Artist Alison Krauss

Probably the best known country western fiddler born in Decatur, Illinois, Alison Krauss has been churning out adult contemporary classics since she was 14. Now, she’s the age of her core audience and she can still whip up a nice ballad. She’s one of those artists that has won many-a-Grammy and sold plenty of albums, yet she’s never really crossed that bluegrass blockade to achieve mainstream recognition. Sure, her latest album, Paper Airplane, made it to number three on the Billboard 200, but her face isn’t in magazines or national television commercials. She’s done things on her own terms, vowing to never abandon her longtime label Rounder for a big time player.

Updated 08/29/2011