Sheryl Crow Biography

Sheryl Suzanne Crow (born February 11, 1962) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actress. Her music incorporates elements of rock, folk, hip hop, country, and pop. She has released seven studio albums, two compilations, a live album, and has contributed to a number of film soundtracks. She has sold more than 17 million albums in the US and over 50 million albums worldwide. Additionally, Crow has garnered nine Grammy Awards (out of thirty-two nominations) from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.

In addition to her own work, Crow has performed with the Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson, Eric Clapton, Luciano Pavarotti, Willie Nelson, Smokey Robinson, BB King, Tony Bennett, Kid Rock, and Sting, among others. She has also performed backing vocals for Tina Turner, Don Henley, Stevie Nicks, Belinda Carlisle, Ryan Adams, and for the Bob Dylan 30th Anniversary celebrating Dylan's thirty years as a recording artist.

As an actress, Crow has appeared on various television shows including NBC's 30 Rock, ABC's GCB and Cougar Town, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert's Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear, as well as Warner's One Tree Hill.

Early life

Sheryl Suzanne Crow was born in Kennett, Missouri, the daughter of Bernice (née Cain), a piano teacher, and Wendell Wyatt Crow, a lawyer and trumpet player. Her great-grandfather was congressman Charles A. Crow (1873"1938). She has 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, medaling in the 75-meter low hurdles. She also joined the 'pep club', the National Honor Society, the National FFA Organization, and Paperdoll Queen. She then enrolled at the University of Missouri in Columbia and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in music composition, performance, and education. While at university, Crow sang in the local band Cashmere. She was a member of the Kappa Alpha Theta fraternity, Sigma Alpha Iota International Music Fraternity for Women, and the Omicron Delta Kappa Society as well as working as a 'Summer Welcome' orientation leader. Crow was later awarded honorary doctorates from the University of Missouri and Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.

Crow has stated that her musical inspirations are not restricted to one genre - she likes anything with a drum beat. In 2008, she told Ellen DeGeneres that 'If it didn't have a drum beat, you can just forget about it!'

Early career

1980s

Before graduating from university, Crow worked as a music teacher at the Kellison elementary school in Fenton, Missouri. Teaching during the day allowed her the opportunity to sing in bands at the weekends. She was later introduced to local musician and record producer Jay Oliver. He had a thriving 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. McDonald's and Toyota commercial jingles soon followed. She was quoted in a 60 Minutes segment as saying she made $40,000 on her McDonald's ad alone.

Crow toured with Michael Jackson as a backing vocalist during his Bad World Tour 1987-89 and often performed with Jackson on "I Just Can't Stop Loving You." She also recorded background vocals for performances from a number of established artists such as Stevie Wonder, Belinda Carlisle and Don Henley.

Crow also sang in the short-lived Steven Bochco drama Cop Rock in 1990. That same year, her song "Heal Somebody" appeared in the film Bright Angel. The following year, she performed "Hundreds of Tears", which was included in the Point Break soundtrack, and sang a duet with Kenny Loggins on the track "I Would Do Anything", from his album Leap of Faith.

1990s

1992: Scrapped debut album

In 1992, Crow recorded her first attempt at a debut album with Phil Collins' record producer Hugh Padgham. The self-titled debut album was due to be released on September 22, 1992 but was ultimately rejected by her label; however, a handful of cassette copies of the album were leaked along with press folders to be used 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.

1993"97: International success

She then began dating Kevin Gilbert and joined him in an ad hoc group of musicians known to everyone in the group as the "Tuesday Music Club." 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.

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. Her relationship with Gilbert became acrimonious soon after the album was released, and disputes arose about songwriting credits.

Crow appeared in the "New Faces" section of Rolling Stone in 1993. 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 the fall of 1994. As she later stated in People, she found an old poetry book in a used book store in the L.A. area and used a poem as lyrics in the song. 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. Tuesday Night Music Club went on to sell more than 7 million copies in the U.S. and U.K. 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. She performed at the 1994 and 1999 Woodstock Festivals, as well as the Another Roadside Attraction in 1997.

Crow 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. The album had songs about abortion, homelessness and nuclear war. 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. Other singles included "A Change Would Do You Good," "Home" and "Everyday Is A Winding Road." Crow produced the album herself. The album was banned from sale at Wal-Mart, as in the "Love Is A Good Thing" lyric Wal-Mart is implicated (by name) of supplying guns to which children later gain access. 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. Crow collaborated on Scott Weiland's 1998 album, 12 Bar Blues.

