Sherrié Austin
Encyclopedia
Sherrie Veronica Krenn (born 28 August 1970 in Sydney, Australia) is an Australian actress and singer, known professionally as Sherrié Austin. Active as a singer since her teenage years, Sherrié initially recorded as one half of the duo Colorhaus, which also featured Phil Radford. After leaving Colorhaus, she recorded one album in her native Australia before moving to the United States in pursuit of a singing career. There, she recorded four studio albums, and charted several singles on the Billboard
Hot Country Songs
charts. Her highest-charting single was the #18 "Streets of Heaven" in 2003. She has sold over 430,000 albums and 288,000 singles in her career, according to Nielsen SoundScan
. Her fifth album was released November 15th, 2011.
Austin got her start in music opening for Johnny Cash
in Australia at the age of 14. She later moved to the United States where she took up acting. She is most known in America
for playing the role of Pippa McKenna on The Facts of Life
in the late 1980s. In 1991 she appeared as "Lady Penelope" on episode #20 of the first season of the TV comedy series Fresh Prince of Bel Air starring Will Smith
. In the 1990s, she started a singing career, teaming up with Phil Radford in 1992 to form a duo called Colorhaus, which released one album, Water to the Soul.
Nashville Move
Afterward, Austin moved to Nashville, Tennessee
, to pursue a career in country music. Her first solo contract was with Arista Nashville
, with the album Words being released in 1997. It produced singles in "Lucky in Love", "One Solitary Tear", "Put Your Heart into It", and "Innocent Man". "Lucky in Love" and "Put Your Heart into It" both reached Top 40 on the country charts with a peak of #34 each.
Her second and final album for Arista was 1999's Love in the Real World
, led off by the #29 "Never Been Kissed", which was followed by "Little Bird." After RCA acquired Arista Records, Austin's publishing company, Reynsong Publishing, formed Wrensong Entertainment and signed to Madacy Entertainment
for her next album, Followin' a Feelin'
, which produced another single in its lead-off single, a cover of Dolly Parton
's "Jolene
".
Later, she switched to the independent Broken Bow Records
label. Her fourth album of country music, titled Streets of Heaven
, produced her biggest country hit in its title track. Following this single was "Son of a Preacher Man
", a cover of the Dusty Springfield
song, which was never included on an album.
Broadway Years
Sherrié moved to New York City in 2005 and appeared in the New York Musical Theater Festival's production of of Bonnie & Clyde. The New York Times commented that she was "a sultry young country music singer who plays the notorious criminal Bonnie Parker and does for this musical what Reba McEntire
did for the 1999 revival of Annie Get Your Gun
. That twang in her voice provides some much-needed authenticity in excellent pop-country numbers like "Ain't Goin' Back." And it's easy to tell by her hip-swiveling poses that this is a woman who knows how to hold a stage."
The following year, Sherrié performed in Ring Of Fire- The Johnny Cash Musical Show at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre. She also performed in the production of Warrior, a musical about the American-Indian athlete Jim Thorpe, where CurtainUp.com described her as "outstanding." She returned to Nashville in 2006.
Return To Nashville
Sherrié co-wrote Danielle Peck
's 2007 single "Bad for Me", the title track to Blake Shelton
's 2008 album Startin' Fires
, George Strait
's "Where Have I Been All My Life" off his 2009 album Twang
, and Tim McGraw
's duet, with wife Faith Hill
, "Shotgun Rider" off his Let It Go
album in 2007. Austin left Broken Bow in 2008.
Sherrié was named one of 2011's "25 Most Beautiful People" by Nashville Lifestyles Magazine.
In the summer of 2011, The Sundance Channel (United States) announced that Sherrié and her friend Shane Stevens would be on the second season of Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys
, which will be filmed in Nashville and features women their gay best friends. The season is due to start in November.
Latest Release
Austin's latest release, Circus Girl, her first in eight years, is described as a series of stories interpreted by a strong woman, about women, and for women, and Sherrié feels it’s something her female fans have been clamoring for, for quite some time.
“The last few years I had been complaining about that fact that there weren’t any females speaking to women above the age of 30, so I started thinking about how I was writing my songs and came up with the idea for “Friday Night Girls” …I wanted to write a three minute song with every Sex and the City
episode that had ever existed, so I did. I quickly noticed that the women in my audiences loved it and so I switched my songwriting focus for a while to concentrate on that audience, who are my peers, to speak to them,” says Austin.
Circus Girl was released independently on November 15th, 2011.
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
charts. Her highest-charting single was the #18 "Streets of Heaven" in 2003. She has sold over 430,000 albums and 288,000 singles in her career, according to Nielsen SoundScan
Nielsen SoundScan
Nielsen SoundScan is an information and sales tracking system created by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett. Soundscan is the official method of tracking sales of music and music video products throughout the United States and Canada...
