Krauss, Alison

▪ 2005

      Bluegrass fiddler Alison Krauss, who appeared at the 2004 Academy Award ceremonies wearing a $2 million pair of diamond-encrusted stiletto heels to sing songs from the film Cold Mountain, was clearly not a traditional bluegrass musician. A champion fiddler, silver-voiced soprano, and leader of the masterful bluegrass quintet Union Station, Krauss had a musical career filled with anomalies. She recorded on Rounder, a folk-music-oriented independent label of the kind that hardly expected huge sales, yet Krauss had five gold, platinum, and double-platinum CDs. In 2004 the million-selling Alison Krauss + Union Station Live was awarded the Grammy for best bluegrass album; “Cluck Old Hen,” the band's showcase for her fiddle, won best country instrumental; and her duet with pop artist James Taylor, “How's the World Treating You,” was named best country collaboration with vocals. With these three trophies Krauss became the female recording artist who had won more Grammys than any other: a total of 17, one more than the previous top diva, Aretha Franklin.

      Krauss was born on July 23, 1971, in Champaign, Ill., where she began studying violin at the age of five. She proved to be a bluegrass prodigy—a flamboyant fiddler, she won contest after contest, led a band when she was 10, won the Illinois State Fiddling Championship two years later, and signed a recording contract when she was just 14. In 1990 she won her first Grammy for her third album, I've Got That Old Feeling. Krauss's first Union Station group included her older brother Viktor, who went on to become Lyle Lovett's bassist, and almost from the beginning the group became a favourite of bluegrass fans. As Union Station evolved and changed, Krauss's singing became a primary element in its success; her voice recalled the young Dolly Parton, and she began treating folk, gospel, standard country, and pop songs to the unamplified bluegrass style. Her videos were appearing on television, and the ensemble was already the leading bluegrass act by 1995. That was the year of their breakthrough CD, a “best of” compilation, Now That I've Found You, which wound up among Billboard magazine's top 10 pop albums and included her hit single “When You Say Nothing at All.” Each of her successive albums became a best seller as well.

      As Union Station added songs of the Beatles, the Allman Brothers, Todd Rundgren, and other rock performers to its repertoire, murmurs of disapproval were heard from hard-core bluegrass lovers. Krauss further distanced herself from bluegrass purity by appearing with stars as disparate as Parton, Phish, Sting, the Chieftains, Bad Company, and Yo-Yo Ma. Still she was determined to expand her range. While her work in the Coen brothers' 2000 film O Brother, Where Art Thou? and the ensuing Down from the Mountain Tour pleased some purists, Krauss could not ignore the criticism. “If we were really selling out,” she countered, “our lives would be a lot different.”

John Litweiler

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▪ American musician

born July 23, 1971, Champaign, Ill., U.S.

      American bluegrass fiddler and singer who—alone and in collaboration with her band, Union Station—performed folk (folk music), gospel (gospel music), country (country music), pop, and rock (rock and roll) songs in the unamplified bluegrass style and played a major role in the early 21st-century revival of interest in bluegrass music.

      Krauss began studying classical violin at age five but proved to be a bluegrass prodigy. A flamboyant fiddler, she won several contests, led a band when she was 10, won the Illinois State Fiddling Championship two years later, and signed a recording contract at age 14. In 1990 she won a Grammy Award for her third album, I've Got That Old Feeling. Krauss's first incarnation of Union Station included her bass-playing older brother, Viktor, who later joined Lyle Lovett's backing band. As Union Station evolved and changed, Krauss's soprano singing became a primary element in its success. By 1995 the ensemble was a leading bluegrass act with the breakthrough album Now That I've Found You and the hit single "When You Say Nothing at All." Each of Krauss's successive efforts became best sellers as well, and her performances on the soundtracks for the films O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) and Cold Mountain (2003) helped to introduce bluegrass to a new audience.

      In 2004 the million-selling Alison Krauss + Union Station Live was awarded the Grammy for best bluegrass album; "Cluck Old Hen," which showcased Krauss's fiddle, won best country instrumental; and her duet with pop artist James Taylor (Taylor, James), "How's the World Treating You," was named best country collaboration with vocals. With those wins, Krauss passed soul (soul music) legend Aretha Franklin (Franklin, Aretha) to become the female artist with the most Grammys. She earned an additional three Grammy Awards for Lonely Runs Both Ways (2004) and another for the duet "Gone Gone Gone" with Led Zeppelin front man Robert Plant. That single appeared on the album Raising Sand (2007), a project that brought together Krauss, Plant, and producer T-Bone Burnett. Burnett, who had worked with Krauss on the O Brother, Where Art Thou? and Cold Mountain soundtracks, crafted a sound that was equal parts Appalachian roots music, power pop, and guitar-driven rock, tied together by the distinctive vocals of Krauss and Plant. The album was a massive crossover success, hitting number two on the Billboard pop and country charts, and Krauss and Plant embarked on a world tour to support it.

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