Fiddle player and vocalist Alison Krauss has attended many music festivals over the course of her career. Her playing days started young. At just 8 years old, she was already competing in fiddling contests at state fairs and festivals, much like the one she visited in 1987. In between touring and recording, she spent some time at a bluegrass festival in Texas. While festival-goers were generally awestruck by Ms. Krauss’s impressive musical abilities, this time she found herself among the speechless audience—completely captivated by the The Cox Family’s passionate bluegrass set.
Two Bluegrass Worlds Collide
Raised in Champaign, Illinois, Ms. Krauss was introduced to a wide variety of music while growing up. Both her father and mother nurtured Alison’s passion for the violin from a very young age. After winning a slew of fiddling competitions as a child, she went on to sign her first record deal by 14.Of all the music she was introduced to, including classic rock and country, bluegrass and gospel were two of her favorites. By 1987, Ms. Krauss had dedicated most of her life to the bluegrass genre, and when she heard The Cox Family play for the first time at the Texas music festival, she had never heard bluegrass played so well before.
‘I Know Who Holds Tomorrow’
When they all got together in a music studio to record, one might think a good old-fashioned bluegrass album would be the direction they would go. Instead, they opted for a gospel record that focused on a wide array of country-tinged hymns.
Ms. Krauss produced the record, which they titled after one of the tracks, “I Know Who Holds Tomorrow.” The title is a nod to one of gospel music’s beloved songwriters, Ira Stanphill, who penned the moving ballad in 1950.
“I’d Rather Have Jesus” is a particularly stirring song that quickly became a fan favorite. The gentle hymn dates all the way back to 1922, when lyricist Rhea F. Miller originally wrote the words, which focus on Christian dedication to the teachings of Jesus. Famed gospel singer George Beverly Shea later reinterpreted the tune with his own melody, causing a wave of popularity among worshippers. Ms. Kraus and The Cox Family’s version of the hymn acts as a healing and calming lullaby with its harmony-driven strings, pedal steel guitar, and Ms. Krauss’s angelic vocals.
When she wasn’t contributing vocals or violin to the record, Ms. Krauss commanded the role of producer. She was meticulous while assembling the track listing. Aside from hymns specifically from the gospel genre, she also found spiritual tunes to include from country greats like Loretta Lynn and more eclectic artists such as Paul Simon.
Friendship Rooted in Music
After the album’s release in 1994, the group project went on to receive multiple award nominations and would take home a 1995 Grammy for Best Southern, Country, or Bluegrass Gospel Album. The resounding success of their recording project kicked off many more years of working together, and a lifelong friendship rooted in music was cultivated as well.In 2000, they all found themselves together again, working on the soundtrack to the critically acclaimed film “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” Their collaborative efforts produced another Grammy award, this time for Album of the Year.
Ms. Krauss would also go on producing The Cox Family albums as well. In 2014, they debuted another record called “Gone Like the Cotton,” a deeply personal music project 15 years in the making. After its release, Garden & Gun Magazine called it “the Cox Family at their finest.”
“There’s been a few times in my life where I’ve heard music and I know I’ll never be [the] same. ... It is the most natural friendship. I don’t think I’ve ever had anything like that to compare it to. They have such a passion for music and a love for the past like I do. I’m so moved because I feel like I’ve run into part of my destiny.”“I Know Who Holds Tomorrow“ is available in CD format, and is available digitally on streaming platforms as well.
