American Idol Crystal Bowersox: Road to the Finals

(CANVAS STAFF REPORTS) - Ohio folk rock singer Crystal Bowersox is wowing judges and the public alike as she reaches the final two in the ninth season of "American Idol."

Last week she performed Paul McCartney's early 70s hit, "Maybe I'm Amazed," selected by Ellen DeGeneres, which judge randy Jackson called "Great song! Great vocals!" Her performance of Come to My Window," by Melissa Etheridge, which she selected, was deemed a good choice for her, though the judges were not blown away.

Her performance of "People Get Ready" may have been her breakout moment.

Her rise to the top has come with its challenges. The website crystal-bowersox.net recounts how she was hospitalized on March 2 because of her diabetes. The illness forced producers to move the men to sing Tuesday night while Crystal and the other female contestants performed that week on Wednesday.

She returned that Wednesday and progressed with her rendition of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Long As I Can See The Light."

Bowersox started signing and playing guitar at the age of 10. She admires the late singer Janis Joplin and also lists Aretha Franklin, Melissa Etheridge, Bonnie Raitt and Sista Otis as influences, according to The Hollywood Gossip .

She sang Joplin's "Piece Of My Heart" at her audition, earning her a golden ticket to the Hollywood round.

Bowersox, 24, was born in Elliston, Ohio, and has sung and played acoustic guitar in the Toledo area.

The Vancouver Sun recently described her as a "shy farm girl from small-town Ohio." She started writing songs such as "Ohio Flies, "Sandman" and "Put Your Guitar Down" when she was 13.

Her "American Idol" audition came after playing in "smoky dives, roadside diners and half-empty coffee houses," according to the Sun.

She has a son, Tony, who she is raising as a single mother.