Sheryl Crow, The #35 Female Artist of the Rock Era

Sheryl Crow was born in Kennett, Missouri to a mother who was a piano teacher and a father who played trumpet.  At Kennett High School, Sheryl was a member of the National Honor Society, a majorette and an all-state track athlete.  Crow was a music teacher at Kellison elementary school in Fenton, Missouri prior to graduation from college.  While at Kellison, Sheryl sang in bands on the weekends, and met Jay Oliver, a local musician and record producer.  Oliver used Sheryl in advertising jingles, including those for McDonalds and Toyota.  Sheryl received a Bachelor of Arts degree in music composition, performance, and education from the University of Missouri.  

Crow toured as a backing vocalist for Michael Jackson from 1987-89 and often sang the duet with Jackson on "I Just Can't Stop Loving You".  Sheryl also began recording background vocals for several artists, including Stevie Wonder, Don Henley and Belinda Carlisle.

In 1990, Crow sang for the television drama Cop Rock, and her song "Heal Somebody" appeared in the movie Bright Angel.  The following year, Crow recorded "Hundreds Of Tears", which was included in the "Point Break" Soundtrack.  She was becoming greatly respected by her peers and gradually more known by music insiders and fans.  

In 1992, Crow signed a recording contract with A&M Records.  She recorded an album with producer Hugh Padgham, but the record label rejected it.  But Crow's songs were being recorded by artists such as Celine Dion and Tina Turner.  She began dating Kevin Gilbert and joined him in a group of musicians known as the Tuesday Music Club.  Prior to Sheryl joining them, the group was a casual songwriting collective, but it rapidly developed as a vehicle for Crow's debut album. 

In 1993, Crow released the album Tuesday Night Music Club.  The album was slow to develop, but eventually became one of The Top 100 Albums of the 90's*.  Her first single, received some airplay in the United States, the U.K. and Canada, but was very underrated--"Run, Baby, Run".

Crow's next single, "Leaving Las Vegas", gained considerable airplay on the Alternative Rock chart, and she began to get more airplay in the countries mentioned above.  Sheryl was nominated for Best Female Video at the MTV Video Music Awards.

As deep, complex and great as those first two singles are, the one that was her breakout hit was her third.  "All I Wanna' Do" shot up to #1 on the Mainstream Rock chart and #2 overall in the U.S. (becoming one of the biggest hits of the year and one of The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*) and was also #1 in Australia and Canada, #4 in the U.K. and #5 in France and Japan.

Crow captured the Grammy Award for Best New Artist, while "All I Wanna' Do" won Grammys for Record of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance (it was also nominated for Song of the Year.)  Tuesday Night Music Club has now sold over seven million copies in the United States and 10 million worldwide.  With that big hit behind her, Crow released the single "Strong Enough".  It topped the chart in Canada, achieved a #3 ranking in Australia, and was #3 on the Mainstream Rock chart and #5 overall in the United States.

Crow performed in the 1994 Woodstock Festival.  She released yet another single from her debut, "Can't Cry Anymore", which was generally underrated throughout the world.  Canada "got it", where it peaked at #3.  It was a #10 Mainstream Rock hit in the U.S., but only #36 overall.

Another track from Crow's debut received recognition when "I'm Gonna' Be A Wheel Someday" was nominated for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance.

A&M re-released "Run, Baby, Run", to a little more airplay than before, but still not as much as it deserved.  It did reach #24 in the U.K. the second time around.  In 1995, Crow recorded a song for the album A Tribute to Led Zeppelin, covering "D'yer Maker".

In 1996, Crow released her self-titled album, which she co-produced.  "If It Makes You Happy" reached #1 in Canada, #2 in Japan, #4 on the Mainstream chart and #10 overall in the U.S. and #9 in the U.K., won the Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance and helped win Crow the Grammy for Best Rock Album.

Crow definitely has a Beatles influence, and her next single was titled something like the Beatles last song.  Canada was emerging as the country which most understood her great lyrics the most--"Everyday Is A Winding Road" became her fourth #1 song in Canada.  The single also hit #3 in Australia, #5 on the Mainstream Rock chart and #11 overall in the United States and #12 in the U.K..  The song was also nominated at the Grammys for Record of the Year.

The album Sheryl Crow has sold over five million copies worldwide.  The single "A Change Would Do You Good" also caught on, hitting #2 in Canada and #8 in the U.K.

Crow recorded "Tomorrow Never Dies" for the James Bond movie of the same name.  The song was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or TV and was nominated for Best Original Song from a Motion Picture at the Golden Globe Awards.  It peaked at #12 in both the U.K. and Switzerland.

In 1998, Sheryl released The Globe Sessions.  "My Favorite Mistake" was the lead single, reaching #1 in Japan, #6 in Canada, #5 on the Mainstream Rock chart and an underrated #20 overall in the U.S. and #9 in the U.K.  Crow won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Album, The Globe Sessions was also nominated for Album of the Year, and "My Favorite Mistake" was nominated for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

The Globe Sessions has gone over the two-million mark in sales in the U.S. and 3.5 million worldwide.  The track "There Goes The Neighborhood" was nominated for a Grammy for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance.

  

In 1999, Crow recorded a cover of "Sweet Child O' Mine" for the "Big Daddy" Soundtrack, which won the Grammy for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance.

