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 to Fred and Louise, 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 (Nonesuch, 2004) 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 (EMI/Back Porch, 2007), 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. He is also the composer of the indie horror game No Players Online.
Discography
Different Strokes (Fiddle Tunes, 1985) Far from Enough (Nonesuch, 2004) II (EMI/Back Porch, 2007)
As sideman
With Alison Krauss
1995 Now That I've Found You: A Collection
1999 Forget About It
2007 A Hundred Miles or More: A Collection
With the Cox Family
1994 I Know Who Holds Tomorrow with Alison Krauss
1993 Everybody's Reaching Out for Someone
1995 Beyond the City
1996 Just When We're Thinking It's Over
2015 Gone Like the Cotton
With Bill Frisell
1997 Nashville (Nonesuch) 1998 Gone, Just Like a Train (Nonesuch) 1999 Good Dog, Happy Man (Nonesuch) 1999 The Sweetest Punch (Decca) 2005 East/West (Nonesuch) 2007 Floratone (Blue Note) 2009 Disfarmer (Nonesuch)