Crawford is an Adult Contemporary and Smooth Jazz vocalist with a warm, elastic voice, and her elongated phrasing and sultry style are immediately recognizable. She started singing professionally in the late 1960s in the musical hotbed of Cincinnati, Ohio, where she occasionally played with legendary Cincinnati musician and Funkadelic bassist Bootsy Collins. Crawford worked with George Benson, then did a featured stint with the Crusaders before setting out on her own. She has had numerous hits at home and abroad.