American Idol runner-up and recording artist, Crystal Bowersox was born a twin to her brother, Carl, in Elliston, Ohio. She and her family faced a number of emotional and financial challenges during her upbringing, which sometimes is expressed in her music. She attended Oak Harbor High School, in Oak Harbor, Ohio, but her strong interest in and talent for music and the arts, generally, led her to enroll at the Toledo School of the Arts, in Toledo, Ohio.

Long before she received professional training, she was performing as a professional. Her first gig was at the age of ten. She performed at Papa's Tavern and The Village Idiot in Maumee, Ohio. By the time she was in her late teens she was ready for greater opportunities. When she was seventeen she moved to Chicago, most often performing as a busker at several busy train stations, such as the Washington and Lake Redline stops. She was a regular at open mics, including the Uncommon Ground Clark and Grace, and Devon locations.

In 2006, the City of Chicago's department of cultural affairs selected Bowersox as the face of Chicago folk musicians for the Sister Cities program, "Experience Chicago," held in Birmingham, England. That honor led to Bowersox receiving more attention for her music, and in 2007 she embarked on a small cafe tour. Her tour may not have received massive press coverage, but it was international in nature. She performed in cities diverse as Memphis, Tennessee, Oxaca, Mexico, and in Ankara and Istanbul, Turkey. Just a few years later she found herself auditioning for American Idol.

Her audition piece was "Piece of my Heart." One of the judges at her audition was recording artist, Shania Twain, who remarked that Bowersox displayed "raw, natural talent." She was accepted to participate in the 2010 American Idol competition. However, her American Idol experience provided bumps in the road as well as accolades. In March of 2010, Bowersox was hospitalized due to complications from diabetes I, a condition she has suffered from most of her life. Upon her release from the hospital, she returned to American Idol, continuing to impress the judges. Indeed, her later performances were of such quality that the taciturn judge Simon Cowell remarked to Bowersox, "Right now, you are the one everyone has to beat."

Eventually, she was the only female contestant remaining in the competition. She was the first female contestant to reach the finale in three years and the first contestant of either sex to have one of their original songs played on the show. Bowersox's song, "Holy Toledo," was played as part of the background music for her homecoming to her hometowns of Toledo and Elliston. On May 26, Bowersox was named runner-up to the American Idol winner, Lee DeWyze. However, some American Idol runners-up have segued into successful careers. The day after the competition ended, she signed with Simon Fuller's 19 Entertainment and Jive Records. Her single, "Up to the Mountain," was released shortly thereafter. Her debut album, Farmer's Daughter, was released to stores and iTunes in December 2010.

Bowersox married musician Brian Walker on October 10, 2010, in Chicago's Uncommon Ground Cafe, where they had met six years before.