Crow, Sheryl (11th February 1962-Present)

She is a singer-songwriter born Sheryl Suzanne Crow in Kennett, Missouri, as the third in a family of four children where her father is a trumpeter and lawyer and her mother a piano teacher.

In high school she was an All-State track athlete and belonged to several clubs such as the Pep Club and Future Farmers of America before moving on to her further education at the University of Missouri to study for a degree in Music Composition, Performance and Education.

She became a teacher in Fenton, Missouri and sang in groups at the weekends and after a while she became acquainted with the St. Louis producer Jay Oliver who operated from his parent’s basement. He took her on to sing commercial jingles for companies such as McDonald’s and Toyota and this would set her on her way in her pursuit of a career in music.

In 1987 she became a singer on Michael Jackson’s BAD tour and accompanied him on the song “I Can’t Stop Loving You”. This kept her busy until 1989 and the following year she sang in the television drama Cop Rock.

In 1992 she released her self-titled album, which the record label rejected, and then became a member of the Tuesday Night Music Club who were the songwriting musicians that had got together to work on her album every Tuesday. The release of Tuesday Night Music Club in 1993 slowly but surely became a huge success, with hit singles such as “All I Wanna Do”, “Leaving Las Vegas” and “Strong Enough” and won her three 1994 Grammy Awards.

1996 saw the release of a self-titled album, which once again won her Grammy Awards and produced the hit singles “A Change Would Do You Good”, “Every Day is a Winding Road”, “Home” and “If It Makes You Happy”. The album wasn’t without controversy though and due to a suggestion of Wal-Mart’s gun sales being easy for children to get hold of in the song “Love is a Good Thing”, the album was banned for sale from all of their stores.

1997 came along and she was heard on the theme song for James Bond’s Tomorrow Never Dies, which garnered her a Golden Globe nomination and another Grammy nomination. 1998 saw her releasing The Globe Sessions, which also won her a Grammy Award, and the 1999 re-release with the cover of Guns n’ Roses’ “Sweet Child o’ Mine” as a bonus track won her a further Grammy Award. Also in 1998 she was seen working in collaboration with Scott Weiland on his 12 Bar Blues and appearing at a tribute concert to Burt Bacharach. Deciding to end the ’90s with something new again, she ventured into the movie world and debuted in 1999’s The Minus Man with her boyfriend at the time, Owen Wilson.

The 2000s have seen her releasing a cover version of “The First Cut is the Deepest” which won her two American Music Awards, appearing in De-Lovely, being the voice of Elvis in Cars and releasing the albums The Very Best of Sheryl Crow and Wildflower. Also in the 2000s she has done a lot of work for the Scleroderma Research Foundation, was very outspoken about her opposition to the invasion of Iraq, adopted her son Wyatt and battled with the early stages of breast cancer.

During the course of her career she has worked with many artists that include David Arnold, Tony Bennett, Johnny Cash, Rosanne Cash, Eric Clapton, Counting Crows, Dixie Chicks, Steve Earle, Foreigner, Vince Gill, Emmylou Harris, Chrissie Hynde, Mick Jagger, Waylon Jennings, Kenny Loggins, Taj Mahal, John Mayer, Sarah McLachlan, Willie Nelson, Stevie Nicks, Luciano Pavarotti , Patty Smyth, Nancy Wilson and Dwight Yoakum to name just a few.

Albums she has featured on other than the aforementioned include her own Sheryl Crow & Friends: Live From Central Park and also Off to See the Lizard by Jimmy Buffett , 30^thAnniversary Concert Celebration by Bob Dylan , One Nil by Neil Finn, Say You Will by Fleetwood Mac, Songbird: Rare Tracks & Forgotten Gems by Emmylou Harris, End of the Innocence by Don Henley , 80 by B.B. King, Once in a While by Johnny Mathis , Great Divide by Willie Nelson, Live Licks by The Rolling Stones and the soundtracks of Big Daddy, Bridget Jones Diary, Cars, Hope Floats, I Am Sam, Kalifornia, Message in a Bottle, Point Break, Practical Magic and Shallow Hal among many others.

In 2008 she released her album Detours, which rocketed up the Billboard 200 chart to the No. 2 position on its debut. She also put on a concert tour where $1 for every purchased ticket goes to the UN World Food Program. In 2010 her 100 Miles from Memphis came out and in 2013 her Feels Like Home debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard 200.

She has won 9 Grammy Awards and received 19 nominations as well as being awarded an honorary doctorate from the Southeastern Missouri State University. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2023.

Sources:

Crow, Sheryl (11th February 1962-Present)

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