took another hiatus before being revived on December 5, 2016, at the Kings Theatre in Brooklyn, New York with a holiday theme and achieved its highest ratings in over a decade.[2]

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VH1 Divas Live
VH1 Divas Live
Live album by
VH1 Divas Live
ReleasedOctober 6, 1998
RecordedApril 14, 1998
Genre
LabelVH1
VH1 Divas Live chronology
VH1 Divas Live
(1998)		 VH1 Divas Live/99
(1999)

VH1 Divas Live: An Honors Concert For The VH1 Save The Music Foundation aired live on April 14, 1998.

Summary

The first "VH1 Divas" show, at New York City's Beacon Theatre, featured international music stars Aretha Franklin, Celine Dion, Gloria Estefan, Mariah Carey and Shania Twain. In a guest appearance, singer-songwriter Carole King led the performers through versions of her songs "You've Got a Friend" and "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman".

Headliners

Guest performer

Presenters

The show was produced by Grammys producer Ken Ehrlich, directed by Michael Simon and written by producer/writer Martin Lewis.

Show sequence

Performances on the album and home video release
  • "My All" – 05:45
  • "Make It Happen" – 05:29
  • "Turn The Beat Around" – 05:07
  • "Heaven's What I Feel" – 04:54
  • "Dr. Beat"/"Conga"/"Rhythm Is Gonna Get You"/"1-2-3"/"Get on Your Feet" – 03:32
  • "Man! I Feel Like a Woman" – 03:55
  • "You're Still the One" – 03:33
  • "Chain of Fools" – 04:24
  • "River Deep, Mountain High" – 05:12
  • "The Reason" – 05:59
  • "My Heart Will Go On" – 04:41
  • "You've Got a Friend" – 05:29
  • "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" – 05:15
  • "Testimony" – 09:47

Charts
Chart Position
U.S. Billboard 200[3] 21
Canadian Albums Chart[3] 12
French Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique[3] 7
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[4] 39
Netherlands MegaCharts[3] 7
Norwegian VG-lista[3] 9
New Zealand Recorded Music NZ[3] 10

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Argentina (CAPIF)[5] Gold 30,000^
Australia (ARIA)[6] Platinum 70,000^
Belgium (BEA)[7] Gold 25,000*
Canada (Music Canada)[8] Platinum 100,000^
France (SNEP)[9] Gold 100,000*
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[10] Platinum 100,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[11] Gold 25,000^
United States (RIAA)[12] Gold 500,000^
United States (RIAA)[13]
DVD 		Platinum 100,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Reviews

Musician credits

(in order of appearance)[14][15]

  • Mariah Carey's band: Randy Jackson – Bass; Gigi Gonaway – Drums; Vernon Black – Guitar; Andrew Sherman – Keyboards; Michael Mcknight – Programmer; Juliet Haffner – Viola; Laura Seaton, Andre E. Stien, Peter M. Weimar – Violins; Marquino Brazil – Percussion; Melonie Daniels, Nicki Richards, Sherry Mcghee, Mary Ann Tatum – Background Vocals
  • Gloria Estefan's band: Jorge Casa – Bass; Clay Ostwald – Keyboards; Tim Mitchell, Rene Toledo – Guitars; Olin Burgos – Drums; Randy Barlow – Trombone & Trumpet; Teddy Mulet, Douglas Michaels – Trumpet; Kenny Andersom, Tom Timko – Saxes/Reeds; Rita Quintero, Juan "Chieto" Quinonez, George Noriega, Donna Allen – Vocals
  • Shania Twain's band: Brent Barcus – Guitar; Andrew Cichon – Bass; James Blair – Drums; Cory Churko, Allison Cornell – Mandolin/Fiddle; Marc D. Muller – Pedal Steel; Hardy Hempill – Keyboards
  • Aretha Franklin's band: H.B. Barnum – Conductor; David Rokeach – Drums; Francisco Centeno – Bass; Teddy Richards – Guitar; Richard Gibbs – Piano; Darryll Houston – Organ; Byron Strippling, Glenn Drews, Jorge Arciniega – Trumpet; Robert Trowers, Larry Farrell, Keith O'Quinn – Trombone; Lawrence Feldman, Dave Tofani, Ernie Fields Jr. Roger Rosenberg – Sax; Mae Kohn, Diana Madison, William Moore – Background vocals; Jaqui Whitman – Tambourine; Michael Beardon – Keyboards; Joe Passaro – Percussion
  • Céline Dion's band: Claude "Mégo" Lemay – Keyboards; Dominique Messier – Drums; Ives "Ivo" Frulla – Keyboards; André Coutu – Guitars; Paul Picard – Percussion; Élise Dugay- Background vocals & Tin Whistle; Terry Bradford, Julie LeBlanc – Background vocals

