Alison Krauss was born in Illinois and raised in Illinois, to a family who fostered the love of music. She started violin lessons at age five, classical at first, but she later switched to bluegrass. By the time she had turned eight, she was entering talent contests. By ten, she had her own band. When Alison was thirteen, she won the Walnut Valley Festival Fiddle Championship and she was named the Most promising Fiddler in the Midwest by the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass in America.

Alison Krauss

Growing up, we had folk records. My grandmother played the piano, my mother played the guitar and we listened to Hank Williams and classical music, and saw every concert under the sun.

Music in the Blood

Alison Krauss was born in Illinois and raised in Illinois, to a family who fostered the love of music. She started violin lessons at age five, classical at first, but she later switched to bluegrass. By the time she had turned eight, she was entering talent contests. By ten, she had her own band. When Alison was thirteen, she won the Walnut Valley Festival Fiddle Championship and she was named the Most promising Fiddler in the Midwest by the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass in America.

Too Late to Cry was Alison's debut solo album,released in 1987, on the Rounder Records label. Alison was sixteen years old. Union Station, which she would soon join, was her back-up band. In 1989, Alison Krauss released her first album with the bank, Union Station, Two Highways. As a result, she now had a presence as Alison Krauss and as Alison Krauss and Union Station.

Building a Solid Career

Alison Krauss's contract with Rounder Records required that she alternate solo albums with those of Union Station. In 1991, she released I've Got That Old Feeling, followed by I Know Who Holds Tomorrow in 1994. Neither album performed exceptionally in sales, but her fan base was growing. Her second Union Station album, Every Time You Say Goodbye, was released in 1992. The album won her a Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album of the Year.

At the age of 21, Alison became the youngest artist to date to join the Grand Ole Opry in 1993. A compilation album was released in 1995, entitled Now that I've Found You: A Collection, which included a number of past singles and covers. Her cover on Paul Overstreet and Don Schlitz's When You Say Nothing At All reached #5 on the Billboard Country chart, and #15 on the all-genre Billboard Top 200. The album went double platinum.

A Promising Future

To date, Alison Kraus has released two more solo albums, including 2007's Raising Sand with former front man of Led Zeppelin, Robert Plant. That album went platinum in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Sweden. With Union Station, she released three additional albums, all gold. Additionally, four compilation albums have been released and enjoyed commercial success.

Over the course of her career so far, Alison Krauss has been nominated for 39 Grammy Awards, and won 27 of these awards. The Academy of Country Awards nominated her for nine awards; she was awarded two of them. She has won 14 International Bluegrass Music Awards. Alison and Robert Plant are working on another album; no release date has been set.

Did you know . . .

• Alison Krauss has provided voice-overs for the movies, Annabelle's Wish and Eight Crazy Nights.
• Alison contributed singles to soundtracks from the movies, Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?, Cold Mountain, and Raising Sand.
• Alison Krauss is the most awarded female artist in the history of the Grammy Awards.

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