Sheryl Crow

Sheryl Suzanne Crow, born February 11, 1962, is an American singer-songwriter, producer, guitarist, and actress. She is noted for incorporating blues, country, folk, and pop genres into a rock-oriented sound with optimistic and idealistic lyrics. Over her career, Crow has sold over 50 million albums worldwide, releasing 12 studio albums, five compilations, and three live albums. She has won nine Grammy Awards from 32 nominations and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2023.

Crow was born in Kennett, Missouri, to a piano teacher and a lawyer who was also a trumpet player. While attending Kennett High School, she was a majorette, track athlete, pep club member, and National Honor Society inductee. She later attended the University of Missouri in Columbia, where she sang in the local band Cashmere and earned a Bachelor of Science in Education degree in music education in 1984.

Following college, Crow worked as an elementary school music teacher in Fenton, Missouri, while performing with weekend bands. She transitioned into commercial work by singing advertising jingles for major brands, including McDonald's and Toyota. She subsequently worked as a backing vocalist, touring on Michael Jackson's Bad World Tour from 1987 to 1989 and recording background vocals for artists such as Stevie Wonder, Belinda Carlisle, Jimmy Buffett, and Don Henley. A planned 1992 debut album was scrapped by mutual decision before release because Crow and her label felt it was too produced.

Crow achieved her international breakthrough after joining a collective of songwriters called the Tuesday Music Club. Her 1993 debut album, Tuesday Night Music Club, spawned the 1994 smash hit "All I Wanna Do" as well as the successful single "Strong Enough." The album sold over seven million copies in the United States and United Kingdom and earned Crow three Grammy Awards, including Best New Artist and Record of the Year.

In 1996, Crow released a self-produced, self-titled second album featuring singles like "If It Makes You Happy" and "Everyday Is a Winding Road," which won two Grammy Awards. She contributed the title song to the 1997 James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies before releasing her third studio album, The Globe Sessions, in 1998. The album included "My Favorite Mistake" and won the Grammy for Best Rock Album. Her success continued through the 2000s with albums like C'mon, C'mon (2002) and Wildflower (2005), as well as hit singles such as "Soak Up the Sun" and "Picture," a duet with Kid Rock.

In addition to her recording career, Crow has appeared in various television series and films, including 30 Rock, Cop Rock, Cougar Town, One Tree Hill, NCIS: New Orleans, and the feature films The Minus Man and De-Lovely. She has also contributed tracks to numerous film soundtracks, including Disney and Pixar's Cars.