heryl Crow was born February 11, 1962 in Kennett, Missouri. As a child, she had a strong musical background-- her mother Bernice was a piano player and father Wendell played trumpet in a jazz band. Sheryl was trained in classical piano at age five and composed her first song at the age of 13. She attended the University of Missouri at Columbia, majoring in music education, and after graduation, worked as a music teacher for children with special needs, from kindergarten to sixth grade. Her pursuits in a music career led her to California in 1986 at the age of 24. After a period of finding little offers, she finally got her big break when she was signed on to tour with Michael Jackson in his 1988 Bad Tour. Following eighteen months of touring, she landed positions in background vocals for artists such as Don Henley, Rod Stewart, and Sting. Sheryl entered a period of depression, "six to eight months of not getting out of bed," discouraged by her lack of success. Her depression lasted nearly two years, until she received therapy. Finally discovered in 1990, she signed with A&M Records to produce an album. She spent a year recording, but upon completion, she decided to shelve the entire album because it was "too mature," with a highly polished pop sound. She teamed up with Bill Bottrell, David Baerwald, David Ricketts, and Kevin Gilbert to form her Tuesday Night Music Club. The album was released in 1993, and following was her smash hit "All I Wanna Do," originally a song she had planned to scrap as well. With this hit single, she rocketed to stardom almost immediately, making her place in pop culture. In 1994, toured with Woodstock '94. She appeared on MTV Unplugged and various other events. The following year, she received three Grammys, best new artist, record of the year, and best female pop vocal performance. Two years later, in 1996, she began work on her next album Sheryl Crow, with Bill Bottrell and the Tuesday Night gang. However, the team had a falling out over differences... in an interview Sheryl had claimed "Leaving Las Vegas" was somewhat biographical, but had failed to mention that writing it was a group effort. Sheryl took over the production of her second album, with successful results. Two million copies were sold, and single "If it Makes you Happy," "Every Day is Winding Road," and "A Change" hit top spots on the charts. Sheryl Crow brought in two more Grammys, for best rock album and best female rock vocal performance in 1996. She toured with Sarah McLachlan on the Lilith Fair in 1997, and consecutive years after that. Moving to New York City in 1998, she began work on her third album, The Globe Sessions, which she also produced. After her recording sessions, she ended up with an album that reflect many of the experiences she had gone through the last few years. After the album's release in September, Sheryl took on a world tour to promote it. In 1999, she was nominated for six Grammys and won for best rock album. Sheryl made her movie debut in 1999 in the psychological thriller The Minus Man, when boyfriend Owen Wilson recommended her to the small role of a drug addict. In September of the year, Sheryl and American Express launched a free concert in Central Park benefiting the Pediatric AIDS Foundation. Sarah McLachlan, Eric Clapton, Stevie Nicks, and others also lent their talents to the concert. Sheryl currently resides in New York City. Who is Sheryl Crow's inspiration? What's her favorite instrument? Find out in trivia