Free-spirited, fearless and fierce, Sheryl Crow has garnered nine Grammys, performed duets with musical luminaries such as Sting and Mick Jagger, released six studio albums which sold more than 35 million records worldwide, saw the launch of her very own clothing line Bootheel Trading Co., is a cancer survivor and passionate humanitarian and has performed for President Obama! From humble beginnings as a jingle and back-up singer, Crow has reached the pinnacle of professional solo success.

For the title of her seventh album, it isn't just a location; it's a state of mind. "I grew up in a small town 100 miles from Memphis, and that informed not only my musical taste, but how I look at life," she says. "The drive to Memphis is all farmland, and everyone is community-oriented, God-fearing people, connected to the earth. The music that came out of that part of the world is a part of who I am, and it's the biggest inspiration for what I do and why I do it."

So for the Kennett, Missouri native, calling the disc 100 Miles from Memphis is a statement of purpose, both musical and emotional.

"This is something I've been thinking about for a long time," says Crow. "When (manager Scooter Weintraub) first started working with me twenty years ago, what he heard in me was that I had heavy influences from the South - Delaney and Bonnie, all the Stax records. So for years he's been asking me, 'When are you going to make that record?'"

The results evoke a time when soul and passion filled the radio waves, when the sweat and joy of a recording session could be captured forever on wax. Sometimes the musical references - Al Green, Sly and the Family Stone, Stevie Wonder - are made apparent, but the album's eleven songs are characterized more by capturing a classic spirit than by imitating any specific style.

Produced by Doyle Bramhall, II and Justin Stanley, 100 Miles From Memphis is the right album at the right moment. "My last record (2008's Detours) was pretty political, extremely personal, and more lyric-driven," she says, "so it seemed like a great time to do something soulful and sexy and more driven by the music."

Each of her studio albums has charted in the Top 10 and earned at least platinum certification. The seven-times platinum Tuesday Night Music Club hit #3 and earned three Grammys – Best New Artist, Record of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for the classic All I Wanna Do.  The album also featured Strong Enough, Can't Cry Anymore, and Leaving Las Vegas.

1996's triple platinum Sheryl Crow (#6) earned the Grammy for Best Rock Album and, for If It Makes You Happy, Best Female Rock Vocal Performance.  1998's platinum The Globe Sessions (#5) also garnered the Best Rock Album Grammy, as its Everyday Is A Winding Road and My Favorite Mistake both reached the Pop Top 20.

The new millennium brought 2002's platinum C'mon C'mon (#2), whose gold Soak Up The Sun peaked in the Top 20 and Steve McQueen again nabbed her a Best Female Rock Vocal Performance Grammy. The 2003 greatest hits compilation, the four times platinum The Very Best Of Sheryl Crow, was also a #2 charter, featuring a new recording, a cover of Cat Stevens' The First Cut Is The Deepest.  2005's platinum Wildflower (#2) featured the duet with Sting, Always On Your Side.

Today, the Kennett, Missouri, native is a passionate supporter of a variety of environmental and health-related charities, including The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, The NRDC and The World Food Program.

www.sherylcrow.com