Sheryl Crow

Sheryl Crow
Background information
Birth name	Sheryl Suzanne Crow
Born	February 11 1962 (1962-02-11) (age 46) Kennett, Missouri, United States
Genre(s)	Rock, pop, blues rock, country, folk
Occupation(s)	Musician
Instrument(s)	Vocals, guitar, bass guitar, piano, accordion, harmonica, autoharp
Years active	1993–present
Label(s)	A&M Records
Website	Official Website

Sheryl Suzanne Crow (born February 11, 1962) is an American blues rock singer, guitarist, bassist, and songwriter. Her music blends country, pop, folk, and blues rock into one mainstream sound, and she has won nine Grammy Awards. Crow is also a noted political activist.

Early life

Sheryl Suzanne Crow was born in Kennett, Missouri on February 11, 1962, to musical parents Wendell (trumpet player, lawyer) and Bernice Crow (piano teacher). The third child of the family, Sheryl has three siblings: older sisters Kathy and Karen, and younger brother Steve. While studying at Kennett High School in Kennett, Missouri, Sheryl was a cheerleader and majorette. She was an All-State track athlete, medalling in the 75 low hurdles. She also joined the Pep Club, the National Honor Society, Future Farmers of America, Freshman Maid, Senior Maid and Paperdoll Queen. She then enrolled at the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri, and received a BA degree in Music Composition, Performance and Education. While in college, Sheryl sang in the local band Cashmere. She was a member of the Kappa Alpha Theta social sorority and Sigma Alpha Iota, a women's music fraternity. Later, Sheryl was awarded an honorary doctorate from the Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.

Music career

Early Career

Crow graduated from the University of Missouri with a degree in Education. She was a member of the school's Kappa Alpha Theta sorority and is also a member of Sigma Alpha Iota, a women's music fraternity. After graduation, she worked as a elementary school music teacher at Kellison in Fenton, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis. Teaching during the day allowed her the opportunity to sing in bands on the weekends. She was introduced to local musician and 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 recently quoted in a 60 Minutes segment as saying she made $50,000 on her McDonald's commercial alone. She toured with Michael Jackson during the BAD world tour in 1987-1989 and sang with him during the performance of "I Just Can't Stop Loving You". In 1992, Crow recorded her first attempt at her debut album with Phil Collins' producer, Hugh Padgham. The self-titled debut album was slated 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 over the years. Sheryl then began dating Kevin Gilbert who invited her to sit in with a group of musicians kn own to everyone in the group as the tuesday night music club (hence the name of Sheryl's first album). As Kevin's girlfriend she was allowed to join in as a backup keyboard player. Sheryl then took the original music that Kevin, Bill Bottrell and others had been working on and cut her own record with it. Many insiders in the California music industry have openly shown their disdain for Sheryl for taking credit for the work that the much more experienced musicians had written and recording it behind their backs-she also promised them all that they would be touring with her(playing their own music) but this was a lie as well.

Solo success

Crow appeared in the "New Faces" section of Rolling Stone in 1993. The album 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 spring 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. To their credit, she and then-collaborator Bill Bottrell tracked down the author, Wyn Cooper, and he ended up being paid royalties on the song.^[1] The singles "Strong Enough" and "Can't Cry Anymore" were also released, with the former charting in the Top Ten and the latter hitting the Top 40. Crow received several Grammy awards in 1994: Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "All I Wanna Do"; Record of the Year for "All I Wanna Do"; and Best New Artist. In 1996, Crow released her self titled second album, which earned her the cover of Rolling Stone. The album was darker and grittier and far more political, with songs about abortion, homelessness and nuclear war. The debut single, "If It Makes You Happy", became a radio hit, and netted 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". Crow produced the album herself. The album was banned from sale at Wal-Mart; in "Love Is A Good Thing," Crow suggests that guns sold by Wal-Mart too easily fall into the hands of children.^[2] 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.

The Globe Sessions, acting, and Live from Central Park

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. The album won Best Rock Album at the 1998 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. This 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". 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, while wearing a full-length black formal dress. 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. Shortly thereafter, she sported an unexpected short hairstyle.^[3] 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, and Clapton. "There Goes the Neighborhood" was included in the album, eventually winning the Grammy for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance. Crow also appeared on Return of the Grievous Angel: A Tribute to Gram Parsons, duetting with Emmylou Harris on the Parsons' song, "Juanita".

2000s

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.^[4] 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.^[5] Crow duetted with rapper Kid Rock on the crossover hit single "Picture". There was speculation about a brief affair with Kid Rock. In 2003, Crow released a greatest hits compilation called The Very Best of Sheryl Crow. It 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.

Wildflower and cancer diagnosis

Her album Wildflower was released in September 2005. Although the album debuted at #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". 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. Crow was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer in late February 2006. Her doctors have stated that "prognosis for a full recovery is excellent."^[6] Crow's first concert since 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. The singer 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 cancer survivor. Crow also 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.

