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. 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. From the mid-1990s until 2001, Krauss owned the
American Football House, located at 704 W. High St. in
Urbana, which was featured on the cover of
the first album by
emo band
American Football. ==Discography==