Aretha's band was used for her duet with Mariah Carey (Chain of Fools) and the finale (Natural Woman, and Testimony).

VH1 Divas Live/99
VH1 Divas Live/99
Live album by
VH1 Divas Live
ReleasedNovember 1999
RecordedApril 13, 1999
Genre
Length73:00
LabelVH1
VH1 Divas Live chronology
VH1 Divas Live
(1998)		 VH1 Divas Live/99
(1999)		 VH1 Divas Las Vegas
(2002)

VH1 Divas Live/99: An Honors Concert For The VH1 Save The Music Foundation aired live on April 13, 1999.

Headliners

Special guest performer

Guest performers

Presenters

Show sequence

Performances on the CD, VHS, and DVD release

Charts and certification
Chart (2000) Provider Peak
position		 Certification
Australian Albums Chart ARIA 11

Gold[16]

Austrian Albums Chart Media Control 43
French Albums Chart SNEP/IFOP 42
Dutch Albums Chart IFPI 41
German Top 100 Albums Media Control 60
Swiss Top 100 Albums Media Control 14
U.S. Billboard 200 Billboard 90 Gold (CD) / Gold (DVD)

VH1 Divas 2000: A Tribute to Diana Ross

VH1 Divas 2000: A Tribute to Diana Ross – An Honors Concert for the VH1 Save the Music Foundation was the first of three concerts in the series not aired live. It was recorded on April 9, 2000 at New York's Madison Square Garden and first aired on April 11, 2000. Diana Ross requested the concert be recorded as time constraints for the airing of commercials would not allow enough time for her to change costumes. The well-received show took a mammoth 6 hours to record. This special also marked the re-introduction of Lynda Laurence and Scherrie Payne as Supremes, who were touring with Diana Ross. Laurence and Payne were Supremes during the 1970s.

The concert was never released on CD or DVD. Two of the songs were released as b-sides of singles from Mariah Carey and Destiny's Child.

Summary

Diana Ross knows how to feel the love in the room, which may explain why she frequently abandoned the stage to wander among the audience in the midst of her own tribute at Madison Square Garden. Ross still commanded plenty of star wattage. In their own singular ways, Mariah Carey, Donna Summer, Destiny's Child, Faith Hill and even RuPaul all hailed the Supremest Supreme. Ross sported a spangled outfit that matched Mariah Carey's own during their performance of "Baby Love." Donna Summer covered "Reflections" and Faith Hill bounced through "Love Child". Destiny's Child took on "Upside Down," accompanied by composer Nile Rodgers on guitar. But it was up to Ross to provide the biggest shock of all – a wild reunion with latter-day Supremes Linda Laurence and Scherrie Payne to perform "You Keep Me Hanging On" and "Love Is Like An Itching In My Heart."

Headliners

Guest performers

Presenters

Show sequence

VH1 Divas Live: The One and Only Aretha Franklin

Summary

This all-star tribute to Aretha Franklin at New York's Radio City Music Hall gave props to a woman who has been at the center of American music since arriving on the scene in the mid '60s. Franklin easily adapted herself to a variety of guests, crooning with the Backstreet Boys on "Chain of Fools," matching wails with Mary J. Blige on "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man," and letting Kid Rock storm her barn on "Rock Steady." She even joined a jazz ensemble led by Herbie Hancock for a little scat. Marc Anthony and Celia Cruz saluted the First Lady of Soul with salsa. Neo-soul up-and-comer Jill Scott made "A Natural Woman" feel like the real thing, and the New Jersey Mass Choir accompanied Franklin's assault on the hymn "Precious Memories." Janet Jackson, Sigourney Weaver, Renée Zellweger, Stevie Wonder and the Sopranos cast were among those looking on in awe.

