Alison Krauss biography

Synopsis

Alison Krauss was born on July 23, 1971 in Champaign, Illinois. She had a recording contract with Rounder Records at the age of 14 and released her first solo album at 16. She joined the band Union Station and became a member of the Grand Ole Opry. Krauss has earned 21 Grammy Awards. Her most recent win was for her collaboration with former Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant.

Profile

Singer, fiddle player, songwriter. Born July 23, 1971 in Champaign, Illinois. Alison Krauss received acclaim for her musical talents from a young age. By the time she was 14, she had signed with Rounder Records. She released her first solo album, Too Late to Cry, at age 16, after which she joined the band Union Station. At the age of 21, she became a member of that great country music institution, Nashville's Grand Ole Opry.

In 1995, Alison Krauss & Union Station released Now That I've Found You, which became the top-selling bluegrass album in recording history, achieving double platinum status. Her next solo project, 1999's Forget About It, was certified gold. The group' latest recording together was 2004's Lonely Runs Both Ways, which won the 2005 Grammy Award for Best Country Album. Throughout her career, Krauss has worked on a variety of projects, including albums with Union Station, solo efforts, and collaborations with other artists.

Early on, Krauss added producing and arranging to her repertoire, making her one of the most sought-after studio artists in the country music business. She has worked with such high-profile artists as Vince Gill, Dolly Parton, and Kenny Rogers. For her work as a producer for Nickel Creek, Krauss shared in their Grammy win for Best Contemporary Folk Album in 2002.

Krauss has also made recordings for several movie soundtracks. She sang several tracks for the Coen Brothers' film O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) soundtrack, including "ll Fly Away" with Gillian Welch and "Didn't Leave Nobody but the Baby" with Welch and Emmylou Harris. Enormously popular, the soundtrack helped attract new listeners to bluegrass music and won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 2001. Two years later, Krauss provided the vocals for the Gaelic-flavored "You Will Be My Ain True Love" for the film Cold Mountain (2003). The song was written and composed by Sting and was nominated for an Academy Award.

In 2007, Krauss won the Grammy for her collaboration with former Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant Grammy on the vocals for "Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)." That same song earned Krauss and Plant a Country Music Association (CMA) Award nomination for Musical Event of the Year in 2008. She won this award twice previously??in 2004 for "Whiskey Lullaby" with Brad Paisley and in 1995 for "Somewhere in the Vicinity of the Heart" with Shenandoah. During her extensive career, Krauss has earned 26 Grammy Awards.