Sheryl Crow, a name synonymous with ageless music and incredible talent, has etched her mark in the annals of rock, pop, and folk music. With her distinctive voice and melodies, along with her introspective songwriting, Crow has captivated audiences worldwide for over three decades. Rising to fame in the 1990s with her debut album, "Tuesday Night Music Club," she quickly became a prominent figure in the music industry, garnering not only critical acclaim but multiple Grammy Awards, including 1994's Best New Artist and Record of the Year. Throughout her career, Crow has continued to evolve as an artist, leaving an indelible impact on the music landscape. Later this year, Crow will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, an honor reserved for "artists who, in their careers, have created music whose originality, impact, and influence has changed the course of rock & roll."
Tell me about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction announcement. Where were you when you heard, and what does being inducted mean to you?
Sheryl Crow: My manager called me and said that I was being inducted, and then suddenly I started getting texts from, oh my goodness, people from all over, people I haven't heard from for years, and I have to say it was an extremely sweet experience. I've said on numerous occasions that I feel like I'm being presented with an Oscar for a movie that I haven't completely finished writing. So it's very humbling and also super exciting. I feel like all the people that I've loved and who have inspired me to do what I'm doing are in the Rock Hall, so it's such a huge honor to be even in the list of names.
When your career took off after "All I Wanna Do," did you expect it to last 25+ years or did you ever even really think that far ahead?
SC: I never thought that far ahead. The thing that happens is that when you have songs that make it onto the radio, the next time you go into the studio you feel this pressure to try not to, but at the same time, be aware of calculating what might get on the radio or what might sound good on the radio, and it can be really overwhelming and really daunting. But I've been really lucky. I've loved being in the studio.
Part of what I love about it is I feel like I get to be a better producer every time I go in and I love songwriting and I still feel like my best work is ahead of me and so that's always kept me going. I feel like there's always so much to write about and right now it's an amazingly inspiring time to be a songwriter. It's obviously different because I'm older so I can't ever count on radio necessarily being interested in what I'm writing, but there are so many other avenues for music to get heard. So that's what really keeps me going is that I love the craft and I love going into the studio and coming out with something that's never been before, a song that's never been written. So 25 years seems like a long time, but it really has been a fun journey.
What was the experience like of making the documentary, Sheryl?
SC: Making the documentary for me was arduous. It was in the middle of Covid, and I don't know that anybody ever sits down and thinks this is going to be really fun to talk about 30, 40 years of memories and to dig through the really hard stuff. So it was exhausting, but I think in the end it was really worth doing. Documentaries, for me, have been really inspiring, and it always helps, I think, all of us, to see that there are people who've lived lives behind what looks like a pretty fantastic career. It's not like it's all rainbows and lollipops. There's a lot that goes into somebody wanting to pour their heart out into music. I certainly have had my ups, but I've certainly had my downs as well. And I think it was a story worth telling, and I thought that Amy Scott did a beautiful job with choosing what the story was. It's always also really interesting when you think about how much of it winds up on the cutting floor that you feel like is important facets to your life, but in the end, it can only be 90 minutes. So yeah, it was difficult and it was really tiring to sit and remember so many memories, but in the end, really, I think a worthwhile thing to do.
Do you still stand behind your 2019 statement that Threads would be your last album?
SC: Okay, so that is a tricky question. Yes, I definitely felt like when I made the Threads record that there were so many things about making that record that made me feel like I could not follow it up with an album. That, for me, was a beautiful stepping off point and also because it was such a tribute to so many people that have brought me to where I am. I felt like it was a beautiful way to close the door on a chapter of making full albums and really embrace the idea of just putting out songs, particularly since I feel like the listening public doesn't listen to albums in their original configuration. We piecemeal music, we run playlists, we download a song here, a song there. And so it felt like sort of a futile and very expensive venture to spend the love and the time compiling a bunch of songs when, really, people would not hear it in that context. But, that being said, I'm working on a body of songs right now that may be an EP, maybe six, seven songs. It may wind up being a full-length album depending on what I feel like I can't not put on it. So there you go. The moral of that story is never say never.
You said before that it is "uber important to support our veterans." Can you expand on that sentiment?
SC: There are a lot of important causes, but for me, I can't overlook the fact that we enjoy a free life in this country because of a lot of people who've dedicated their lives to defending that idea and those ideals. It does grieve me that so many people who've dedicated their lives and who have come home changed people are not getting the services that they need, are not being lifted up and carried on all of our shoulders. When my now rising sophomore went on his eighth-grade trip to Arlington Cemetery and I got to be a chaperone, I could not believe how humbled I felt to learn all that we learned about people who have given their lives to defend our ability to speak our minds and our ability to live our lives freely.