1998"99: The Globe Sessions and live album

In 1998, Crow released The Globe Sessions. During this period, she discussed in interviews having gone through a deep depression, and there was speculation about a brief affair with Eric Clapton. The debut single from this album, "My Favorite Mistake," was rumored to be about him, although Crow claims otherwise about a philandering ex-boyfriend. Crow has refused to say who the song was about telling Billboard Magazine on the release of her album. "Oh, there will be just so much speculation, and because of that there's great safety and protection in the fact that people will be guessing so many different people and I'm the only person who will ever really know. I'm really private about who I've had relationships with, and I don't talk about them in the press. I don't even really talk about them with the people around me." Despite the difficulties in recording the album, Crow told the BBC in 2005 that: "My favorite single is 'My Favorite Mistake,' it was a lot of fun to record and it's still a lot of fun to play." The album won Best Rock Album at the 1999 Grammy Awards. It was re-released in 1999, with a bonus track, Crow's cover of the Guns N' Roses song "Sweet Child o' Mine," which was included on the soundtrack of the film Big Daddy. The song won the 1999 Grammy for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance. Other singles included "There Goes the Neighborhood," "Anything But Down," and "The Difficult Kind." Crow won Grammy best female rock vocal performance for "There Goes the Neighborhood" in 2001. The Globe Sessions peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 chart, achieving US sales of 2 million as of January 2008.

Later in 1998, Crow took part in a live concert in tribute to Burt Bacharach, in which she contributed vocals on "One Less Bell to Answer".

In 1999, Crow also made her acting debut as an ill-fated drifter in the suspense/drama The Minus Man, which starred her then-boyfriend Owen Wilson as a serial killer.

She also released a live album called Sheryl Crow and Friends: Live From Central Park. The record featured Crow singing many of her hit singles with new musical spins and guest appearances by many other musicians including Sarah McLachlan, Stevie Nicks, the Dixie Chicks, Keith Richards, and Eric Clapton. "There Goes the Neighborhood" was included in the album, eventually winning the Grammy for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance.

2000s

2002"04: C'mon, C'mon and The Very Best of

Crow had been involved with the Scleroderma Research Foundation (SRF) since the late 1990s, performing at fund-raisers and befriending Sharon Monsky. In 2002, as a result of her friend Kent Sexton dying from scleroderma, she interrupted work on her new album C'mon C'mon to record the traditional hymn "Be Still, My Soul," to be played at his funeral. In November of that year it was released as a single, with the proceeds going to SRF.

Her fourth studio album, C'mon, C'mon, was released in 2002, spawning the hit single "Soak Up the Sun." Second single "Steve McQueen" won the Female Rock Vocal Performance Grammy.

Crow opposed the 2003 invasion of Iraq, wearing a shirt that read "I don't believe in your war, Mr. Bush!" during a performance on Good Morning America and posting an open letter explaining her opposition on her website. At a performance with Kid Rock at the 45th annual Grammy Awards, she wore a large peace sign and a guitar strap with the words "No War." In contrast, she showed her support for injured troops by performing for them at military hospitals.

She recorded the song "Kiss That Girl" for the film Bridget Jones's Diary. She also recorded a cover version of the Beatles' song "Mother Nature's Son" for the film I Am Sam.

Crow duetted with rapper Kid Rock on the crossover hit single "Picture." She also assisted him on the track "Run Off to L.A."

Crow collaborated with Michelle Branch on the song "Love Me Like That" for Branch's second album, Hotel Paper, released in 2003.

She was featured on the Johnny Cash album American III: Solitary Man in the song "Field of Diamonds" as a background vocalist, and also played the accordion for the songs "Wayfaring Stranger" and "Mary of the Wild Moor."

In 2003, a greatest hits compilation called The Very Best of Sheryl Crow was released which featured many of her hit singles, as well as some new tracks. Among them was the ballad "The First Cut is the Deepest" (originally a Cat Stevens song), which became her biggest radio hit since "All I Wanna Do." She also released the single "Light In Your Eyes," which received limited airplay. "The First Cut is the Deepest" earned her two American Music Awards for Best Pop/Rock Artist and Adult Contemporary Artist of the Year, respectively.

