Born July 23, 1971, Alison Krauss grew up in Champaign, Ill., where her parents encouraged her and her brother, Viktor, to play instruments at an early age. Soon after taking up the violin, Krauss discovered fiddle contests and bluegrass festivals. She earned her initial acclaim as an instrumentalist, but soon it was her voice that captivated everyone's attention.
Thunder Records signed Krauss as an artist when she was 14. As her career has progressed, she has developed her skills as a producer, arranger and finder of great songs. In addition to producing her own recordings with Union Station, Krauss has produced three albums for the Cox Family and two for Nickel Creek. She also produced Reba McEntire's 2001 single, "Sweet Music Man."
After launching her recording career with the 1987 album, Too Late to Cry, Krauss introduced her band, Union Station, on the 1989 release Two Highways. She joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1993 at the age of 21.
The band made bluegrass sales history with the 1995 release of Now That I've Found You: A Collection which achieved double platinum status. That same year, Krauss won an astounding four CMA Awards, including female vocalist, horizon award, single ("When You Say Nothing at All") and vocal event ("Somewhere in the Vicinity of the Heart," with Shenandoah).
Her next three projects, including 1999's pop-flavored solo album Forget About It, were each certified gold for sales of 500,000 copies. The band's 2002 concert album, Live, was certified double platinum.

Krauss remains in demand for studio work. She has sung and played on recordings by such artists as Bad Company, Vince Gill, Emmylou Harris, John Michael Montgomery, Michael McDonald, Michael Johnson, Dolly Parton, Alan Jackson, Rhonda Vincent, Dar Williams, Brad Paisley, the Chieftains, Kris Kristofferson, Kenny Rogers, Ralph Stanley, Shenandoah, Phish and Robert Plant.

In addition to collaborating with high profile artists for special projects, Krauss has been in high demand for film soundtracks. Most notable is her involvement in the soundtrack for the 2000 film O Brother, Where Art Thou? -- a project that also gained additional attention for Union Station member Dan Tyminski. They also appeared in the companion concert film, Down From the Mountain. Krauss has also contributed music to other film and TV shows, including soundtracks for Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, Where the Red Fern Grows, Mona Lisa Smile, Crossing Jordan, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.Krauss collaborated with rock musician Sting for "You Will Be My Ain True Love," one of two tracks she recorded for the 2003 film, Cold Mountain. The song garnered an Oscar nomination. She also teamed with James Taylor to record "How's the World Treating You" for the 2003 tribute album, Livin', Lovin', Losin': Songs of the Louvin Brothers. The pairing won a Grammy and Live won two. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.