Sheryl Suzanne Crow (born February 11, 1962) is an American musician, singer, and songwriter. Her music incorporates elements of rock, pop, country, folk, and blues. She has released eleven studio albums, five compilations, and three live albums, and contributed to several film soundtracks. Her most popular songs include "All I Wanna Do" (1994), "Strong Enough" (1994), "If It Makes You Happy" (1996), "Everyday Is a Winding Road" (1996), "My Favorite Mistake" (1998), "Picture" (2002, duet with Kid Rock), and "Soak Up the Sun" (2002).
Crow has sold more than 50 million albums worldwide and won nine Grammy Awards (out of 32 nominations) from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. As an actress, Crow has appeared on the television series 30 Rock, Cop Rock, GCB, Cougar Town, Jon Stewart's and Stephen Colbert's Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear, One Tree Hill, and NCIS: New Orleans. Crow was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2023.
Crow was born in Kennett, Missouri, the daughter of Bernice (née Cain), a piano teacher, and Wendell Wyatt Crow, a lawyer and trumpet player. Her great-grandfather was congressman Charles A. Crow (1873–1938). She has two older sisters, Kathy and Karen, and a younger brother, Steven.
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, and was crowned Paperdoll Queen in a celebrity-judged beauty contest during her senior year.
She 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 Society, as well as working as a Summer Welcome orientation leader.
After graduating from the University of Missouri, Crow worked as a music teacher at Kellison Elementary School in Fenton, Missouri.