In 2004, Crow appeared as a musical theater performer in the Cole Porter biopic De-Lovely.

2005"07: Wildflower

Her fifth studio album Wildflower was released in September 2005. Although the album debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard charts, it received mixed reviews and was not as commercially successful as her previous albums. In December 2005, the album was nominated for a Best Pop Vocal Album Grammy, while Crow was nominated for a Best Female Pop Vocal Performance Grammy for the first single "Good Is Good." However, she ultimately lost in both categories to Kelly Clarkson. The album got a new boost in 2006 when the second single was announced as "Always on Your Side," re-recorded with British musician Sting and sent off to radio, where it was quickly embraced at Adult Top 40. The collaboration with Sting resulted in a Grammy-nomination for Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals. As of January 2008, Wildflower has sold 949,000 units in the United States.

In 2006, Crow contributed the opening track, "Real Gone," to the soundtrack for Disney/Pixar's animated film Cars. Crow was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer in mid-February 2006, her doctors stating that "prognosis for a full recovery is excellent."

Crow's first concert after her cancer diagnosis was on May 18 in Orlando, Florida where she played to over 10,000 information technology professionals at the SAP Sapphire Convention. Her first public appearance was on June 12, when she performed at the Murat Theater in Indianapolis, Indiana. Crow also appeared on Larry King Live on CNN on August 23, 2006. In this show she talked about her comeback, her breakup with Lance Armstrong, her past job as Michael Jackson's backup singer, and her experience as a breast cancer survivor.

In late 2006, Crow was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for the song "Try Not To Remember" (Best Original Song category) from the film Home of the Brave.

Crow wrote a foreword for the book Crazy Sexy Cancer Tips, author Kris Carr's book that was based on her 2007 documentary film Crazy Sexy Cancer. Crow contributed her cover of the Beatles's "Here Comes the Sun" on the Bee Movie soundtrack in November 2007. She contributed background vocals to the Ryan Adams song "Two" from the album Easy Tiger.

2008"09: Detours

Crow returned with her sixth studio album Detours, which was released on February 5, 2008. Detours debuted at No. 2 on the US Billboard 200 chart selling close to 92,000 copies in its first week and an additional 52,000 copies in its second week.

Detours was recorded at Crow's Nashville farm. Her son, Wyatt, makes an appearance on the song "Lullaby for Wyatt," which is featured in the movie Grace Is Gone. "The songs are very inspired by the last three years of events in my life," Crow said of a time that found her battling breast cancer and splitting with partner Lance Armstrong.

"Shine Over Babylon" was the first promotional single from the album (download only). The first 'official' single to be released from the album was "Love Is Free," followed by "Out of Our Heads." As of 2010, Detours had sold more than 700,000 copies worldwide.

A liberal political activist, she endorsed Barack Obama for the United States Presidential Election and later performed on the 4th and last day of the 2008 Democratic National Convention.

Crow has also recorded a studio version of "So Glad We Made It" for the "Team USA Olympic Soundtrack" in conjunction with the 2008 US Olympic team sponsors AT&T. Crow also stated that $1 of each ticket purchased for her 2008 tour would be donated to the United Nations World Food Programme.

A&M Records re-released Crow's debut album, Tuesday Night Music Club, as a deluxe version 2CD/DVD set on November 17, 2009. With the album, was also released the single "Killer Life" that charted moderately in adult album alternative radio. The bonus CD contains unreleased songs and B-sides, and a new mix of "I Shall Believe." The DVD features music videos for each of the album's singles.

2010s

2010"12: 100 Miles from Memphis

In 2010, Crow contributed the original spoken-word track "My Name Is Mwamaroyi" to the Enough Project and Downtown Records' Raise Hope for Congo compilation. Proceeds from the compilation fund efforts to make the protection and empowerment of Congo's women a priority, as well as inspire individuals around the world to raise their voice for peace in Congo.

A&M Records released Crow's seventh studio album, 100 Miles from Memphis, on July 20, 2010. The album has a classic soul vibe and features lead single "Summer Day." 100 Miles from Memphis (released July 20 on A&M Records), the distance from her hometown to the music mecca, is an ode to her formative memories of music - and one that the label hopes can inspire young music fans to investigate the landscape beyond processed pop and Auto-Tune.