. Her fifth album was released November 15th, 2011.
Career
Early CareerAustin got her start in music opening for Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
in Australia at the age of 14. She later moved to the United States where she took up acting. She is most known in America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
for playing the role of Pippa McKenna on The Facts of Life
The Facts of Life (TV series)
The Facts of Life is an American sitcom that originally ran on the NBC television network from August 24, 1979 to May 7, 1988. A spin-off of the sitcom Diff'rent Strokes, the series' premise focused on Edna Garrett as she becomes a housemother at the fictional Eastland School, a prestigious...
in the late 1980s. In 1991 she appeared as "Lady Penelope" on episode #20 of the first season of the TV comedy series Fresh Prince of Bel Air starring Will Smith
Will Smith
Willard Christopher "Will" Smith, Jr. , also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor, producer, and rapper. He has enjoyed success in television, film and music. In April 2007, Newsweek called him the most powerful actor in Hollywood...
. In the 1990s, she started a singing career, teaming up with Phil Radford in 1992 to form a duo called Colorhaus, which released one album, Water to the Soul.
Nashville Move
Afterward, Austin moved to Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, to pursue a career in country music. Her first solo contract was with Arista Nashville
Arista Nashville
Arista Nashville is an American record label that is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment, operated under the Sony Music Nashville division. Founded in 1989, the label specializes in country music artists, including Alan Jackson, Brooks & Dunn, Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood...
, with the album Words being released in 1997. It produced singles in "Lucky in Love", "One Solitary Tear", "Put Your Heart into It", and "Innocent Man". "Lucky in Love" and "Put Your Heart into It" both reached Top 40 on the country charts with a peak of #34 each.
Her second and final album for Arista was 1999's Love in the Real World
Love in the Real World
Love in the Real World is the second studio album by Australian country music artist Sherrié Austin. It was released in 1999 by Arista Nashville and peaked at #14 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart...
, led off by the #29 "Never Been Kissed", which was followed by "Little Bird." After RCA acquired Arista Records, Austin's publishing company, Reynsong Publishing, formed Wrensong Entertainment and signed to Madacy Entertainment
Madacy Entertainment
Madacy Entertainment is a company based in Mount Royal, Quebec that publishes DVDs, CDs, and formerly VHS tapes. Most of the products are frequently seen in Walmart, Best Buy and other discount stores in the United States and Canada, often at low retail prices, as compared to releases by major labels...
for her next album, Followin' a Feelin'
Followin' a Feelin'
Followin' a Feelin' is the third studio album by Australian country music artist Sherrié Austin. It was released in 2001 by Madacy Entertainment and peaked at #43 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart...
, which produced another single in its lead-off single, a cover of Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, author, multi-instrumentalist, actress and philanthropist, best known for her work in country music. Dolly Parton has appeared in movies like 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias and Straight Talk...
's "Jolene
Jolene (song)
"Jolene" is a song written and performed by Dolly Parton from her album Jolene , produced by Bob Ferguson. It is ranked #217 on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of "the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".-History:...
".
Later, she switched to the independent Broken Bow Records
Broken Bow Records
Broken Bow Records is an American independent record label based in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in July of 1999 by Benny Brown, the label specializes in country music The label's general manager is Jon Loba....
label. Her fourth album of country music, titled Streets of Heaven
Streets of Heaven
Streets of Heaven is the fourth studio album by Australian country music artist Sherrié Austin. It was released in 2003 by Broken Bow Records and peaked at #22 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart...
, produced her biggest country hit in its title track. Following this single was "Son of a Preacher Man
Son of a Preacher Man
"Son of a Preacher Man" is a song recorded by Dusty Springfield in September 1968 and featured on the album, Dusty in Memphis. It was written by John Hurley and Ronnie Wilkins. The rights to cover "Son of a Preacher Man" were originally offered to Aretha Franklin, who turned it down...
", a cover of the Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'BrienSources use both Isabel and Isobel as the spelling of her second name. OBE , known professionally as Dusty Springfield and dubbed The White Queen of Soul, was a British pop singer whose career extended from the late 1950s to the 1990s...
song, which was never included on an album.
Broadway Years
Sherrié moved to New York City in 2005 and appeared in the New York Musical Theater Festival's production of of Bonnie & Clyde. The New York Times commented that she was "a sultry young country music singer who plays the notorious criminal Bonnie Parker and does for this musical what Reba McEntire
Reba McEntire
Reba Nell McEntire is an American country music artist and actress. She began her career in the music industry as a high school student singing in the Kiowa High School band , on local radio shows with her siblings, and at rodeos. As a solo act, she was invited to perform at a rodeo in Oklahoma...
did for the 1999 revival of Annie Get Your Gun
Annie Get Your Gun
Annie Get Your Gun may refer to:*Annie Get Your Gun , a 1946 musical play*Annie Get Your Gun , a 1950 film version of the 1946 musical*Annie Get Your Gun , 1946, with Ethel Merman and Ray Middleton...
