We took a trip back to Crystal's roots, back to the people who discovered her before the world. She stood out from the very beginning.
On the American Idol stage, she jammed Elvis Presley's "Saved," tickled the ivories for "Midnight Train to Georgia" by Gladys Knight and the Pips and gave an emotional performance of the Impressions' "People Get Ready," complete with the trusty mic stand she brought all the way from Ohio.
Many people around Toledo knew that someday, someone would discover the girl with old-soul talent.
David Gierke is director of development for Toledo School for the Arts. He says, "I was with my family at Erie Street Market and I heard this young lady singing and she sang this beautiful song that brought tears to my eyes."
Gierke says in that moment, he knew the teen belonged at the then-newly formed Toledo School for the Arts. "She came with her little guitar strung on her back, and walked through, this little hippie chick. She was very astute and you could tell she had some life challenges she was working through,and it all came out through her artform."
Fast forward a few years, and those pipes were almost a shock to the regulars at the Village Idiot in Maumee.
Village Idiot employee Nathan Woodward told us, "I was in the back making pizzas, and I heard her sing and I just got goosebumps. I went out, and I talked to the other bartender and I was like, 'This girl's amazing!'"
Woodward says Crystal's spark was hard to ignore. He says bar patrons would say "'I'm coming for one beer', and they'd stay for three hours. We knew something big was going to happen for her."
Gierke remembers the conversation he had with Crystal as she prepared to head to Hollywood. "She was really happy. She told me, 'If I can just stay on the live show long enough that people could recognize who I am, I think I could get a songwriting career out of this."
Crystal's turn on Idol has lit a fire under so many aspiring musicians. Ross Thompson, 10, is full of inspiration these days. Just a few months ago, he was strumming his guitar alongside his music teacher, who pressed one lesson into his mind. "Basically when you're singing, it's just letting it out: feelings, the voice, everything."
Ross and his family are still buzzing from their recent trip to Hollywood to watch Crystal in action. "You know what, she was just like me. Playing music, blues here at Papa's. So basically learning about her is like learning about me."
Papa's Tavern in east Toledo is adorned with banners touting their longtime musician and a mural inspired by her soulful sound.
Crystal's longtime bandmates people consider her a sister and a daughter. Bob May has been playing the Toledo scene for years, but one song written for him and about him always makes him blush.
It's "Gray Haired Rockstar," written and recorded by Crystal Bowersox before American Idol.
May says, "I had had a broken finger. It seemed like it took a year to heal but I still kept on playing. She was impressed by that so she wrote that song that talks about playing through pain."
It's something May's son Frankie knows all about. He and Crystal are longtime friends and musical partners. He says, "I met her here. I was 18 and she was 14 and we hit it off right away."
Rich Castro shot video of Crystal and Frankie singing Janis Joplin's "Piece of My Heart" at the Village Idiot in Maumee. He posted it on YouTube.
May says if people are worried the Idol whirlwind will change Crystal, they shouldn't. "I went to LA to visit her and was in the audience for a couple shows. She's just real. She just does what she does and she's not trying to pander to anybody."
Crystal is a shooting star from Toledo, aimed straight for great things.
