Name: Sheryl Crow
Date of Birth: February 11, 1962
Place of Birth: Kennett, Mo., USA
Sign: Aquarius
Occupation: Guitarist, Musician, Singer, Songwriter
A well-accomplished musician, Sheryl Crow has achieved
a multitude of success with only two albums. She is
what some would call a "one of a kind rock star."
She added some new flavor to modern pop and rock music
with her incredibly marketable success. Portraying the
image of the dreamer who only wants to play the guitar
and roam the world, Sheryl "the rebel" brought
with her an originality unseen by the music industry.
Her smoky voice and sultry wzy of playing guitar has
us hooked.
Wendell and Bernice Crow, Sheryl's parents, were also
linked to the music industry. Her dad used to play the
trumpet in swing bands when he was in his prime, although
he did move on to become a lawyer. As an artist, however,
Sheryl requested that he play a piece from her debut
album on the A&M label, which he did with much success.
Her mom is a piano teacher, so it's no wonder that
Sheryl, and her two sisters, were all musically literate.
But there was something special about Sheryl from the
start. Her parents saw it, and now the whole world can
see it.
In high school, Miss Crow was a very busy girl; she
was a cheerleader, played piano, and studied for classes
(receiving great marks by the way). She attended the
University of Missouri in Columbia and majored in music,
to no one's surprise.
During her stay at college, she began gaining some
real musical experience by performing with a rock and
roll cover band named Cashmere. After that, Sheryl became
qualified to write, compose, and teach music. Once she
graduated from college, however, Sheryl decided to teach
music to elementary school children.
Because she wanted to have a soaring career in the
world of music, Sheryl packed herself up and moved to
Los Angeles in 1986. At first, as is the case with most
struggling artists, she took on odd jobs like waitressing
and singing in television commercials.
Soon after that, Sheryl got her big break after she
snuck into an audition where Michael Jackson was auditioning
backup singers. She got the part and went on the two-year
Bad tour. Like with all celebrities, it was rumored
that "the gloved one" and Sheryl had some
sort of romantic involvement, but she quickly squashed
all the gossip once she became a staple in the music
industry.
After the Bad tour came to an end, she later toured
in the End of the Innocence tour with Don Henley. Whilst
being a backup singer, Sheryl began gaining necessary
studio experience and also wrote songs that established
artists like Celine Dion and Wynonna Judd picked up.
When a producer by the name of Hugh Padgham heard Sheryl
sing in the studios, her career took a turn in the right
direction. Soon after that, Padgham submitted her demo
tape to A&M and her star had finally begun to shine.
After being invited to join a weekly jam happening
with musicians David Gilbert, Bill Bottrell, and David
Baerwald, The Tuesday Night Music Club had come into
effect. Their casual jam sessions ultimately created
the song "Leaving Las Vegas" which appeared
on her first album (which was released in '93).
Her first album burned up the charts and her fame began
to escalate quickly. Unfortunately, Sheryl and Bill
Bottrell began squabbling over the production of her
second album, and Sheryl finally ended up producing
the album herself in 1996.
One of her singles on the album entitled, "Maybe
Angels" includes the lyric, "With a gun they
bought at a Wal-Mart Discount Store." This song
caused much controversy and Wal-Mart stores refused
to sell her album unless she would alter the lyrics.
But tough-as-nails Sheryl refused and despite her drop
in album sales, her record label back her 100%.
We certainly haven't heard the last of Sheryl as her
second album continues to burn up the charts (and Wal-Mart
owners).