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01 MISS MARVA ANN 4:060:00/4:06
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I RISE WITH THE SUN 3:150:00/3:15
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0:00/4:40
EPK
Garnetta Cromwell
Press photos
Garnetta Cromwell
BIo
GARNETTA CROMWELL & DaGROOVMASTERS
From silence to soul, Garnetta Cromwell’s life has been defined by resilience and rhythm. At the age of five, she lost her hearing and learned to read lips while lying close to speakers, feeling the vibrations of Aretha Franklin’s voice through the floor. When her hearing was restored years later, she carried with her an ability to see into people’s eyes, their emotions, and their truths — a gift that would shape her identity as a powerhouse blues and soul artist.
Raised in an Afro-Métis household in Montreal as the youngest of eight children, Garnetta found healing in Gospel, Soul, Blues, and Country. She performed from childhood, inspired by her mother’s tailoring of costumes and the sounds of Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight, Mavis Staples, and The Jackson 5. After relocating to Ontario, she joined Toronto’s first all-female reggae band, Sweet Sensation, sharing stages with Shabba Ranks, Maxi Priest, Shaggy, and Gregory Isaacs, as well as soul legends like Percy Sledge and The Manhattans.
Life’s trials shadowed her journey. She endured discrimination in the workplace, fought a lengthy Human Rights battle in Nova Scotia, and carried the grief of losing close family members, including two nephews to gun violence and the death of her mother. Despite hardship, she rebuilt herself again and again — as a correctional officer, Canadian Forces reservist, Olympic weightlifting champion, and above all, as a mother raising three children through loss and struggle.
Music, however, always called her back. After her son survived a shooting in 2021, Garnetta chose healing through music and founded Garnetta Cromwell & DaGroovmasters. Within their first year, they won the Toronto Blues Society Talent Search, performed at Massey Hall’s Women’s Blues Revue, the TD Toronto Jazz Festival, and the Calgary International Blues Festival, earning standing ovations and national acclaim. Their debut album, Time to Shine (2023), produced by Ken Whiteley, was nominated for a Maple Blues Award and a U.S. Blues Blast Music Award.
Every note Garnetta sings carries the weight of her story — loss, survival, healing, and joy. With her trademark white sneakers, a nod to her athletic roots, she delivers a contagious, high-energy performance that uplifts and inspires. Today, Garnetta stands as a testament to perseverance: a voice forged through silence, a spirit unbroken, and a woman whose blues are the soundtrack of triumph.
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