Sheryl Crow Received Warning by Fax from Don Henley After Best New Artist Grammy Win

About 30 years ago, Sheryl Crow became an overnight sensation at the age of 33. And it only took her “15 years of really hard work and waiting tables” to get there.

Crow, 63, chronicles her long road to stardom in the latest episode of the MGM+ series Word + Music. Before her breakout success with the 1993 album Tuesday Night Music Club, she toiled as a jingle singer for McDonalds, a back-up vocalist for Michael Jackson (she had to learn to sing like the King of Pop) and a writer of material for other people, including Celine Dion and Wynonna Judd.

It was her friend and mentor Don Henley of the Eagles who convinced her to stop giving away her best songs and start recording them herself. A&M Records signed her as a recording artist, and she promptly asked them to shelve her debut album because she was unhappy with the material. Her second debut album, Tuesday Night Music Club, followed, and with its smash single “All I Wanna Do,” a star was born at 33.

That was around the time that Henley popped up with more memorable career insight.

“In 1995, I was nominated for five Grammys, and I won three, and one of them was actually for best new artist,” Crowe says in her Words + Music episode, adding as a wry aside, “Obviously, it takes a long time to be a best new artist.”

“But one of my favorite memories from that time actually is a fax that Don sent me,” she continues. “Do you guys remember faxes? He used to call me ‘Pookie,’ and it started off ‘Dear Pookie. Congratulations on winning best new artist. Please see below all of those who have won before you.’ And then it was signed, ‘Good luck, Don.’ ” And it was a long list of people that we pretty much never heard from again.”

To be fair, for every best new artist winner who has plummeted into oblivion (from Starland Vocal Band and Debby Boone to Milli Vanilli, the duo whose 1990 best new artist Grammy was rescinded by the Recording Academy after it was revealed that they hadn’t actually sung a word on their debut album), there have been ones who went on to enjoy distinguished careers. Bobby Darin, Bob Newhart, The Beatles, Tom Jones, Carly Simon, Bette Midler, Cyndi Lauper, Sade and Mariah Carey all received the coveted honor before Crow. So much for the so-called best new artist curse.

Obviously, Crow didn’t have anything to worry about. She ended up being one of the most successful singer-songwriters to emerge in the ‘90s, with multiple hits, six more Grammys and, in 2023, a spot alongside Henley and the Eagles in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.”

Word + Music is a spin-off of the Audible series of the same name, and it’s co-produced by Gunpowder & Sky. “Throughout the new Words + Music series, we’ve enabled musicians to bring their songs and stories to life in real time through compelling visuals, high-res art and tech-enhanced volume stages,” says the company’s CEO Van Toffler. “There’s still nothing more human, powerful or emotional than a killer marriage of music, performance and imagery.”

“Words + Music has more than achieved our goal of reimagining and revolutionizing [MTV’s] Storytellers and Unplugged — with a touch of acid and a healthy dose of naturally occurring steroids,” he adds.

The John Legend episode of Words + Music premiered Nov. 30 on MGM+. Future episodes include Elvis Costello on Dec. 14 and Alanis Morissette on Dec. 21.