Detours

Sheryl Crow will return February 5, 2008 with her next A&M/Interscope album, Detours. Shine Over Babylon, the first track released to the public, is at iTunes now. Crow told Billboard.com this summer that the song "is very environmentally conscious, in the tradition of Bob Dylan." "I'm really encouraging artists to write about what's going on, because we seem to be very distracted by some lightweight topics," she said. "I think it's time to start writing about the reality of what's around us." In additional comments on her Web site, Crow describes the single as "an every way a desperate cry for understanding. Perhaps it is even a battle song in the face of fear." Detours was recorded at Crow's Nashville farm and will feature "14 or 15" of the 24 songs put to tape. The artist's baby son, Wyatt, makes an appearance on the song "Lullaby for Wyatt," which will be featured in the upcoming 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. It has been announced that Shine Over Babylon will be the first promotional single (download only). The music video for the single was released on the Sheryl Crow website and can be seen on the popular video site Youtube. The music video consists of newspaper articles and headlines of recent and current affairs that are affecting the world today. The first 'official' single to be released is Love Is Free. This song was inspired by the people of New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Recent activity

On the red carpet at the 2006 CMA Awards, Crow reported that she was working on a country music album. According to Entertainment Weekly, Wildflower, at one point was to be followed, in about six months, by a "pop record." According to Crow, Wildflower was the "art record," which she felt she had earned the right to make, following the success of The Very Best of Sheryl Crow. At the 2006 CMA Awards, Crow performed the songs "What You Give Away" with Vince Gill, and "Building Bridges" with Brooks & Dunn and Vince Gill. Crow is due to appear in a series of magazine advertisements in February for Revlon. In this, she uses the Buddy Holly classic "Not Fade Away" to sell the cosmetics of her sponsor. The iTunes page states that net proceeds will benefit breast cancer research.

Adoption

On May 12, 2007, Crow announced on her official website that she had adopted a two-week-old boy named Wyatt Steven. The child was born on April 29, 2007.^[7]

Politics

Global warming activist Laurie David and Crow will participate in a "Virtual March". The multi-city tour will begin on April 9 at SMU in Dallas, Texas and will continue on to select cities including: College Station, Texas; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; New Orleans; Birmingham, Alabama; Auburn; Gainesville, Florida; Atlanta, Georgia; Charlottesville, Virginia; Nashville, Tennessee; Chapel Hill, North Carolina; College Park, Maryland and Washington, D.C.. The 90-minute presentation will include remarks by David, a short performance by Crow, clips from An Inconvenient Truth, clips from top comedians, and a dialogue with students. She worked with Reverb, a non-profit environmental organization, for the Stop Global Warming tour.^[8] At the 2007 White House Correspondents Dinner, Crow engaged Karl Rove in a heated exchange about the Bush administration's policies on global warming.^{[9] [10]}

Other contributions

Crow performed at the 1994 and 1999 Woodstock Festivals, as well as Another Roadside Attraction in 1997.^[11] Crow was a main stage act at Lilith Fair and has contributed many songs to movie soundtracks and special projects that were never made available elsewhere. They include: "D'yer Maker" (Encomium: Led Zeppelin Tribute), "Solitaire" (from The Carpenters' tribute album If I Were A Carpenter), "La Ci Darem la Mano" from Don Giovanni (Pavarotti & Friends For War Child), and "Resuscitation" (The Faculty). In 2006, Crow contributed the opening track, "Real Gone", to the soundtrack for Disney/Pixar's animated film Cars. Crow's recordings have appeared on the soundracks to Point Break, The X-Files, Big Daddy, Home of the Brave and Stone Cold. Crow 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. She collaborated with Stevie Nicks, producing and performing on several tracks on Nicks' 2001 album, Trouble In Shangri-La and later touring with her. One track was "It's Only Love", of which Crow would later place her own version on C'Mon C'Mon. Nicks also worked with Crow on the soundtrack to the film Practical Magic. Crow and Nicks are close friends and Crow inducted Fleetwood Mac into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. Crow collaborated with U.S singer-songwriter Michelle Branch on the song "Love Me Like That" for Branch's second album, Hotel Paper, released on Madonna's Maverick Records in 2003. Crow's collaboration with Kid Rock, "Picture", appeared on his album, Cocky. Crow also assisted Kid Rock on his next, eponymous album, on the track "Run Off to L.A." Crow has also recorded duets with Tony Bennett, Dwight Yoakam, Vince Gill, and Willie Nelson, all of which have been released on various albums. She occasionally appears with the Rolling Stones, opening for the band on some occasions, and has performed "Honky Tonk Woman" as a duet with Mick Jagger.^[12] She claims the Stones to be an early influence.

Crow and John Mayer co-headlined a tour in late 2006. Starbucks' "Hear Music" label released a deluxe edition of Crow's favorite songs in 2006, featuring Crow's own versions of James Taylor's "You Can Close Your Eyes", Willie Nelson's "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain", Aretha Franklin's "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)", and Jeff Trott's "The Few That Remain". "You Can Close Your Eyes" was nominated for a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Female in 2006. Crow was also featured on the Johnny Cash album American III: Solitary Man. She was featured in the song "Field of Diamonds" as a background vocalist, and also played the accordion for the song "Wayfaring Stranger". Crow collaborated on Scott Weiland's 1998 solo album, 12 Bar Blues. Crow supplied background vocals to the song "The Garden of Allah", a single from Don Henley's 1995 album Actual Miles: Henley's Greatest Hits. She most recently contributed background vocals to the Ryan Adams song "Two" from the album Easy Tiger. Sheryl contributed her cover of Beatles's Here comes the sun on the Bee Movie Soundtrack in November 2007.

Honors and awards

• Grammy Awards: 9
• American Music Awards: 3
• Orwille H. Gibson Awards: 2
• TEC Awards: 2
• BRIT Awards: 1
• BMI Awards: 1
• BMI Winning Songs: 8
• ASCAP Awards: 1
• People's Choice Awards: 1
• BMG Music Club's top selling album Plaque: 2
• Glamour Woman of the Year 2000
• Honorary Degree (2001)
• Missouri Academy of Squires (elected in 2004)

Discography

Albums

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