Born 55 Years Ago Today in Illinois, the Grammy-Winning Fiddler Who Worked With a Rock Icon and Helped Bring Bluegrass Into the 21st Century

On this day (July 23) in 1971, Alison Krauss was born in Decatur, Illinois. She signed her first record deal before she could legally drive. Since then, she has earned her place as one of the foremost fiddlers in modern bluegrass. At the same time, her band, Union Station, is hailed as the pinnacle of the genre. She has also found success with other projects, including her collaborations with former Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant. Additionally, Krauss was heavily involved in the O Brother, Where Art Thou soundtrack, which helped bring bluegrass and old-time music to the attention of a large new audience.

Krauss was a child prodigy. She started by learning to play classical music on violin. Then, when her mother saw an ad for an upcoming fiddle competition, she learned a handful of bluegrass tunes. At just eight years old, she placed fourth in the competition. Three years later, she won the Illinois State Fiddle Championship and was named the Most Promising Fiddler in the Midwest by the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass.

Getting an Early Start

Krauss was only 12 years old when she started performing with Silver Rail. Two years later, the band changed its name to Union Station. Later that year, she inked her first recording contract with Rounder Records, according to the Decatur Herald and Review. Two years later, in 1987, Krauss released her debut album, Too Late to Cry. Union Station was her backing band on the LP. Then, in 1989, the label released Two Highways, the first album credited to Alison Krauss and Union Station.

Krauss and Union Station have received a combined eight CMA Awards, two ACM Awards, 27 Grammy Awards, and 15 IBMA Awards, including two Entertainer of the Year trophies.

Alison Krauss and Robert Plant

Alison Krauss still records and tours with Union Station and as a solo act. She has also released a pair of wildly successful albums with former Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant.

They were an unlikely pairing. Their backgrounds and vocal styles are like night and day. However, compromised and took time to create a balanced place where they could work together. The result was the Platinum-selling 2007 album Raising Sand, which won five Grammy Awards. It brought them Album of the Year and Best Folk/Americana Album. The pair also won Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals (“Rich Woman”), Best Country Collaboration with Vocals (“Killing the Blues”), and Record of the Year (“Please Read the Letter”).

They released their second collaborative outing, “Raise the Roof,” in 2021. While it wasn’t as successful on the charts or at awards shows as their debut record, it received universal praise from critics and fans alike.

A Bluegrass Hero

Alison Krauss is part of the reason that bluegrass and old-time music became popular again shortly after the turn of the century.

She contributed several tracks for the O Brother, Where Art Thou soundtrack. Her contributions include “Down to the River to Pray” and “I’ll Fly Away,” which also featured Gillian Welch.

The album won multiple Grammy Awards and was named Album of the Year at the CMA Awards. It also inspired a concert special called Down from the Mountain at the Ryman Auditorium, which showcased songs from the film. The concert laid the groundwork for a tour of the same name. Krauss, Ralph Stanley, Emmylou Harris, and Gillian Welch were among those who took the stage during these performances.

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Krauss and the O Brother soundtrack, and the subsequent concerts are credited with the resurgence of bluegrass and old-time music in the early 2000s. She believes that the film just made the music more accessible to a wider audience.

“I also think that…it was like a secret. It’s not accessible like everything else on the radio. And I think that lucky for us…bluegrass got its time in this movie. It could have been as easily Cajun music or blues music, because people love that too,” Krauss told PBS. “It’s just these wonderful traditional forms of music that people don’t get to hear like they do commercial music.”

Featured Image by David Redfern/Redferns

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