VH1 Airs First Divas Special

1998

The very first VH1 Divas special debuts on the music channel as a benefit concert for VH1's Save The Music Foundation. Headliners are Aretha Franklin, Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Gloria Estefan, and Shania Twain, with a guest appearance by Carole King.

Held at New York's Beacon Theatre, the first Divas special not only sets the standard for the annual concert, but also popularizes the term "diva." The word has been around since the late Victorian era, used to describe a female opera singer, but tonight the corset comes off and a new kind of diva is born for the age of pop. Mariah Carey gets the festivities going with her new Latin-infused ballad "My All" and the throwback dance-pop hit "Make It Happen," followed by Gloria Estefan's super set of "Turn The Beat Around" and a megamix of "Dr. Beat," "Conga," "Rhythm Is Gonna Get You," "1-2-3," and "Get on Your Feet." Shania Twain adds some country flavor to the mix with "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" and "You're Still the One" before Aretha Franklin sings "A Rose Is Still A Rose." The Queen of Soul also duets with Mariah Carey in a rendition of "Chain Of Fools." Celine Dion closes out the solo performances with a cover of Ike & Tina Turner's "River Deep, Mountain High" and her own Titanic hit "My Heart Will Go On." Guest diva Carole King, acclaimed singer and songwriter, joins Dion for "The Reason," and leads the entire bunch with King's 1971 hit "You've Got a Friend." As the night comes to a close, the Divas take on Franklin's King-penned classic "You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman." The event yields a home video release and a live album, which lands at #21 on the Billboard Albums Chart.