Born in 1962 to musically talented parents (her father was a jazz trumpeter and mother was a piano teacher) and grew up in Kennett, Missouri, Sheryl Crow has been influenced by many different styles of music from country, blues, rock & roll to classical. After graduating from Missouri College in '86 where she had majored in composing, classical piano and musical theory, she moved to Los Angeles hoping for a career as a singer/songwriter.

Her first job was as a backing vocalist in Michael Jackson's '87 worldwide tour - a job that took her around the world (including Japan) and lasted for nearly 18 months. She then started a career as a session vocalist, joining recording sessions for (among others) Don Henley, Joe Cocker, Rod Stewart and Eric Clapton - all useful, character building stuff but hardly the path towards solo success.

Fortune eventually smiled on Crow in 1990. Thanks to producer Hugh Padgham (Police and Phil Collins) who was impressed by her demo tape, she signed a solo deal with A&M. Unfortunately disagreement with A&M over the concept of the album delayed her debut. After three years of recording sessions with Bill Bottrell (who later produced her albums) her debut album Tuesday Night Music Club was finally released in August 1993. The album was a massive hit, including the hit singles Leaving Las Vegas, All I Wanna Do (which went to No.2 in the US Charts), Run, Baby, Run and Strong Enough. From that point here career blossomed. She launched her first worldwide solo tour (again, with dates in Japan) and also appeared at Woodstock '94 and as a guest in the now well established MTV Unplugged series. She won 3 Grammy Awards including best new artist, best female pop vocal performance and record of the year. Her long efforts and belief in her own music eventually paid off.

In 1996, her follow up album, the self-titled Sheryl Crow again received wide acclaim both critically and commercially. The album includes her famous songs If It Makes You Happy and Everyday Is A Winding Road (the latter is popular particularly in Japan as it was featured on a TV commercial). Once again the awards came thick and fast - she took home the honor of best rock album and best female rock vocal performance in the 37th Grammy Awards.

With her third album Globe Sessions ('98) earning her the third Grammy for best rock album, Crow began to be more enthusiastic about live performances. She joined the Sarah McLachlan-produced extensive female artists tour Lilith Fair, Woodstock '99 and went on to organize on her own benefit concert in Central Park, NY. With guest appearances from Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Dixie Chicks and Sarah McLachlan, the live performance was recorded and released on CD.

Aside from her solo works, Sheryl Crow has offered plenty of original songs to the other projects. Among the songs featured on different soundtracks are Tomorrow Never Dies (an episode of James Bond series with the same title, '97), a cover of Guns & Roses' Sweet Child O' Mine (Big Daddy, '99), Time Has Come Today (a duet with Steve Earl) (Steal This Movie, '00), Kiss That Girl (Bridget Jones's Diary, '01) and Mother Nature's Son (I Am Sam, '02). She has also contributed a number of songs to tribute albums such as Substitute - The Songs Of The Who, Timeless - Tribute To Hank Williams and Good Rockin' Tonight - The Legacy Of Sun Records which is the compilation album marking the 50th anniversary of Sun Records label.

In 2002 her fourth album of original material C'mon C'mon was released. The album was recorded with contribution from her long-time friends such as Don Henley, Emmylou Harris, Dixie Chicks, Liz Phiar, Lenny Kravitz and her sister Kathy. According to her official website, Crow intended to make the album full of "'70s and '80s flavored classic rock songs that you could sing and that are like the soundtrack to your summer". The lead single Soak Up The Sun sets the tone for the album perfectly. What sets her from other singers is her distinctive voice, memorable melodies and considered lyrics. It may have taken a while to get there but, as she once dreamed she would, Sheryl Crow can now been seen as one of the world's top singer/songwriters.