When Garnetta Cromwell was five years old, she was diagnosed with a hearing impairment that would require surgery. Despite this early obstacle, Cromwell has loved music since she was a little girl. As the youngest of eight siblings, she was constantly absorbing the musical influences of her Afro-Metis home, located in the Mi’q Maw community. She was, and still is, inspired by the sounds of gospel, blues, country, and classic soul. Her childhood performances demonstrated her taste for the greats, as she covered songs by Aretha Franklin, Mavis Staples, Gladys Knight and The Supremes, and the Jackson 5. Her mother handmade each costume for her performances.

Cromwell, her mother, and her older siblings moved from Montreal to Ontario. Here, she discovered reggae, which made a lasting impression on her. In the 1990’s, she was one of the lead vocalists for Toronto’s first female reggae band, ‘Sweet Sensation’. They performed with recognized artists like Maxi Priest, Shabba Ranks, Shaggy, Gregory Isaacs, Sean Kingston, and Percy Sledge. Unfortunately, after a loss in the family, she left the group and started her new life in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.

She landed a well-esteemed role with a major furniture company, but the work environment quickly went downhill. Cromwell faced discrimination, including the use of racial slurs against her, prompting a Human Rights investigation. After five years, she won her hearing in 2014. One of her conditions was that the company would provide educational workshops to Black and Indigenous Nova Scotians to facilitate their success. More workplace discrimination followed in her next career as a Correctional Officer with the Canadian Armed Forces, understandably bringing Cromwell to a negative mental space.

Cromwell came back to music as an outlet, sparking her passion for it once again. She played with an R&B band before her sister lost two of her sons in the same year. With three children of her own, Cromwell made her next move to Ontario in the hopes of healing. She soon came to focus her time on developing her weightlifting skills back in Ontario. She set a new Ontario Provincial record in 2018 and competed in the Pan-Am Masters Canadian Games in June 2018, where she earned two gold medals.

Garnetta Cromwell formed her own band in 2022, a curated group of brilliant musicians. The decision to involve more creativity in her life followed her son’s injury from a shooting. Garnetta Cromwell & DaGROOVMASTERS released their first album Time To Shine in September 2023. She reflects on themes of femininity in multiple songs, reminiscing on her mother’s strength and encouraging fellow women to empower and inspire others.

Cromwell continues to turn to music as a tool of expression, now playing in her band Garnetta Cromwell & DaGroovmasters. The group represent the multicultural pot that is Canada. As a formidable blues group, they have gathered many accolades including a Maple Blues Award, a Juno performance, and many international festival performances.