That doesn't mean that we get to act like jerks. And I think in this particular day and age, it would be wonderful if everyone, but particularly those who are in public service, could go and take a tour of Arlington and hear the stories of the people that have not only defended our rights, but also given us the pleasure of being able to be wonderful citizens. And hopefully planted in our minds that that doesn't give us the right to be jerks. And that is the end of my lecture on that. I live with a veteran. He is my old bus driver, he's my security person, he served. I hear some of the stories about him just getting the healthcare that he needs, and it's very exasperating to me. These people should be put first. So anything I can do, particularly with Wounded Warriors and other organizations that serve veterans, I'm in.
What other causes do you support?
SC: I am a giant environmentalist. I do feel like that the environment should come first because without the health of our planet, none of us are going to wind up being healthy. I think we're seeing now a ticking clock and we realize the urgency of it. However, there's so much money that gets passed from hand to hand in our government and some of these things that really matter to the American people are put on the back burner. And that really grieves me when I consider I'm raising two kids. I also am very involved in cancer research. I'm a cancer survivor, so I've always been involved in breast cancer research specifically. And then other small foundations -- Adopt a Teacher is very important to me, as is the Delta Children's Home, which exists in my hometown. And Flint Global supports kids who are aging out of the foster system.
I read an Architectural Digest article that you're sort of an antique and junk collector. What's something else about yourself that most people might not know?
SC: Oh my goodness. Well, yeah, I do buy or I used to. I put a moratorium on my buying junk because at a certain point it's a fine line between collecting and hoarding. But people might not know I am an avid, however, very novice, horticulturalist. We've just put in a greenhouse and we've been planting gardens and we are trying to go completely produce independent from grocery stores. We're also trying to eat meat that is sourced, and thank the Lord that we have the means to do that. I feel very blessed, but also at the same time, extremely annoyed with the kind of food that Americans wind up eating when you compare what's going on in other countries as far as what's allowed and what's not allowed in our diets, organically and chemically. So yes, people might not know that.
What's next for you and your career?
SC: Well, like I said, I am writing. I'm going to have a song coming out pretty soon that I'm really excited about but I can't tell you much about it. But I'm really excited about what's coming out next. We're doing a whole bunch of festivals this summer, which already have been fun. I'm getting ready to do Bonnaroo. I've also completed a one woman show, which hopefully we will get up and going in the next year.
What is something motherhood has taught you?
SC: Man, I'll tell you what, motherhood has been the most amazing transformation for me. I mean, it really has simplified my life in so many ways. I mean, schedule-wise, not so much, but simplifying it in the context of what comes first and what my life centers around. It makes decision making very easy. My kids come first. Also, I don't want to miss out. It goes really fast. I have a 16-year-old now, and I feel like literally a month ago he was a toddler. So I don't want to miss out on any time left with my boys now that they're teenagers. I only have so many summers. So I guess what it's taught me is the absolute depth of love. And also it's kept me, I feel like, really young and man, I do not sit down.
What do you love about living in Tennessee? Do you have any special places in Franklin you love? I saw you once at Sweet CeCe's!
SC: Oh, that is so funny. Yes, we love Sweet CeCe's. I love Tennessee. I mean, I grew up three hours and 15 minutes right up the road in southeast Missouri. It feels very similar to Tennessee. The people that I've grown up with, the communities I've grown up in have all felt very grounding, very Puritan work ethic, good, solid, family-oriented, principled people. And I do feel that in Tennessee. I feel it in Nashville. I love the terrain here. I love that it's rolling hills, that you can have land here but still be close to a grocery store. I love that you can be a well-known person and raise a family here and people not only respect it, but defend it and honor it. Nobody hassles you here. I think the community here enjoys having country and all kinds of musicians here and wants them to be at home here, and that's a lovely thing.
I've always loved Franklin, love Leiper's Fork. We used to live in College Grove, so we're definitely Williamson County. We've been Williamson County people and my kids went to school at a great school there for their first years. I love the antique stores. I mean, what can I say? I love junking. I love collecting in Franklin. There are so many great spots. And I do love the old houses. I love the history there. It's a really cool sort of stepping back in time feel.
"I feel like there's always so much to write about and right now it's an amazingly inspiring time to be a songwriter."