Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Suzanne Crow (born February 11, 1962) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. She is noted for her optimistic and idealistic subject matter, and incorporation of genres including rock, pop, country, folk, and blues.[2] She has released twelve studio albums, five compilations, and three live albums, and contributed to several film soundtracks. Her most popular songs include "All I Wanna Do" (1994), "Strong Enough" (1994), "If It Makes You Happy" (1996), "Everyday Is a Winding Road" (1996), "My Favorite Mistake" (1998), "Picture" (2002, duet with Kid Rock), and "Soak Up the Sun" (2002).
For her 1996 self-titled album, see Sheryl Crow (album).
Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Suzanne Crow
February 11, 1962
Kennett, Missouri, U.S.
- Singer
- songwriter
- actress
- Vocals
- guitar
- bass
- keyboards
- harmonica
- accordion
- ukulele
- autoharp
1983–present
Crow has sold more than 50 million albums worldwide[3] and won nine Grammy Awards from 19 nominations. In her acting career, Crow has appeared on the television series 30 Rock, Cop Rock, GCB, Cougar Town, Jon Stewart's and Stephen Colbert's Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear, One Tree Hill, and NCIS: New Orleans.[4] Crow was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2023.[5]
Early life and education[edit]
Crow was born on February 11, 1962[6] in Kennett, Missouri, the daughter of Bernice (née Cain), a piano teacher, and Wendell Wyatt Crow, a lawyer and trumpet player.[7][8][9][10] Her great-grandfather was congressman Charles A. Crow (1873–1938).[11][12] She has two older sisters, Kathy and Karen, and a younger brother, Steven.
While studying at Kennett High School, Crow was a majorette and an all-state track athlete, winning medals in the 75-meter low hurdles. She also joined the pep club, the National Honor Society, and the National FFA Organization, and was crowned Paperdoll Queen in a celebrity-judged beauty contest[13][14] during her senior year.
She then enrolled at the University of Missouri in Columbia and in 1984 received a BS Ed degree[15] in music education.[16] While at the university, she sang in the local band Cashmere. She was a member of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority, Sigma Alpha Iota International Music Fraternity for Women, and the Omicron Delta Kappa Society, as well as working as a summer welcome orientation leader.[17]
Career[edit]
1987–1991: Early career[edit]
After graduating from the University of Missouri, Crow worked as a music teacher at Kellison Elementary School in Fenton, Missouri.[18] Teaching during the day gave her the opportunity to sing in bands on the weekends. She was later introduced to local musician and record producer Jay Oliver. He had a studio in the basement of his parents' home in St. Louis and helped her by using her in advertising jingles. Her first jingle was a back-to-school spot for the St. Louis department store Famous-Barr. Soon after, she sang in commercial jingles for McDonald's and Toyota. She was quoted in a 60 Minutes segment as saying she made $40,000 on the McDonald's ad alone.[19]
Crow toured with Michael Jackson as a backing vocalist during his Bad tour 1987–1989, and often performed with Jackson on "I Just Can't Stop Loving You".[20][21] She also recorded background vocals for Stevie Wonder, Belinda Carlisle, Jimmy Buffett, Kevin Gilbert and Don Henley.
In 1989, Crow contributed backing vocals to the Neal Schon track "Smoke of the Revolution" from his album Late Nite.[22]
Crow also sang in the short-lived Steven Bochco drama Cop Rock series finale in 1990 and her song "Heal Somebody" appeared in the film Bright Angel. In 1991, her recording of "Welcome to the Real Life" featured on the soundtrack to the Brian Bosworth action film Stone Cold. Later that year, her performance of "Hundreds of Tears" was included on the Point Break soundtrack and she sang a duet with Kenny Loggins on the track "I Would Do Anything", from his album Leap of Faith.
1992: Scrapped debut album[edit]
In 1992, Crow recorded her first attempt at a debut album with Sting's record producer Hugh Padgham.[23] The self-titled debut album was due to be released in September 1992,[24] but Crow and her label mutually decided that the album did not merit release.[25] Crow described it as "too produced" and "slick".[26] However, a handful of cassette copies of the album were leaked, along with press folders for album publicity. This album has been widely dispersed via file sharing networks and fan trading. In the meantime, Crow's songs were recorded by major artists such as Celine Dion, Tina Turner and Wynonna Judd.[27]
1994–1997: International success[edit]
Crow began dating Kevin Gilbert and joined him in an ad hoc group of musicians known to themselves as the "Tuesday Music Club".[28] The group existed as a casual songwriting collective prior to its association with Crow, but rapidly developed into a vehicle for her debut album after her arrival. Group members Gilbert, David Baerwald, and David Ricketts (both formerly of David & David), Bill Bottrell, Brian MacLeod, and Dan Schwartz share songwriting credits with Crow on her debut album, Tuesday Night Music Club,[20] released in 1993. Her relationship with Gilbert became acrimonious soon after the album was released, and disputes arose about songwriting credits.[20] Tuesday Night Music Club featured many of the songs written by Crow's friends, including the second single, "Leaving Las Vegas". The album was slow to garner attention, until "All I Wanna Do" became an unexpected smash hit in October 1994.[29] The singles "Strong Enough" and "Can't Cry Anymore" were also released, with the first song ("Strong Enough") charting at No. 5 on Billboard and "Can't Cry Anymore" hitting the Top 40.[30] Tuesday Night Music Club went on to sell more than 7 million copies in the US and UK during the 1990s. The album also won Crow three Grammy Awards in 1995: Record of the Year, Best New Artist and Best Female Vocal Performance.[20]
Crow performed at the 1994 Woodstock Festival and appeared in the "New Faces" section of Rolling Stone in 1994. She also supplied background vocals to the song "The Garden of Allah" from Don Henley's 1995 album Actual Miles: Henley's Greatest Hits.
In 1996, Crow released her self-titled second album.[31] She produced the album herself and also played a variety of instruments, from various guitars, bass or pedal steel to various organs and piano. The debut single, "If It Makes You Happy", became a radio success and netted her two Grammy awards for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance and Best Rock Album.[32] Other singles included "A Change Would Do You Good", "Home", and "Everyday Is a Winding Road". The album was banned from sale at Walmart, because in the lyrics to "Love Is a Good Thing" Crow says that Walmart sells guns to children.[33][34] The album also features a protest song called "Redemption Day", which was covered by Johnny Cash on his last album American VI: Ain't No Grave.
Crow performed at Another Roadside Attraction in 1997. Also in 1997, Crow contributed the theme song to the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies. Her song "Tomorrow Never Dies" was nominated for a Grammy Award and Best Original Song Golden Globe.[35][36]
Instruments and signature model guitars[edit]
Early in her career, Crow performed extensively with a 1962 Gibson Country Western guitar which was her personal favorite, but she eventually feared that it would not stand up to the rigors of continued touring and stage use, and in 1999 asked Gibson to build her a replica for use on stage. The manufacturer responded by introducing a "Sheryl Crow" model in their Signature Artist Series, which is essentially a re-creation of the square-shouldered 1962-era Country Western model.[97] In 2013, Gibson also introduced a limited edition "Sheryl Crow Southern Jumbo", a reissue of the slope-shouldered predecessor of the 1962-era Country Western.[97]