Alison Krauss & Union Station
They say a good rule of thumb is to keep your résumé whittled down to a single page. Don’t tell that to Alison Krauss; she couldn’t even fit her “awards and achievements†in such a small space. At 40 years old, Krauss has proven that if you’re going to be one of the most highly decorated voices around, you’ve got to also be one of the most diverse.
From her genre-spanning solo work to her collaborations with rockers, pickers and crooners from any and every walk of life, her stats are impressive: 12 million records sold, 27 Grammy awards, eight Country Music Awards and multiple honors from the International Bluegrass Music Association, Gospel Music Association and many more. Throw in more than a few film collaborations and soundtrack appearances, and you might wonder when this powerhouse finds the time to sleep.
Of course, it’s not all Krauss: behind the angelic voice has been the long-standing support of Union Station, her talented band of high-octane pickers headlined by renowned dobro player Jerry Douglas. The group’s 2011 record, Paper Airplane, the follow-up to the highly acclaimed 2004 release Lonely Runs Both Ways, showcased 11 new tunes with the signature stylistic mixture of folk, bluegrass and country that has helped plant Union Station near the front of the collective music consciousness.
Seven years between records is a long time, and while the communal nature of these genres ensures that Krauss and company have been (and will be) anything but idle, it will be interesting, nonetheless, to see how far Krauss flies her Paper Airplane. But if history repeats itself, one thing is for sure: she might want to start building a bigger trophy case.
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