Later that year, she joined Loretta Lynn and country singer Miranda Lambert on an update of Lynn's song "Coal Miner's Daughter" for the 2010 album Coal Miner's Daughter: A Tribute to Loretta Lynn. The song was later performed on the 44th Annual Country Music Awards in November.

On September 20, 2011 it was announced that Crow will write the music and lyrics for Diner, a new musical inspired by the critically acclaimed 1982 film. The show will come to Broadway in the fall of 2012, and will be directed and choreographed by Tony Award winner Kathleen Marshall.

On October 11, 2011 William Shatner released the album Seeking Major Tom and she sang the track "Mrs. Major Tom" by electronic music artist K.I.A., released in 2003 on the album Adieu Shinjuku Zulu.

In September 2012, she was featured in a campaign called "30 Songs / 30 Days" to support Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, a multi-platform media project inspired by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn's book.

Crow was invited by journalist Katie Couric to write the theme song for her new talk-show, "Katie". The song, titled This Day, was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award in the category "Outstanding Original Song".

On November 1, 2012, Crow released an original song she called Woman in the White House that was made available for a free download. As the title suggests, the country-flavored tune defends the idea of a woman president, and received mixed reviews from critics that ranged from "sort of patronizing and gender essentialist" to "good-natured and well-intentioned". The song, praised for its tongue-in-cheek lyrics, became subject to comment for country singer Brad Paisley who characterized the song as being "all in good fun". The song was later released for digital download on iTunes and a portion of the proceeds were donated to the American Red Cross to aid in the recovery effort in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.

Also in 2012, VH1 ranked Crow at #25 as one of the 100 Greatest Women in Music.

In 2013, Crow signed a recording contract with Warner Music Nashville and released the country music influenced album, Feels Like Home.

Personal life

Crow has had a number of high-profile romantic relationships over the years. She previously dated actor Owen Wilson; her album C'mon C'mon (2002) featured the song "Safe and Sound", which was dedicated to him and which, according to the album's liner notes, was an autobiographical account of their relationship. Crow then began dating cyclist Lance Armstrong in 2003. Armstrong has stated in numerous interviews that Crow's music cured his cancer. The couple announced their engagement in September 2005, but separated in February 2006.

Shortly after her split from Armstrong, Crow was treated for breast cancer at a Los Angeles-based facility by breast cancer surgeon Kristi Funk. Crow had "minimally invasive" surgery in late February 2006, followed by radiation therapy. The treatment for her breast cancer was successful. But in November 2011, Crow discovered that she has a meningioma, a kind of brain tumor which is usually benign.

On May 11, 2007, Crow announced on her official website that she had adopted a two-week-old boy named Wyatt Steven Crow. The child was born on April 29, 2007. On June 4, 2010, Crow announced that she adopted another boy named Levi James Crow, born on April 30, 2010. She and her sons live on a farm outside Nashville, Tennessee.

Crow performed at the opening night of the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo, despite animal welfare experts urging her not to on account of alleged animal cruelty at the event. Almost 13,000 people signed a petition calling on Crow not to perform.

Discography

• Tuesday Night Music Club (1993)
• Sheryl Crow (1996)
• The Globe Sessions (1998)
• C'mon C'mon (2002)
• Wildflower (2005)
• Detours (2008)
• 100 Miles from Memphis (2010)
• Feels Like Home (2013)

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1996	Fairway to Heaven	Reporter	TV movie
1998	54	VIP Patron
1999	The Minus Man	Casper
2004	De-Lovely	Musical Performer
2006	Cars	Elvis (voice)	Uncredited

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1990	Cop Rock	Undercover Cop	Episode: "Bang the Potts Slowly"
2004	One Tree Hill	Herself	Episode: "The First Cut Is the Deepest"
2009	30 Rock	Herself	Episode: "Kidney Now!"
2010	Hannah Montana	Herself	Episode: "It's the End of the Jake as We Know It"
2010	Cougar Town	Sara	Episodes: "Turn This Car Around", "Everything Man", "Wake Up Time"
2012	Good Christian Belles	Herself	Episode: "Forbidden Fruit"
2013	The Voice Season 4	Herself	Blake Shelton's Advisor

Books

• If It Makes You Healthy with Chuck White (2011)

See also

• List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart
• List of awards and nominations received by Sheryl Crow