Sheryl Crow Biography (1962-)

Singing everything from Folk to Rock, to fighting for her life, Sheryl Crow is still smiling.

Sheryl Crow: The Year of Crow

Sheryl Suzanne Crow was born on February 11, 1962 in Kennett, Missouri to parents Wendell, a trumpet player and lawyer, and Bernice Crow, a piano teacher. Coming in as the third child, Sheryl Crow was very active growing up and, while attending Kennett High School, Sheryl was a majorette, an All-State track athlete, a member of the National Honor Society, Future Farmers of America and Paperdoll Queen. After high school, Sheryl attended the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri where she sang in the local band Cashmere and received her BA degree in Music Composition, Performance and Education.

Sheryl Crow: I’m On Television

After graduating college, Crow worked as a music teacher at the Kellison elementary school in Fenton, Missouri. Teaching during the day and singing with bands at night allowed Sheryl to meet musician and producer Jay Oliver who had a studio in his parent’s basement where he wrote jingles. After hearing Sheryl Crow sing, Oliver gave Sheryl Crow a shot with a back-to-school jingle for the St. Lois department store Famous-Barr. McDonald’s and Toyota commercials soon followed where Sheryl Crow made her first big check for an estimated $40,000 with McDonald’s alone. Sheryl Crow then left television in search of fame.

Sheryl Crow: The Road is Calling

Sheryl Crow toured with Michael Jackson on the BAD tour from 1987-1989 and got a chance to sing with him on the song “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You.” In 1990, Sheryl Crow sang shortly with the Steven Bohco drama, Cop Rock band. In 1992, Sheryl Crow recorded her first so-called debut album with Phil Collins’ producer, Hugh Padgham, which was later rejected by her label. Sheryl Crow then started dating Kevin Gilbert and hanging out with a group of musicians that everyone called the “Tuesday Night Club” which later became the name of Sheryl’s first album that included group members, Gilbert, David Baerwald and David Ricketts (both formally of David & David), Bill Bottrell, Brian MacLeod and Dan Schwartz. All the members got together on Tuesdays to work on Sheryl Crow’s album that they all share songwriting credits on.

Sheryl Crow: Its Hot On Tuesdays

Despite its slow start, Tuesday Night Music Club helped land Sheryl Crow an appearance in the “New Faces” section of Rolling Stone magazine in 1993. After the release of Sheryl Crow’s second single “All I Wanna Do” in the spring of 1994; the album sold more than seven million copies in both the US and the UK during the 1990s. Sheryl Crow would go on to win three Grammy Awards in 1994 for Record of the Year, Best New Artist and Best Female Vocal Performance. While working on her second album, Sheryl Crow lended background vocals to the song “The Garden of Allah” from Don Henley’s 1995 album Actual Miles: Henley’s Greatest Hits.

Sheryl Crow: My Voice

Sheryl Crow’s 1996 self-titled and self-produced second album hit some nerves with lyrics about abortion, homelessness and nuclear war that ultimately lead to her CD being banned from Wal-Mart. Sheryl Crow’s first single “If It Makes You Happy” earned her two Grammy awards for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Best Rock Album. Other singles included “A Change Would Do You Good,” “Home” and “Everyday Is A Winding Road.” In 1997, Sheryl Crow’s song “Tomorrow Never Dies” became the theme song for the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies that earned Sheryl Crow a Grammy nomination and the Golden Globe for Best Original Song.

Sheryl Crow: I Made It

In 1998 Sheryl Crow released her third album The Gold Sessions which was recorded while Sheryl Crow battled a deep depression. The album included singles “My Favorite Mistake” which was rumored to be about a secret relationship with singer-songwriter Eric Clapton, “There Goes The Neighborhood” (2001 Grammy for Best Female Rock Vocal Perfomance), “Anything But Down” and “The Difficult Kind.” The album sold two million copies in the US and earned Sheryl Crow a 1998 Grammy award for Best Rock Album. In 1999 the album was re-released to include a bonus track of Sheryl’s cover of the Guns –N- Roses song “Sweet Child o’ Mine” which was featured in the film Big Daddy. The song won the 1999 Grammy for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance.

Sheryl Crow: Ready For Close Up

In 1999, Sheryl Crow made her acting debut as an ill-fated drifter in the suspense/drama The Minus Man with then-boyfriend Owen Wilson who played a serial killer. Sheryl Crow also released the live album Sheryl Crow and Friends: Live From Central Park which included artist Sarah McLachlan, Stevie Nicks, the Dixie Chicks and Eric Clapton. In 2002 Sheryl released her fifth album C’mon,C’mon which included the single “Steve McQueen” which earned Sheryl Crow a Grammy for Female Rock Vocal Performance

Sheryl Crow: Best of the Wildflower

In 2003 Sheryl released her sixth album The Very Best of Sheryl Crow that included the smash hit “The First Cut Is The Deepest” that earned her two American Music Awards for Best Pop/Rock Artist and Adult Contemporary Artist of the Year. In 2005 Sheryl Crow released her seventh album Wild flower which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard charts. The single “Good Is Good” earned Sheryl Crow a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

Sheryl Crow: Detours & Current News

In February 2008, Sheryl Crow released her eighth album Detours which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard charts. Sheryl Crow described the album as “events from the last three years of my life” and also credits the album to raising awareness for such causes as global warming, motherhood and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

In 2006 Sheryl announced her separation from cyclist Lance Armstrong after a two year relationship. In 2007 Sheryl Crow announced that she had adopted a two-week-old boy named Wyatt Steven Crow who was born on April 29, 2007. Sheryl Crow and her son make their home on a farm outside Nashville, Tennessee. To help prevent the spread of and raise awareness for global warming, Sheryl is kick starting a multi-city tour called “Virtual March” which starts in Dallas, Texas on April 9, 2008.