Amazing Ladies: Sheryl Crow

By Jennifer Hudock on March 17th, 2010

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Born to musical parents, it is only fitting that Sheryl Crow grew up to be the musical icon we know and love today. Crow graduated from the University of Missouri in Columbia with a Bachelor’s in Art and Music, but before she went on to dazzle crowds with her beauty and unique musical style, she was an elementary school music teacher in Missouri. Being a teacher not only kept her spreading her joy and love for music to young minds, it also afforded her the time and opportunity to pursue her musical career.

It was during her early years as a teacher and weekend club performer that Crow met with small-time music producer Jay Oliver, who encouraged her to provide the voice on a number of commercial jingles. After a McDonald’s jingle that earned her a cool $40K, Crow went on tour with Michael Jackson as a backup singer during the 1987-1989 “Bad World Tour.” Performing with Jackson onstage regularly singing “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You,” exposed her to enough people in the music business that her career started to take off.

Her quickly growing popularity put her in the hands of Phil Collins, who produced her debut album, but the record company wasn’t impressed. After rejecting the album, bootlegged copies were distributed that to this day are still widely downloaded on file sharing networks. From there, Crow went on to perform in the Tuesday Night Music Club, dating fellow musician in the group Kevin Gilbert. Over time, Gilbert and Crow fell out when they began arguing over song credits, and before they reconciled, Gilbert was found dead in his apartment.

Despite the falling out, members of the group are listed in the songwriting credits on Crow’s debut album, The Tuesday Night Music Club, which earned her three Grammys and put her in the spotlight where she belonged.

Throughout the course of her career, Crow has worked with musicians like Burt Bacharach and Eric Clapton, and has written numerous hit songs for radio and film soundtrack. She has been tied romantically to a handful of celebrities, including Clapton, Owen Wilson and athlete Lance Armstrong.

In 2006, Crow was diagnosed with breast cancer, much to her dismay and surprise. The disease was not prevalent in her family, and though she had dealt with the hardship of cancer while engaged to Lance Armstrong, it was still a major shock. After undergoing surgery and radiation therapy, Crow beat cancer head on, and went on to record a new album. Interviews hit the media, detailing her battle and new outlook on life. Since her recovery, she appeared in a Revlon commercial, performing a Buddy Holly song — with the proceeds from the song donated to cancer research. She also provided vocals on the song “Just Stand Up” with all proceeds going to the Stand Up to Cancer foundation.

Today, Crow is mother to a little boy she adopted back in 2007, and more active than ever in her music career. So what makes her an amazing lady? She followed her dream into the music business, first spreading her love for song to children as a teacher. She withstood the odds in the music business, and despite the struggles she faced, she still managed to come out on top. She battled cancer and won. If that’s not amazing, I don’t know what is!

Photo via Interscope Records