Who Is Crystal Bowersox?

(MYFOX NATIONAL) - Radaronline.com calls Idol hopeful Crystal Bowersox the "dreadlocked hippie style singer, with the Janis Joplin vibe."

Celebrity Web site Hollywood Gossip describes her as a former country girl turned folk singer who plays the guitar and raises her little boy Tony.

The Toledo, Ohio single mom is among the top 24 finalists on season nine of American Idol.

She names Joplin, Aretha Franklin, Bonnie Raitt, Melissa Etheridge and Sista Otis as her musical influences.

The Toledo Blade 2009 Battle of the Bands promo site reported that the 23-year-old northwest Ohio farm girl "spread her country roots" into Chicago and its rich history of blues and jazz.

"When two worlds collide, a heartfelt-folk, yet gritty blues and soul sound emerged," the newspaper stated in a biography of Bowersox. The site calls her songs "lyrically rich, musically layered with a hint of old-school soul."

She started singing in school plays but really got the music bug after finding her mom's guitar hidden in a closet, according to UK Web site Digital Spy .

Web site Pop Power reported that she has been playing music since she was 10 and she also enjoys playing the piano and harmonica.

MTV.com reported that Bowersox won the audience over with her cover of Aretha Franklin's "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" during the American Idol Hollywood Week auditions in Los Angeles.

Bowersox auditioned in Chicago. According to Web site Bumpshack.com , she celebrated her success by getting a tattoo dedicated to her son. She says that she's doing what she does with dreams of giving her son a better life.

"American Idol" Season Nine Contestant Profiles:

Didi Benami | Lacey Brown | Crystal Bowersox | Michelle Delamor | Lee DeWyze | Katelyn Epperly | Andrew Garcia | Tyler Grady | Todrick Hall | Casey James | Aaron Kelly | Alex Lambert | Michael Lynche | Siobhan Magnus | Paige Miles | Jose Munoz | John Park | Ashley Rodriguez | Lilly Scott | Jermaine Sellers | Katie Stevens | Tim Urban | Haeley Vaughn | Janell Wheeler