Episode 42: Crystal Waters

I can’t say that house music was a staple over the airwaves or on deejay sets in the Caribbean when I was growing up. However, I do remember hearing the pulsing rhythms and deep steady basslines on TV and sometimes in stores. What was this music? It made me feel happy the way Soca music did, but it sounded so different. As the 90s dawned upon us I heard this genre more and more. But how could I get my hands on this music? My local record store, Ellie’s, was stacked to the ceiling with offerings from every calypso, soca, reggae, dancehall and hip hop artist that you could imagine. But this thing… this music that I had fallen in love with proved elusive. What was it even called? The pre-teen me had given up. One day that would all change. There it was a commercial on TV advertising a CD with several tracks of this mystery music. Dance Mix USA. Living on a British island I could not simply ask my mom to dial the 800 number on the screen. There was no access to such numbers from our territory. The solution. My aunt who lived in the US Virgin Islands could source it.

After months of waiting. It arrived. I popped it in my dad’s stereo system and turned those Aiwa speakers up to their max. I liked all of the songs. But there was something about track number 8 that grabbed hold of me. “Gypsy Woman” by Crystal Waters. I was in love with this song.

I would not hear from Crystal Waters again until some time later when she dropped 100% Pure Love an absolutely infectious record that captivated the world and shot to number 1 in several countries.

By this time, I had discovered that this music that I was enamored with was called House Music. I was a fan of it and an even bigger fan of Crystal Waters. With her writing and vocals she has caused many to fall in love with House music. Over the years the internet has allowed me to follow her work and not miss a beat or a hit. When I created this podcast, I had a list of persons, outside of my network, whom I really wanted a chance to interview. A list of persons whose work I admired deeply, but whom I thought would probably not respond to my invitation. Crystal Waters was on that list. To the contrary, she responded and obliged. Not only is she a phenomenal artist, but she is truly a phenomenal person.

This is the story… Thus far… of the legendary Crystal Waters.