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Biography
Krauss’ earliest musical excursions began playing the violin age five, however bored of the strict classical regimen soon found a proclivity for country and bluegrass. By the age of 10 Krauss had won a number of talent contests around Decatur and Illinois, formed her own band and aged 12 won the Illinois Sate Fiddle Competition. The talented violinist made her recoding debut on a collaborative album with her brother entitled “Different Strokes”.
After signing with Rounder Records aged just 14, Krauss made her debut with “Too Late to Cry” in 1987, recorded with her backing band the Union Station. The Union Station, formed of guitarist Jeff White, banjoist Alison Brown, and bassist Viktor Krauss, later won the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass in America’s National Band Championship contest. Alison Krauss and the Union Station went on to release “Two Highways” in 1989, and the Grammy Award winning “I’ve Got That Old Feeling” in 1990. The album paved the way for Krauss’ future breakthrough, and gave the bluegrass genre an unprecedented amount of exposure.
The band, now featuring mandolinist Adam Stuffy, banjoist/guitarist Ron Block, bassist Barry Bales and guitarist Dan Tyminski, went on to release “Every Time You Say Goodbye” in 1992, “I Know Who Hold Tomorrow” in 1994, and Krauss’ breakthrough album “Now That I’ve Found You: A Collection” in 1995. Making the musician the figurehead of contemporary American bluegrass and country, the album reached No. 2 on the county charts, entered the Top 10 on the pop charts, and sold over a million copies.
The group subsequently released “So Long, So Wrong” in 1997, “Forget About It” in 1999 and in collaboration with the likes of John Hartford and Ralph Stanley, contributed to the award winning soundtrack for “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” in 2000. After a showcasing tour, Krauss and Union Station returned to the studio and recorded “New Favorite”, which proved another highly-popular album. “Lonely Runs Both Ways” arrived in 2004, followed by “A Hundred Miles or More” in 2007, along with an award-winning collaboration with Robert Plant entitled “Rasing Sand” also in 2007. “Paper Airplane” by Alison Krauss and Union Station was issued in 2011, topping off Krauss' illustrious career, which has aided the bluegrass genre and earned a host of revered awards including a remarkable 27 Grammy Awards – tying the musician with Quincy Jones as the second highest receiver of the award behind Sir Georg Solti.
Live reviews
A performance by Alison Krauss & Union Station is perhaps the quintessential representation of how to successfully blend country music with traditional bluegrass music in its purest form. Having been a band for nearly twenty-five years, Alison Krauss & Union Station have proven that they have perfected their craft in engaging the audience with their entrancing music making. The band’s unique chemistry is their strong suit. Alison Krauss acts as the captivating leader of the band soothing the soul of the audience with her angelic voice while the rest of the band enhances her performance with their tight knit performance, playing their instruments with impeccable precision. Each member is unique in their own way and all have had laudable careers apart from the Union Station. Alison Krauss has been well recognized within the music industry for her work already having won 27 Grammy awards, while guitar/mandolin player, Dan Tyminski, has been respected for his rendition of the classic, “I am a Man of Constant Sorrow”, which appeared in the Cohen Brother’s film, Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?.
Alison Krauss & Union Station is currently on tour with country music legend, Willie Nelson. This is just one of the many legends that Alison Krauss has had the opportunity to perform with on stage. Others include a diverse range of people such as Robert Plant and Crosby, Stills, and Nash. This reinforces the notion that not only is Allison Krauss respected by her audience as a captivating performer, but she is also highly regarded by various musical legends as a versed musician that can adapt to numerous styles of music.
The different styles of music that Alison Krauss is able to adapt and perform is well represented in her current setlists, which include many songs that span across her career as well as covers ranging from artists such as Paul Simon, Chick Corea, and Avicii. Alison Krauss & Union Station’s amalgamation of different instruments and styles of music is bound to ensure an exuberant treat for those that witness the band’s performance live.
wjmcc
The Union Station is technically the backing band of blues grass singer/songwriter Alison Krauss yet there is such a respected, mutual adoration on both sides that all the musicians now tour underneath this stage name. Having enjoyed success on both sides of the Atlantic, the group has been touring since the late 80s so they are evidently well practiced when up on stage.
Performing a fantastic mixture of old and new material, 'Paper Airplane' released in 2011 is one of their best received albums thus far so the crowd are enthusiastic when these tracks are played. There are also loud cheers for old music including 'Let Me Touch You for Awhile' and 'Daylight'. The audience clearly knows the material well and sings in force during the chorus while the musicians onstage focus on the alt-country instrumentals. The music is so upbeat that the whole crowd are stomping along by the final tones of 'Dimming of the Day' and they are even more enthusiastic when the group reappears for an encore of 'Your Long Journey' and the classic 'There Is A Reason'.
sean-ward
