Alison Krauss was born in Cleveland, Ohio. Her parents, Frank and Ethyl, encouraged her interest in music from an early age. She performed in a number of local talent shows, where she gained a reputation as a fantastic caller and guitar player. By the age of ten, she had entered the local talent shows circuit and by the age of 14 had established her own name in the music world.
After recording her first album at 14, she went on to record several others, including A Chorus Line. When she was a teenager, she won second place for a talent contest organized by the Cleveland radio station WKW (WDGH). From there, she moved on to the country circuit, playing both folk and blues music and winning several awards. Later, she gained attention as a member of Taking Back Sunday, which resulted in the making of their self-titled album.
As an independent musician, it was not easy for Alison to gain the exposure she deserved, but she did through the help of several recording labels. At the age of twenty, she was the first female artist to sign with Geffen Records, which gave her a deal that allowed her to record her own single and featured her on their first album, Something About You. After that she was signed to Capitol Records, where she released her first single, “Don’t Play This Song”, from her album No Way Back. The song was a huge success and helped boost Alison’s reputation.
In 1996, she decided to focus on her own musical interests, which led her to focus on her vocal talents. After successfully finishing an album with fellow musicianaryn Ware, she decided to take a break from music and tour the world with numerous bands and singers including Amy Winehouse, Cat Stevens, Yusef Islam, Lenny Kravitz, and Mary J. Blige. Her experience as a performer was very helpful to her when it came to writing and producing her first solo album, Aphasia. She also had a chance to meet members of The Beach Boys and The Yardbirds, as well as many other well-known musicians and artists. This helped to inspire her later work.
In 1998, Alison released her second album, Wonderful Tonight, which featured the duet of her good friend Brad Paisley and her own compositions “Magic Moments”. The album featured a duet of her own songs with the songs of Brad Paisley and James Earl Jones. It would be the last track heard from Alison and Brad in collaboration. This album went platinum, making it one of the best selling records of all time. “Aphasia” was also a very well-selling single.
The success of Aphasia led to the creation of several other singles and albums including: No Little Loves, Roses, Wonderful Tonight, and Aphasia. These singles and albums helped make Alison an even more popular figure and helped make her even more well-known. During the late nineteen eighties, she began to receive Grammies for her music, as well as Album of the Year accolades from several music publications. This finally put Alison and her work into the limelight. Some of her awards and honors include the MTV Video Music Awards, the Satellite Awards, the Grammies, and theoire. Her honors have also included winning multiple awards for excellence in music at the 2021 Polaris Music Awards, the MTV Songwriters Choice Awards, and theoire.