. That twang in her voice provides some much-needed authenticity in excellent pop-country numbers like "Ain't Goin' Back." And it's easy to tell by her hip-swiveling poses that this is a woman who knows how to hold a stage."
The following year, Sherrié performed in Ring Of Fire- The Johnny Cash Musical Show at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre. She also performed in the production of Warrior, a musical about the American-Indian athlete Jim Thorpe, where CurtainUp.com described her as "outstanding." She returned to Nashville in 2006.
Return To Nashville
Sherrié co-wrote Danielle Peck
Danielle Peck
Danielle Marie Peck is an American country music artist. Signed to the independent Big Machine Records label in 2005, Peck released her self-titled debut album, which produced the Top 30 country hits "I Don't", "Findin' a Good Man", and "Isn't That Everything"...
's 2007 single "Bad for Me", the title track to Blake Shelton
Blake Shelton
Blake Tollison Shelton is an American country music artist. In 2001, he made his debut with the single "Austin". Released as the lead-off single from his self-titled debut album, "Austin" went on to spend five weeks at Number One on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts...
's 2008 album Startin' Fires
Startin' Fires
-Critical reception:CM Wilcox of The 9513 gave the album 3.5 stars out of 5. He referred to the material on the album as "consistent" but states that the album takes few chances...
, George Strait
George Strait
George Harvey Strait is an American country music singer, actor, and music producer. Strait is referred to as the "King of Country," and critics call Strait a living legend. He is known for his unique style of western swing music, bar-room ballads, honky-tonk style, and fresh yet traditional...
's "Where Have I Been All My Life" off his 2009 album Twang
Twang (album)
-Personnel:*Eddie Bayers – drums*Eric Darken – percussion*Stuart Duncan – fiddle, mandolin*Tom Flora – background vocals*Paul Franklin – steel guitar*Steve Gibson – acoustic, electric, gut string guitars*Mike Haynes – trumpet...
, and Tim McGraw
Tim McGraw
Samuel Timothy "Tim" McGraw is an American country singer and actor. Many of McGraw's albums and singles have topped the country music charts with total album sales in excess of 40 million units in the US, making him the eighth best-selling artist, and the third best-selling country singer, in the...
's duet, with wife Faith Hill
Faith Hill
Faith Hill is an American country singer. She is known both for her commercial success and her marriage to fellow country star Tim McGraw. Hill has sold more than 40 million records worldwide and accumulated eight number-one singles and three number-one albums on the U.S...
, "Shotgun Rider" off his Let It Go
Let It Go (Tim McGraw album)
Let It Go is the eleventh album by Tim McGraw. Released on March 27, 2007, it was his first studio album in two and a half years. Let It Go entered the U.S. Billboard 200 at number one with sales of 325,000...
album in 2007. Austin left Broken Bow in 2008.
Sherrié was named one of 2011's "25 Most Beautiful People" by Nashville Lifestyles Magazine.
In the summer of 2011, The Sundance Channel (United States) announced that Sherrié and her friend Shane Stevens would be on the second season of Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys
Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys
Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys is an American reality television series. Each season follows the lives of four gay men and their female best friends. The series debuted on the Sundance Channel on December 7, 2010. World of Wonder produces Girls...
, which will be filmed in Nashville and features women their gay best friends. The season is due to start in November.
Latest Release
Austin's latest release, Circus Girl, her first in eight years, is described as a series of stories interpreted by a strong woman, about women, and for women, and Sherrié feels it’s something her female fans have been clamoring for, for quite some time.
“The last few years I had been complaining about that fact that there weren’t any females speaking to women above the age of 30, so I started thinking about how I was writing my songs and came up with the idea for “Friday Night Girls” …I wanted to write a three minute song with every Sex and the City
Sex and the City
Sex and the City is an American television comedy-drama series created by Darren Star and produced by HBO. Broadcast from 1998 until 2004, the original run of the show had a total of ninety-four episodes...
episode that had ever existed, so I did. I quickly noticed that the women in my audiences loved it and so I switched my songwriting focus for a while to concentrate on that audience, who are my peers, to speak to them,” says Austin.
Circus Girl was released independently on November 15th, 2011.
