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Alison Krauss music biography continued...

her parents encouraged her to take up an instrument at an early age. Soon after taking up the violin, Krauss won several statewide fiddle contests and was named Most Promising Fiddle Player by the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass in America. By age 14, she had a contract with Rounder Records, and came out with her first album, Too Late to Cry, at 16. 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 a breathtaking four CMA Awards, including female vocalist, horizon award, and single ("When You Say Nothing at All"). Her next three projects, including 1999's pop-inflected solo album Forget About It, were each certified gold for sales of half a million copies. The band's 2002 concert album, Live, was certified double platinum. In 2004, Krauss and Union Station released the spectacular album, Lonely Runs Both Ways. The project brought in three more Grammys, bringing her total to 20 -- the most of any woman in history.



Besides her solo efforts and work with Union Station, Kraus has collaborated with everyone from Kenny Rogers to Sting. She has also maintained a high profile on movie soundtracks, most notably contributing to the Coen Brothers 2000 classic, "O Brother Where Art Thou," as well as such films as "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil," "Cold Mountain" and "The Ya Ya Sisterhood." Kraus continues to perform and record at a fast clip. She recorded a collaborative album, Raising Sand, with Robert Plant in 2007 which was certified platinum and won five Grammy Awards including Album of the Year, Best Contemporary Folk/Americana Album, and Record of the Year ("Please Read the Letter"). In the same year, she released the anthology A Hundred Miles Or More: A Collection which included soundtrack work and duets with artists such as John Waite, James Taylor and Brad Paisley. Kraus shows no signs of slowing down—reason enough for fans and fellow artists to celebrate.