The event occurred on April 10, 2001, and was released on CD/DVD in 2017 by MVD Visual.

Headliners

Guest performers

Presenters

Show sequence

VH1 Divas Las Vegas
VH1 Divas Las Vegas
Live album by
VH1 Divas Live
ReleasedOctober 22, 2002
RecordedMay 23, 2002
Genre
LabelVH1
VH1 Divas Live chronology
VH1 Divas Live/2000 a Tribute to Diana Ross'
(2000)		 VH1 Divas Las Vegas
(2001)

VH1 Divas Las Vegas: An Honors Concert For The VH1 Save The Music Foundation aired live from the MGM Grand Las Vegas on May 23, 2002. For the first time, Divas Live broadcast from a city other than New York. This time around, Las Vegas played host city to the fifth Divas concert.

After being invited by Whitney Houston in 1999, an appearance that gave her big publicity worldwide, Mary J. Blige asked her friend to join her on Divas three years later to perform together her song "Rainy Dayz".

A CD/DVD of the concert was released later that year, but not all the performances or performers (most notably those of co-headliner Mary J. Blige) were included, due to various record label issues.

Host

Announcer

Headliners

Guest performers

Show sequence

VH1 Divas Duets

VH1 Divas Duets: An Honors Concert For The VH1 Save The Music Foundation aired live from the MGM Grand Las Vegas on May 22, 2003.

Summary

Chaka Khan, Beyoncé, Lisa Marie Presley, Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Mary J. Blige, Jewel, Ashanti, Sharon Osbourne, Aisha Tyler, Stevie Wonder, Pat Benatar, Shania Twain, Bobby Brown and the Isley Brothers joined host Queen Latifah when "VH1 Divas Duets: A Benefit Concert for the VH1 Save the Music Foundation" aired live from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Thursday, May 22 at 9:00pm (ET/PT). Tarralyn Ramsey was the winner of VH!'s reality competition Born to Diva and performed on stage with the Divas as well.

The concert was never released on CD or DVD.

Host and performer

Headliners

Guest performers

Presenters

Show sequence

VH1 Divas 2004

VH1 Divas: An Honors Concert For The VH1 Save The Music Foundation aired live from the MGM Grand Las Vegas on April 18, 2004.

The show marks the first appearance of close friends and R&B and soul legends Patti LaBelle (who was told by producers she would be considered "top dog" [17]) and Gladys Knight after they had turned down previous offers to appear. Gladys could never stay for the finale due to obligations with her one-woman show at the famed Flamingo Las Vegas. Kylie Minogue was originally confirmed as a headliner for the 1980s themed show, but withdrew shortly after.

Aside from the normal set of presenters, the concert also featured video testimonials from Chaka Khan, Carly Simon, Gloria Estefan, Mary J. Blige, Vanessa Williams, Alicia Keys, Pharrell Williams, Kathy Griffin (in what would prove to be the first of three consecutive appearances), Marg Helgenberger and Usher on the word "diva", their favorite divas, as well as the importance of music education in schools.

The concert was never released on CD or DVD.

Summary

They came. They saw. They sang their hearts out! Divas delivered a night of soulful, sexy and unstoppable performances in the city it defines electrifying entertainment: Las Vegas, Nevada. The seventh annual VH1 "Divas" show was a star-studded benefit concert for the VH1 Save the Music Foundation it featured performances by Patti LaBelle, Gladys Knight, Debbie Harry, Jessica Simpson, Joss Stone, Cyndi Lauper, Ashanti, Blondie, Eve, Sheila E., Tom Jones, and The Pussycat Dolls featuring Carmen Electra.

Headliners

Guest performers

Presenters

Show sequence

VH1 Divas 2009
Wikimedia Commons has media related to 2009 VH1 Divas.

VH1 Divas: An Honors Concert For The VH1 Save The Music Foundation aired live on September 17, 2009, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) Howard Gilman Opera House in Brooklyn, New York. Paula Abdul hosted and performed. This concert was never released on CD or DVD.

Host and performer
  • Paula Abdul

Headliners

Guest performers

Presenters

Show sequence

VH1 Divas Salute The Troops
Katy Perry and Nicki Minaj performing "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" at VH1 Divas Salute The Troops.