Studio albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
US Indie Independent Albums The Billboard Independent Albums is a chart of the highest-selling independent music albums and extended plays in the United States, compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is used to list artists who are not signed to major labels... |
US Heat Top Heatseekers Top Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical... |
||
| Water to the Soul (as Colourhaus) |
|
— | — | — | — |
| Words |
Arista Nashville Arista Nashville is an American record label that is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment, operated under the Sony Music Nashville division. Founded in 1989, the label specializes in country music artists, including Alan Jackson, Brooks & Dunn, Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood... |
41 | — | — | 35 |
| Love in the Real World Love in the Real World Love in the Real World is the second studio album by Australian country music artist Sherrié Austin. It was released in 1999 by Arista Nashville and peaked at #14 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart... |
|
14 | 150 | — | 8 |
| Followin' a Feelin' Followin' a Feelin' Followin' a Feelin' is the third studio album by Australian country music artist Sherrié Austin. It was released in 2001 by Madacy Entertainment and peaked at #43 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart... |
Madacy Entertainment Madacy Entertainment is a company based in Mount Royal, Quebec that publishes DVDs, CDs, and formerly VHS tapes. Most of the products are frequently seen in Walmart, Best Buy and other discount stores in the United States and Canada, often at low retail prices, as compared to releases by major labels... |
43 | — | 38 | — |
| Streets of Heaven Streets of Heaven Streets of Heaven is the fourth studio album by Australian country music artist Sherrié Austin. It was released in 2003 by Broken Bow Records and peaked at #22 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart... |
Broken Bow Records Broken Bow Records is an American independent record label based in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in July of 1999 by Benny Brown, the label specializes in country music The label's general manager is Jon Loba.... |
22 | 144 | 6 | 3 |
| Circus Girl |
|
— | — | — | — |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||
1990s singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales... |
US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
CAN Country RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,... |
|||
| 1992 | "Innocent Child" | — | 50 | — | Water to the Soul (as Colouhaus) |
| 1997 | "Lucky in Love" | 34 | — | 31 | Words |
| "One Solitary Tear" | 41 | — | 85 | ||
| 1998 | "Put Your Heart into It" | 34 | 104 | 36 | |
| "Tenderly" | — | — | — | ||
| "Innocent Man" | 74 | — | 87 | ||
| 1999 | "Never Been Kissed" | 29 | 89 | 31 | Love in the Real World |
| "Little Bird" | 49 | — | 43 | ||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||
2000s singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions |
Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales... |
US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
|||
| 2001 | "Jolene Jolene (song) "Jolene" is a song written and performed by Dolly Parton from her album Jolene , produced by Bob Ferguson. It is ranked #217 on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of "the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".-History:... " |
55 | — | Followin' a Feelin |
| "Time, Love and Money" | — | — | ||
| 2002 | "In the Meantime" | — | — | |
| 2003 | "Streets of Heaven" | 18 | 113 | Streets of Heaven |
| 2004 | "Drivin' into the Sun" | 50 | — | |
| "Son of a Preacher Man Son of a Preacher Man "Son of a Preacher Man" is a song recorded by Dusty Springfield in September 1968 and featured on the album, Dusty in Memphis. It was written by John Hurley and Ronnie Wilkins. The rights to cover "Son of a Preacher Man" were originally offered to Aretha Franklin, who turned it down... " |
46 | — | single only | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||||
Music videos
| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | "Lucky in Love" | Roger Pistole |
| "One Solitary Tear" | Steven Goldmann Steven Goldmann Steven Goldmann is a Canadian music video and film director. He has directed over 200 music videos. Goldmann also directed the movies Broken Bridges and Trailer Park of Terror, and has additionally directed several television programs.-1990-1999:... |
|
| 1998 | "Put Your Heart Into It" | Gerry Wenner |
| 1999 | "Never Been Kissed" | Morgan Lawley |
| "Little Bird" | ||
| 2001 | "Jolene" | Peter Zavadil Peter Zavadil Peter Zavadil is a music video director who works primarily in the field of country music. He has directed many music videos since the late 1990s.-Music videos directed:109 music videos are currently listed here.-References:... |
| "In the Meantime" | David McClister | |
| 2003 | "Streets of Heaven" | |
| 2004 | "Drivin' Into the Sun" | Gerry Wenner |
| 2011 | "Naughty or Nice" | David Shamban |
Filmography
- The Facts of Life (1987–1988) (TV)
- Call From Space (1989)
- Open House (1989) (TV – 1 episode)
- Exile (1990 film)Exile (1990 film)Exile was a 1990 telefilm shown on The Wonderful World of Disney on NBC premiering on January 14, 1990.The plot focused on a group of teenage castaways on an uninhabited tropical island after a plane crash....
(TV) - Shadows of the Heart (1990)
- An American Summer (1991)
- The Fresh Prince of Bel Air (1991) (TV – 1 episode)