Sheryl Crow Bio
Sheryl Suzanne Crow (born February 11, 1962) is an American singer-songwriter, producer, actress, and guitarist. Emerging in the early 1990s, her debut major-label album Tuesday Night Music Club (1993) produced the breakthrough hit “All I Wanna Do” and launched a multi-decade career blending rock, country, folk, blues, and pop. Crow has released twelve studio albums, sold over 50 million records worldwide, and won nine Grammy Awards from 32 nominations.
Her notable songs include “If It Makes You Happy” and “Soak Up the Sun”. In 2023 she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Beyond music, she has acted in film and television and been active in charitable and health-related causes.
Early Life and Background
Sheryl Suzanne Crow was born on February 11, 1962, in Kennett, Missouri, the daughter of Bernice (née Cain), a piano teacher, and Wendell Wyatt Crow, a lawyer and trumpet player. She has two older sisters, Kathy and Karen, and a younger brother, Steven. Her great-grandfather was Congressman Charles A. Crow. While studying at Kennett High School, Crow was a majorette and an all-state track athlete, winning medals in the 75-meter low hurdles. She also joined the pep club, the National Honor Society, and the National FFA Organization.
Crow then enrolled at the University of Missouri in Columbia, and in 1984 received a BS Ed degree in music education. While at the university, she sang in the local band Cashmere. She was a member of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority, Sigma Alpha Iota International Music Fraternity for Women, and the Omicron Delta Kappa honor society. These formative years in Kennett and Columbia gave her an early foundation in music that would later shape her multi-genre sound.
Path to Music
After graduating from the University of Missouri, Crow worked as a music teacher at Kellison Elementary School in Fenton, Missouri. Teaching during the day gave her the opportunity to sing in bands on the weekends. She was later introduced to local musician and record producer Jay Oliver, who helped her land her first jingle, a back-to-school spot for the St. Louis department store Famous-Barr. Soon after, she sang in commercial jingles for McDonald’s and Toyota.
Crow toured with Michael Jackson as a backing vocalist during his Bad World Tour 1987–1989, and often performed with Jackson on “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You”. She also recorded background vocals for Stevie Wonder, Belinda Carlisle, Jimmy Buffett, Kevin Gilbert, and Don Henley. In 1992, she recorded her first attempt at a debut album with producer Hugh Padgham, though the project was shelved. These years of steady session work and live touring gave her the experience and confidence to step forward as a solo artist.
Sheryl Crow Career
Early Career (1983–1993)
Crow began her professional career in 1983, working as a teacher and session vocalist in the St. Louis area. Her early session work included jingles, backing vocals, and live performances with major artists. She also contributed to film soundtracks, including tracks for Stone Cold and Point Break in 1991, and made a brief appearance in the short-lived Steven Bochco drama Cop Rock series finale in 1990.
In 1992, she recorded a self-titled debut album with producer Hugh Padgham, but the project was mutually shelved by Crow and her label as not ready for release. Despite the setback, her songs were soon covered by major artists including Celine Dion, Tina Turner, and Wynonna Judd, signaling the strength of her songwriting.
Breakthrough (1993–1999)
Crow joined an ad hoc group of musicians known as the “Tuesday Music Club”, whose members shared songwriting credits on her debut album Tuesday Night Music Club, released in 1993. The album was slow to garner attention until “All I Wanna Do” became an unexpected smash hit in October 1994. The singles “Strong Enough” and “Can’t Cry Anymore” also charted, and the album went on to sell more than 7 million copies in the US and UK. It won Crow three Grammys at the 37th Annual Grammy Awards in 1995: Record of the Year, Best New Artist, and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.
In 1996, Crow released her self-titled second album, which she produced herself. The debut single, “If It Makes You Happy”, netted her two Grammys for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance and Best Rock Album at the 39th Annual Grammy Awards in 1997. The album also featured “Everyday Is a Winding Road” and a protest song called “Redemption Day”. In 1997, she contributed the theme song to the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies, which earned a Grammy nomination.
Crow released The Globe Sessions in 1998. The debut single “My Favorite Mistake” was rumored to be about Eric Clapton, though Crow has refused to confirm. The album won Best Rock Album at the 41st Annual Grammy Awards in 1999, and her cover of “Sweet Child o’ Mine” won Best Female Rock Vocal Performance at the 42nd Annual Grammy Awards in 2000. Her live recording of “There Goes the Neighborhood” later won Best Female Rock Vocal Performance at the 43rd Annual Grammy Awards in 2001. In 1999, she also made her acting debut in the suspense drama The Minus Man.
Notable Works and Milestones
Tuesday Night Music Club (1993) and the self-titled Sheryl Crow (1996) established her as a major rock artist, while The Globe Sessions (1998) cemented her reputation for adventurous production. Her signature song “All I Wanna Do” remains her most recognizable hit, and her James Bond theme “Tomorrow Never Dies” extended her reach into film. The 2002 single “Soak Up the Sun” became one of the defining pop-rock songs of the early 2000s.
Sheryl Crow Award Nominations
Sheryl Crow has earned 32 Grammy Award nominations across her career, along with nominations at the Golden Globe Awards, American Music Awards, and Daytime Emmy Awards. Her nominations span Best New Artist, Record of the Year, Best Rock Album, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals, and Best Original Song categories. She has also been nominated for Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or for Television for her James Bond theme “Tomorrow Never Dies”.
Sheryl Crow Awards Won
Sheryl Crow has won nine Grammy Awards across her career, beginning with three wins at the 37th Annual Grammy Awards in 1995 for Tuesday Night Music Club. Subsequent wins include Best Female Rock Vocal Performance and Best Rock Album for her self-titled 1996 album, and multiple Best Female Rock Vocal Performance awards for “Sweet Child o’ Mine” and “There Goes the Neighborhood”. In 2003, she won Best Female Rock Vocal Performance for “Steve McQueen” at the 45th Annual Grammy Awards.
Beyond Grammys, Crow received two American Music Awards in 2004 for Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist and Favorite Adult Contemporary Artist. In 2006, she was presented with the American Academy of Achievement’s Golden Plate Award by Steven Spielberg. She has also been awarded honorary doctorates from the University of Missouri and Southeast Missouri State University, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on November 3, 2023.
| Award | Wins | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Grammy Awards (total) | 9 | 1995–2003 |
| American Music Awards | 2 | 2004 |
| Rock and Roll Hall of Fame | 1 | 2023 |
| American Academy of Achievement Golden Plate Award | 1 | 2006 |
Sheryl Crow Family
Sheryl Crow was born to Wendell Wyatt Crow, a lawyer and trumpet player, and Bernice Crow (née Cain), a piano teacher. She has two older sisters, Kathy and Karen, and a younger brother, Steven. Her great-grandfather was Congressman Charles A. Crow. Crow adopted her first son in May 2007 and a second son in 2010, and she and her sons live in West Nashville, Tennessee. She also owns a home in Destin, Florida.
Personal Life
Crow has had several high-profile romantic relationships, including with musician Eric Clapton and actor Owen Wilson in the late 1990s. She began dating cyclist Lance Armstrong in 2003, and the couple announced their engagement in September 2005 before jointly announcing their split on February 3, 2006. According to Crow, she has been engaged two other times but has never married.
In May 2007, Crow announced on her website that she had adopted a boy born the month before. In June 2010, she announced the adoption of a second boy born the previous April. She and her sons live in West Nashville, Tennessee. She is also a known supporter of charitable and health-related causes, including breast cancer awareness following her 2006 diagnosis, and opened the Sheryl Crow Imaging Center at the Pink Lotus Breast Center in 2010.