Alison Kraus has everything a bluegrass/folk artist should have. Songwriting talent, a smooth voice, a personality anyone can love, and the ability to play a quirky instrument (the fiddle). So the fact that her career has gone the way it has should be no surprise to anyone. Even if you didn’t start out as a Krauss fan in the early days, it’s hard not to cheer for her once you’ve seen her play live. She’s just so talented and so damn…loveable!

When you look back at her career, it seems the American public agrees with us. They, too, were slow to warm up to her, but fell in love once they got to know her on her hit album “Now That I’ve Found You.”

A Child Prodigy

If you have a child (or were a child), you know how hard it is to get them to practice playing an instrument. Any “I want to learn this” is quickly forgotten when actual work is required.

Thankfully for Alison’s future, she wasn’t like that. She started taking violin lessons at five years old and was committed to them. She loved playing and making music so much she started her own band when she was 12! Her talent and drive got her signed to Rounder Records when she was just 14 years old. Talk about a rising star!

I’ve Got That Old Feeling

The music community was a big fan of Alison before the public really caught on. Her album, Too Late to Cry, had great critiques but didn’t rock the radio. Two Highways, her next album (1989), was the one that made everyone stop what they were doing and listen. It got her nominated for multiple Grammys, which she’s since won multiple of. And though she started so young, Alison is yet to burn out on creating music. In fact, she performs live whenever she can.