VH1 Divas Salute The Troops was the second of the three concerts in the series not aired live. It was recorded on Friday, December 3, 2010, at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar while Paramore was filmed earlier in the week at Army Camp Arifjan in Kuwait. The special first aired on Sunday, December 5, 2010 and broadcast internationally by the Armed Forces Network.[18] [19]

The concert also featured a telecast featuring First Lady Michelle Obama, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé (in her third appearance on the series), Fergie, P!nk, Ke$ha and Carrie Underwood delivering special messages to the troops. Certain select servicemen and women from Miramar, Naval Base Coronado, Camp Pendleton, and Camp Arifjan[20] were also presented in video portraits, documenting their careers and journey in the US military.

This show was never released on CD or DVD.

Host

Headliners

Guest performers

Presenters

and several servicemen and servicewomen

Show sequence

VH1 Divas Celebrates Soul

VH1 Divas Celebrates Soul was the third of three concerts in the series not aired live. It was taped on December 18, 2011, at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City,[23] and aired the next evening on VH1, paying tribute to the places that helped create or contributed to soul music: Chicago, Detroit, London, Philadelphia and Memphis.[24]

Anita Baker, who was going to sing with Jill Scott, had to drop out moments before the concert after disagreements with producers,[25] allowing Marsha Ambrosius and Ledisi to step in and perform in their places during the Detroit medley.[26] Kelly Clarkson twisted her ankle on the way into the concert, though she still performed as planned.

The concert was never released on CD or DVD.

Headliners

House band

Guest performers

Presenters

Show sequence

VH1 Divas 2012

VH1 Divas 2012 aired live on December 16, 2012 from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. The show was hosted by Adam Lambert and celebrated the dance-inducing music that is the vibrant soundtrack to every major blowout bash, unforgettable party and night out on the town. The show also paid tribute to the late music legends who died earlier that year: Whitney Houston and Donna Summer.

Host and performer

Headliners

Guest performers

Presenters

House DJ

Show sequence

VH1 Divas Holiday: Unsilent Night

VH1 Divas Holiday: Unsilent Night was recorded on December 2, 2016, at the Kings Theater in Brooklyn, airing December 5, 2016.[27] The concert was a holiday-themed celebration of music and pop-culture's greatest divas. The lineup included 'the Queen of Christmas' Mariah Carey, who returned to the Divas stage after 16 years for her third appearance, and Mariah's godmother, the iconic Patti LaBelle. Teyana Taylor and Vanessa Williams made debut appearances on the VH1 Divas stage, while the legendary Chaka Khan returned for her fourth time.[28] The concert was the highest rated VH1 Divas broadcast in over a decade.

Headliners

Guest Performers

Presenters

Show sequence

Legacy and impact

Saturday Night Live performers Ana Gasteyer, Molly Shannon and Cheri Oteri frequently spoofed Dion, Twain and Carey, most memorably in the opening moments of Divas '99 where they portrayed the songstresses attempting to order a pizza before watching the concert. On February 10, 2001, Jennifer Lopez starred in an SNL skit where she battled Mango onstage at VH1 Divas, with Tracy Morgan as Franklin, Maya Rudolph as Diana Ross, and Gasteyer and Shannon both reprising their impressions of Dion and Twain respectively.

Many of the featured performers are satirized as characters on the popular web parody Got 2B Real.[29]

On season 3 of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars, the second challenge of the season was a Divas parody. Aja portrayed Amy Winehouse, BeBe Zahara Benet was Diana Ross, BenDeLaCreme was Julie Andrews, Chi Chi DeVayne was Patti LaBelle, Kennedy Davenport played as Janet Jackson, Milk acted as Celine Dion, Shangela was Mariah Carey, Thorgy Thor impersonated Stevie Nicks and Trixie Mattel played as Dolly Parton. Shangela and BenDeLaCreme won the challenge.

Other networks attempted to replicate the success of the Divas concerts with varying degrees of success. The year after the original Divas, BET premiered Girls Nite Out, hosted by Rachel and Joe Clair. The featured performers were Arista labelmates Deborah Cox, Faith Evans, Andrea Martin, Monica, and Shanice.[30] Lifetime hosted Women Rock! Girls & Guitars annually from 2000 to 2004, eventually shortened to simply Women Rock! and raising awareness for their campaign "Our Lifetime Commitment: Stop Breast Cancer for Life."[31] Performers over the years included Anastacia, Blondie, Kelly Clarkson, Destiny's Child, En Vogue, Melissa Etheridge, Cyndi Lauper, and Lee Ann Womack.

