20 Grammy Awards. Alison Krauss, after this year’s Grammys, now has twenty in her collection. TWENTY. More than any female artist in history. She already had that title, but she certainly padded her lead over Aretha Franklin, who has 16. Since Krauss started her collection in 1991, Franklin has only won one more Grammy, and Krauss shows no sign of slowing down.
But I had to ask the question. How the hell does one woman win twenty Grammy awards over the course of 16 years? Apparently, diversity of talent and genre helps. Krauss’ 20 wins come in nine different categories. She’s won as a vocalist, a collaborator, a soundtrack contributor, an instrumentalist and even a producer. She’s won the overall Album of the Year category, along with wins in the Country, Bluegrass and Southern Gospel fields.
I’m sorry, but I have to share this list because it’s friggin’ amazing:
Alison Krauss at the Grammys:
1991
#1. Best Bluegrass Album: I’ve Got That Old Feeling
1993
#2. Best Bluegrass Album: Every Time You Say Goodbye (with Union Station)
1995
#3. Best Southern, Country or Bluegrass Gospel Album: I Know Who Holds Tomorrow
1996
#4. Best Country Vocal Performance, Female: “Baby, Now That I’ve Found You”
#5. Best Country Collaboration with Vocals: “Somewhere In The Vicinity of the Heart”
1997
#6. Best Country Collaboration with Vocals: “High Lonesome Sound”
1998
#7. Best Country Instrumental Performance: “Little Liza Jane”
#8. Best Country Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group: “Looking In The Eyes Of Love”
#9. Best Bluegrass Album: So Long So Wrong
1999
#10. Best Country Collaboration with Vocals: “Same Old Train”
2002
#11. Album of the Year: O Brother Where Art Thou?
#12. Best Country Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group: “The Lucky One”
#13. Best Bluegrass Album: New Favorite
2003
#14. Best Contemporary Folk Album: This Side (Nickel Creek) Alison won as producer
2004
#15. Best Bluegrass Album: Live
#16. Best Country Instrumental Performance: “Cluck Old Hen”
#17. Best Country Collaboration with Vocals: “How’s The World Treating You”
2006
#18. Best Country Album: Lonely Runs Both Ways
#19. Best Country Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group: “Restless”
#20. Best Country Instrumental Performance: “Unionhouse Station”
If these last three wins seem vaguely familiar, that may be because the Dixie Chicks swept the same three categories in 2003 with Home, “Long Time Gone” and “Lil Jack Slade”, respectively. Krauss and Union Station are the first acts to defeat the Chicks in the Best Country Vocal Performance by a Duo/Group Category. While they lost this year with “I Hope”, they won in their previous four nominations: “Wide Open Spaces”, “Ready To Run”, “Long Time Gone” and, just last year, the live version of “Top of the World.”
It’s easier to win a Grammy if you are out of the pop mainstream categories – some classical conductor has won more grammies than anyone else – Jimmy Sturr has a slew of polka Grammies but do you have any idea who he is (if you don’t then shame on you for he has the best band, whatever the genre,in the country).
Voters that give Grammies for the country and bluegrass categories tend to try to tweak at Nashville with their selections. They do a good job of tweaking Nashville but a less good job of making competant selections. Alison Krauss is damned good but not as dominant as Grammy voters would have you think . Rhonda Vincent, Claire Lynch, Tina Adair and Alecia Nugent and done work that should have won some of those Grammies awarded to Alison