Viktor Krauss


Viktor Krauss is an American musician who plays acoustic and electric bass. He has released solo albums and has worked as a sideman with many musicians, including his sister, singer and fiddler Alison Krauss.

Music career

Krauss was born and raised in Champaign, Illinois. As a boy, he enjoyed listening to soundtracks. He started on piano and trumpet before moving on to playing double bass with local jazz groups in his early teens. In high school, he began composing music and was influenced by rock, soul, and R&B. He attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and studied bass, voice, and electronic music. While in college, he formed a band called Difficult Listening.
In 1992, he became a member of the Free Mexican Airforce led by Peter Rowan, a bluegrass guitarist and singer from Boston. After working with Rowan, he joined the band of country singer Lyle Lovett, touring and recording for the next ten years. He played on Forget About It, a solo album by his sister, Alison.
He recorded his album Far from Enough with Alison, dobro player Jerry Douglas, drummer Steve Jordan, and guitarist Bill Frisell. Alison sings a cover version of the song "Big Log" by Robert Plant. Viktor Krauss called his album a soundtrack without a movie. It combines country, bluegrass, and jazz. His second album, II, was also compared to a film soundtrack. Shawn Colvin sings a cover version of "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" by Pink Floyd.
Krauss has worked as a session musician on albums by the Cox Family, Beth Nielsen Chapman, Bill Frisell, Jerry Douglas, Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton, Martin Taylor, Michael McDonald, and Natalie MacMaster.

Discography

With Alison Krauss
With the Cox Family
With Bill Frisell
With Jerry Douglas
With Lyle Lovett
With Beth Nielsen Chapman
With Dolly Parton
With Jill Sobule
  • 1995 Jill Sobule
  • 1997 Happy Town
With Natalie MacMaster
  • 1999 In My Hands
  • 2003 Blueprint
With Ron Block
  • 2001 Faraway Land
  • 2007 DoorWay
With Peter Rowan
  • 1994 Tree on a Hill
  • 2006 Crucial Country
With Jason White
  • 2001 Shades of Gray
  • 2003 Tonight's Top Story
With Carrie Rodriguez
  • 2006 Seven Angels on a Bicycle
  • 2016 Lola
With Sarah Jarosz
With Nicole C. Mullen
  • 2000 Nicole C. Mullen
  • 2001 Talk About It
  • 2008 Gift Tin
With others'