In 2022, Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex had Carey as a guest on the second episode of her podcast Archetypes, mentioning in her interview how influential the original concert was on her and her high school classmates.[32]

References
  1. "VH1 Divas Live at 20: A Look Back at the Major Music Moment That Almost Never Happened". E!. Retrieved 16 June 2013.
  2. "'VH1 Divas Holiday: Unsilent Night' Reels In 2 Million Viewers". Billboard. December 7, 2016.
  3. "Album Search for "vh1 divas live"". AllMusic.
  4. "Offiziellecharts.de – Celine/Gloria/Aretha/Mariah/Shania – VH-1 Divas Live" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
  5. "Discos de oro y platino" (in Spanish). Cámara Argentina de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
  6. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1998 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
  7. "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – albums 1998". Ultratop. Hung Medien.
  8. "Canadian album certifications – Divas Live – Divas live". Music Canada.
  9. "French album certifications – Les Divas – Divas Live" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
  10. Solo Exitos 1959–2002 Ano A Ano: Certificados > 1995–1999. Iberautor Promociones Culturales. ISBN 8480486392.
  11. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Diverse Interpreten; 'Divas Live')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
  12. "American album certifications – Various – VH1 Divas Live". Recording Industry Association of America.
  13. "American video certifications – Various – VH1 Divas Live". Recording Industry Association of America.
  14. "Divas Live: An Honors Concert for VH1 Save the Music". IMDb. Retrieved 11 June 2013.
  15. Musician's Union Contract, AFM Local 802 -5765-50010956
  16. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2003 DVDs" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  17. "Patti LaBelle: Top 'Diva'". CBS News. April 15, 2004.
  18. "Associated Press". Hosted2.ap.org. 2009-09-17. Retrieved 2010-11-27.
  19. VH1 Divas Support The Troops In High Fashion Archived December 15, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  20. "Katy Perry and new 'Divas' ready to play Miramar". Signonsandiego.com. Retrieved 2012-05-27.
  21. Elias, Matt (2010-12-03). "Katy Perry, Nicki Minaj, Paramore Salute Troops At 'VH1 Divas'". MTV.com. Retrieved 2012-05-27.
  22. "'VH1 Divas Salute the Troops,' in photos and video". The Tennessean. Blogs.tennessean.com. 2010-12-06. Retrieved 2012-05-27.
  23. "Clarkson, Blige to honor soul cities for VH1 Divas". Yahoo! News. news.yahoo.com. 2011-10-27. Retrieved 2012-05-27.
  24. Dinh, James (October 27, 2011). "Kelly Clarkson, Mary J. Blige, More Are 2011 'VH1 Divas'". MTV. Retrieved June 11, 2013.
  25. "Anita Baker Explains 'VH1 Divas' Drama: 5 Other Famous Show Feuds". Rollingout.com. 2011-12-28. Retrieved 2012-05-27.
  26. Graham, Mark (2011-12-19). "Exclusive: The Unflappable Ledisi On Performing "Sweet Love" On VH1 Divas: "What You Saw Was My Rehearsal And Performance All Together"". Vh1.com. Retrieved 2012-05-27.
  27. "Mariah Carey to Perform at VH1 Divas Holiday: Unsilent Night".
  28. "Vanessa Williams Joins Star-Studded Lineup For VH1 Divas Holiday: Unsilent Night".
  29. Glazer, Eliot. "Behold the Newest Installment of 'Got 2 B Real,' a Web Series That Dubs Over the Voices of R&B Goddesses". Vulture.
  30. Millner, Denene. "Finding Her Voice With Her Debut LP, Songwriter Andrea Martin Gets to Call the Tunes". New York Daily News. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  31. "'WomenRock!' Celebrates Lifetime, Cancer Awareness". Billboard. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  32. "Meghan Markle and Mariah Carey breakdown 'The Duality of Diva' on 'Archetypes' podcast". thegrio. 30 August 2022. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
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