Late in 1998, Crow performed for the live concert tribute to Burt Bacharach.  The following year, Sheryl made her acting debut in the movie The Minus Man, and released the live album Sheryl Crow and Friends:  Live From Central Park.  Several musicians appeared at the concert, including Stevie Nicks, Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, Sarah McLachlan and the Dixie Chicks.  Crow won another Grammy for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance for the live performance of "There Goes The Neighborhood".

Crow worked with the Dixie Chicks on a remake of "Strong Enough", which received a Grammy nomination for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals.  Sheryl also sang with Sarah McLachlan on "The Difficult Kind", nominated at the Grammys for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.  Crow received her 19th Grammy nomination for Best Female Country Vocal Performance for "Long Gone Lonesome Blues" and her 20th when she combined with Mary Chapin Carpenter and Emmylou Harris on "Flesh And Blood", which was nominated for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals.

Sheryl received an honorary degree during the commencement ceremony at Southeast Missouri State University.  Crow mysteriously chose to sing a duet with Kid Rock, "Picture".  It hit #2 in the U.K. and #2 on the Adult chart and #4 in the United States.

Crow released her fourth album, C'mon, C'mon, in 2002.  The single "Soak Up The Sun" was another Japanese #1, and hit #1 on the Adult chart and #5 Adult Contemporary in the U.S. and #7 in the Ukraine.  It was nominated for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the Grammy Awards.

The album was nominated at the Grammys for Best Rock Album, and C'mon, C'mon is also nearing four million units sold worldwide.  Sheryl's work on the album earned an American Music Award for Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist.  "Steve McQueen" hit #1 in the Ukraine and was #13 on the Adult chart in the U.S., and won the Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance.

Crow received her 25th career Grammy nomination for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals for her song with Don Henley--"It's So Easy".

In 2003, Crow released her greatest hits package, The Very Best of Sheryl Crow.  One of the new tracks on the album was her cover of the Rod Stewart hit "The First Cut Is The Deepest".  The single hit #1 on both the Adult Contemporary and the Adult charts and #14 on the Hot 100 chart in the United States, and reached #8 in Japan and #11 in the Ukraine.  

Sheryl won American Music Awards for Best Pop/Rock Artist and Adult Contemporary Artist of the Year and was nominated at the Grammys for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.  She won a People's Choice Award for Favorite Remake for "The First Cut Is The Deepest" and was nominated for Favorite Female Musical Performer, and earned an ASCAP Pop Award for "The First Cut..." for Most Performed Song.

Wildflower in 2005 debuted at #2 and was Sheryl's sixth straight Platinum album.  Crow released "Good Is Good" as the first single, and it reached #5 on the Adult chart in the United States, #7 in Japan and #10 in Canada and the Ukraine.  She received a nomination at the Grammy Awards for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

Sheryl was nominated for Grammy Awards for Best Pop Vocal Album.  She recorded "Building Bridges" with Kix Brooks, & Ronnie Dunn and Vince Gill, earning another nomination for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals.

  

Crow released another hit from Wildflower--"Always On Your Side", a duet with Sting.  It peaked at #2 in Canada, #12 on the Adult Contemporary chart in the United States and #13 in the Ukraine, and was nominated at the Grammys for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.

In 2006, Crow was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer, but her doctors stated that "prognosis for a full recovery is excellent".  The song "You Can Close Your Eyes" was nominated at the Grammys for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

  

Later in the year, Crow recorded "Try Not To Remember" for the movie Home of the Brave.  It earned a nomination from the Golden Globe Awards for Best Original Song from a Motion Picture. 

Crow released the album Detours in 2008, nominated at the Grammys for Best Pop Vocal Album.  It debuted at #2 on the Album chart, and has sold over 700,000 copies, but did not include any Top 20 hits.  

Sheryl joined Loretta Lynn and Miranda Lambert on an update of Lynn's song "Coal Miner's Daughter", which they performed at the 2010 Country Music Awards.  Crow released the album 100 Miles from Memphis in 2010.   She also wrote the music and lyrics for Diner, a Broadway musical inspired by the 1982 movie.  

Journalist Katie Couric asked Crow to write the theme song for her talk show, Katie.  The song ("This Day") was nominated for Outstanding Original Song at the Daytime Emmy Awards.  She signed a recording contract with Warner Music Nashville Records and released the country-influenced album Feels Like Home last year.

In addition to her amazing solo work, Crow has performed with the Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson, Eric Clapton, Luciano Pavarotti, Willie Nelson, Smokey Robinson, B.B. King, Tony Bennett and Sting, among others.  

Crow has sold over 17 million albums in the United States and over 50 million worldwide. Every studio album she has released has gone Top 10 in the U.S. and, more often than not, in several other countries as well. She has won nine Grammy Awards out of a phenomenal 32 nominations. 

Sheryl has charted 20 career hits, with four Top 10 songs, and a host of highly underrated songs.  She has 12 hits on the Mainstream Rock chart, with six of those going Top 10.  Nine of her songs have scored on the Alternative chart, with four of those reaching the Top 10.  Crow has also posted nine Adult Contemporary hits, with three Top 10's, and has even charted on the Country chart.  Few artists in history have displayed that much versatility, nor had as much success with it as Ms. Crow.