Sheryl Crow Finds Her Place in the Sun

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Sheryl Crow Finds Her Place in the Sun

By Robert E. Martin

The many faces of songwriter troubadour Sheryl Crow. Photos by Kay McEntee

It is hard to believe that ten years ago Sheryl Crow was a

respected if little known backup singer working the tour circuit trying to

get her music out to a larger audience and opening for 'major acts' with

the likes of homebred local artists such as Stewart Francke and Johnny &

the Boomers.

"I remember hearing her for the first time when we were both on the same

bill opening for The BoDeens.  She was really nice, complimentary about my

music, and kind of road-weary," recalled Francke to me a few years ago.

Sheryl Crow. Photo by Kay McEntee

Flash forward to the summer of 2002 and today Sheryl Crow is perhaps the preeminent woman of Rock 'n Roll, headlining the Jeep World Outside Tour, which I had the good fortune of attending at DTE Music Theatre on Saturday, August 10th.

Without doubt, this was one of the coolest concerts of the summer season and a daylong & night extravaganza featuring better known groups such as Train along with lesser known names such as Silvercrush, Remy Shand, O.A.R., Five for Fighting, and Ruby Horse.

To make this event even more 'interactive', the DTE parking lot was converted into an outdoor sports pavilion, allowing concert-goers to attempt such physical pastimes as scuba diving, snow boarding, rock climbing and kayaking, while witnessing incredible stunts from some of the top young BMX bike enthusiasts in the country.

But without doubt, the capacity crowd gathered mainly to witness the return

to the Michigan stage of Sheryl Crow after a five year touring hiatus.

Riding high on the acclaim of her latest release, C'mon C'mon, and fueled

by extensive radio play of two singles from that album, the summer anthem

Soak Up the Sun and Steve McQueen, Crow proved to be radiant, animated, and

in top musical form.

This wasn't always the case for the girl from Missouri born in 1962.  For

those unfamiliar with her background, Crow was born to amateur-musician

parents and played in high school rock bands. She studied classical piano

at the University of Missouri and taught music for awhile to sixth graders.

After moving to Los Angeles in 1986, Crow sang backup for such artists as

Don Henley, Stevie Wonder, and Michael Jackson.  After sustaining the

disappointment of a failed musical recording debut on A&M records, Crow

started hanging out with a bunch of music veterans at a freewheeling jam

session called The Tuesday Night Music Club, held weekly at the Los Angeles

studio of producer Bill Bottrell.

The result was Crow's 1993 album of the same name, which went on to sell

nearly 8 million copies and win three 1994 Grammys, including Best New

Artist and Record of the Year.

Although she liberally credited all the members on that debut, critics

nonetheless claimed she was 'created by a group of guys'. To quash such

accusations she came back in 1996 with a new 'glam' look and a powerful

collection of songs that were produced by Crow, largely written by Crow,

and lest anyone miss the point, titled Sheryl Crow.   Including an

undeniable anthem to self-determination entitled If It Makes You Happy, and

dark ruminations on the nature of obsessive love, the follow-up fueled

Crow's currency amongst critics, fans, and fellow musicians.

Sheryl Crow...Photo by Kay McEntee

This work was followed one year later by The Globe Sessions.  Again

produced, written, and largely performed by Crow, the album furthered her

foray into semi-autobiographical ruminations of the heart, nailing another

hit single with the winsome tempo of My Favorite Mistake  (a song written

about her short lived love affair with guitar-legend Eric Clapton.)

With her latest release Crow is riding a newfound wave of harmony and

depth, reflecting on topics as varied as the nature of celebrity and the

challenge of pursuing one's dream in the face of turning 40.  Crow readily

admits in interview that she would like to have a child and start a family,

but that it is incredibly difficult to sustain a long-term relationship

when so much of her life is spent in studios and on the road.

In performance Crow sparkles and shines, polishing each nuance of her

tuneful melodies with a power and precision that feeds from a live audience

as if the applause were prompting her to dig into a deeper recess of her

soul than she did the time before.

She also seems to have discovered a newfound recklessness and confidence

with her position on the stage, perhaps due in part with the friendship she

recently cemented with hip-hop rocker Kid Rock, whom she referenced several

times during performance.

So how did Crow first get bit by the Rock 'n Roll bug?

"As a kid, it seemed so rebellious and glamorous," she confesses. "My view of rock & roll came from black-and-white pictures in Rolling Stone and Creem Magazine. What we picked up about it was a very mysterious and glamorous peek at what was going on. Musicians were traveling on the road and appearing to be so rebellious and cutting edge. And I grew up listening to rock & roll - I loved it."

Have the assumptions about women changed in the music business over the years?

"I spent about eight years of being unsignable, because I was a woman," Crow reflects. "The comments I would get were, 'We like what you do, but we don't know what to do with you,' and 'We don't know what to do with a blue-eyed soul singer.' This was during the '80s, when most of what was going on was very pop oriented, like Madonna and Paula Abdul. Women writing lyric-driven music were a curious thing as far as record executives went."

Sheryl Crow, Photo by Kay McEntee

Crow continued reflections of this nature in a Rolling Stone interview with

Jill Hamilton.

"I think it's a fascinating time to be a woman. There is a shift in power

toward women and our perception of women as being strong leaders and having

viable opinions and creative things to say. For me, having been one of the

first women in the rock movement to sort of usher in this new women's

movement, there was a lot to learn early on about the power of being a

woman in rock & roll and the wisdom you can impart in your lyrics now

without being criticized as being a bitch."

And how does Crow respond to the term 'feminist'?

"I think the feminist movement did little good as far as women being

treated equally. My perception was that women had to abandon their

femininity to compete in the male-dominated world. And I think burning bras

is not really the answer to being treated equally. Empowering yourself and

clinging to the things that are sacred about being a woman are what gives

you power as a female. I think you shouldn't have to change who you are to

compete or to be treated equally."

What about her role as a successful musician and its affect upon relationships?

"The most tangible affect is my absence," she confides. "Relationships are

hard enough to maintain, but when you're gone, it's virtually impossible to

keep that open communication to a really secure place with the other person

- particularly as a woman, because a wwoman is the person who sort of keeps

the home fires lit."

"I still consider myself to be fairly young, and I'm getting ready to have

a serious shift in my priorities. I've had some incredible relationships

and consider myself lucky to have loved as deeply as I have. I don't feel

like I've been slighted in any way. I've had a pretty good life."

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