Alison Krauss & Union Station

Driven by Alison Krauss’s voice and fiddle, Alison Krauss & Union Station has established itself on the contemporary American bluegrass and country scene, blending covers of acoustic classics with original compositions. The group coalesced in the late 1980s around Krauss alongside various bluegrass musicians, then gradually solidified with Dan Tyminski, Ron Block, Barry Bales, and, from the late 1990s, dobro player Jerry Douglas. Alison Krauss & Union Station’s music rests on a blend of traditional bluegrass, folk-tinged country, and slow ballads, carried by tight vocal harmonies and an acoustic ensemble sound centered on fiddle, guitar, banjo, and bass. The first joint album, Two Highways (1989), established Alison Krauss & Union Station on the festival and specialty-venue circuit, followed by Every Time You Say Goodbye (1992), So Long So Wrong (1997), and New Favorite (2001), which confirmed the group’s place in the American bluegrass revival. The band also developed a significant live presence, documented on Alison Krauss & Union Station Live (2002), before moving in a more introspective direction with Lonely Runs Both Ways (2004) and then Paper Airplane (2011), where Alison Krauss & Union Station deepens a balance between acoustic tradition, country songwriting, and refined arrangements.