Alison Krauss was something of a musical prodigy from the very beginning. Growing up in Champaign, Ill., she began playing the violin at 5 years old, but her eclectic tastes would lead her to forgo her classical training to embrace Americana via a different form of the instrument: the fiddle. She formed a band at age 10, signed to Rounder Records at age 14 and released her debut album, Too Late To Cry, in 1987 at 16.

By then, Krauss had recruited her band, Union Station. Following a GRAMMY nomination in 1989 for Two Highways, Krauss' breakthrough effort, 1990's I've Got That Old Feeling, won for Best Bluegrass Recording and garnered her critical acclaim that would last well into the '90s as she found her niche: modern bluegrass with tinges of country roots.

Krauss became a force on the country music chart as well as the pop chart. Released in 1995, Now That I've Found You: A Collection, surpassed double-platinum sales and reached No. 13 on the Billboard 200. In 2000 Krauss participated on the mega-hit soundtrack for the Coen Brothers' film O Brother, Where Art Thou?, which garnered Album Of The Year honors at the 44th GRAMMY Awards and spurred renewed interest in bluegrass music.

In 2007 Krauss teamed with former Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant for Raising Sand, an album that earned five GRAMMYs at the 51st GRAMMY Awards, including Album Of The Year and Record Of The Year for "Please Read The Letter." At the 54th GRAMMY Awards in 2012, Krauss won the 27th GRAMMY of her career for Best Bluegrass Album for Paper Airplane, tying her with Quincy Jones for the most awards by a nonclassical artist.